Huskers Spring Awards: Defense

With Nebraska's 2016 spring practices now officially in the books, we decided to take a look back on the past five weeks to identify some of the notable names on both sides of the ball.

Today, we review how things shook out on defense...

While Nebraska had some concerns about its overall secondary depth coming into the start of spring practice, it had very little worry about its top cornerback unit.

The rapid development of junior Joshua Kalu was as big of a reason for that as any.

After emerging as one of the Huskers' top lockdown cover guys by the end of last season, Kalu picked up this spring exactly where he left off in his impressive Foster Farms Bowl performance.

His combination of size (6-1, 190), length, and athleticism make him the prototype for what NU wants in a cornerback.

What puts Kalu over the top is that not only is he as talented as any most corner in the Big Ten, he's got the confidence and swagger to make sure all of his opponents know it, too.

The departures of senior defensive tackles Greg McMullen and Kevin Williams this spring left Nebraska with some major depth issues on its defensive line heading into the summer.

The good news, though, is young guys like Khalil Davis should quickly put any fears to rest by the time the season rolls around.

Davis, as well as his twin brother Carlos, made quite the impression on new defensive line coach John Parrella this spring, and the same can definitely be said vice versa.

In fact, Khalil went on record saying he improved more this spring than he did all of his redshirt season in 2015.

Parrella certainly has an undeniable talent to work with over the next few years. Khalil was named the Husker Power Athlete of the Year earlier this spring, which included him squatting 10 reps of 485 pounds.

Redshirt freshman Avery Anderson was the beneficiary of circumstance this spring, as he was thrust up the depth chart following injuries to fellow safeties Antonio Reed and Aaron Williams.

Though he came to Nebraska as a highly-regarded cornerback, Anderson made the switch to safety in an effort to help provide some depth at the position while also seeing a better opportunity for playing time.

That chance certainly held true through the spring, as Anderson steadily developed at the position and now appears to be well on his way to becoming a mainstay in NU's safety rotation.

He'll need to continue to add some bulk to his 6-foot, 185-pound frame, but he showed his big-hit ability during last week's spring game when he delivered the the hit of the day on tight end Sam Cotton over the middle to dislodge a sure completion.

Weeks before Nebraska even started its spring practices, defensive coordinator Mark Banker singled out sophomore defensive end Sedrick King as a player he was counting on to make a major jump this season.

"I think he's a key component in our defense as we go forward to the 2016 season," Baker said. "He's someone who needs to develop extensively this offseason and into the spring and contribute in the fall."

Well, that didn't exactly play out the way Banker might have hoped through NU's 15 spring practices. Despite limited depth at defensive end, King struggled to establish himself as a top-line player and capped off the spring by missing the final week with an injury.

He obviously still has a chance to make his move this fall, and his athletic 6-foot-4, 240-pound build certainly gives him the potential to be a big factor for the Huskers. But with his third year in the program now underway, King has done little to show that will happen.

One of the more disappointing turn of events this offseason was that sophomore defensive tackle Mick Stoltenberg was unable to participate in spring practice after undergoing offseason knee surgery just before the bowl game.

Had he been able to suit up, there's a good chance the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder would have already solidified himself a fixture on the starting defensive line for this season and years to come.

Just from the basic eyeball test, Stoltenberg might be one of the most physically intimidating players on the entire roster. Even better, he's got the skill set to match and was already earning notable playing time last year as a redshirt freshman at one of NU's deepest positions.

The Gretna, Neb., native will have to make up for lost time when he returns to action in fall camp, but for a guy who already triggers comparisons to former Husker standout Adam Carriker, that shouldn't be much of a problem.