Monday Fall Camp Nuggets: Blackshirts already off and running

Here are some quick notes to pass along from Nebraska’s fall camp practice on Monday morning...

***Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said the defense had been able to do a lot of mixing and matching and be very multiple with their personnel through the first four fall camp practices.

***Chinander said the defense was far ahead compared to previous years, just with its overall experience and maturity. He said guys were having “real football conversations now.”

***Chinander said Jailen Weaver and Ru’Quan Buckley didn’t look like 18-year-old freshmen with how big and strong they were already. Chinander said Weaver had been repping both at nose and end this fall.

***Chinander said Tyreke Johnson has looked every bit the part of a former five-star recruit so far, saying Johnson had “elite” movement in coverage.

***Chinander said he expected Nebraska would hold its first full-pads practice on Wednesday.

***Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said the overall knowledge in his room was as good as it’s been since he returned to Nebraska.

***Ruud said the No. 1 goal for Nick Henrich going forward was to stay healthy. After suffering setbacks with shoulder and knee injuries, Ruud said he’d been working a lot with Henrich on developing proper “pre-hab” routines to make sure he was keeping his body healthy every day before and after practice.

If Henrich can stay on the field, Ruud said he had NFL potential.***Ruud said he wasn’t sure how deep the rotation would be at ILB but stressed there would be a rotation.

After Luke Reimer, Chris Kolarevic, and Henrich, Ruud said guys like Garrett Snodgrass, Eteva Mauga-Clements, and Jackson Hannah had a chance to join that rotation this season.

***Ruud said Reimer didn’t have a “big-time weakness” in his game, but he had to continue to improve on everything.

Ruud said Reimer’s biggest weakness was probably his pass-rushing, but his best strength was his “instinctiveness” in getting to the football.

Ruud said Reimer was so good at taking the right angles and knowing when to take his shot. He said Lavonte David was the same way.

***Ruud said Will Honas was still around the program every day despite likely being out for the season with an injury. Ruud said Honas was the “signaler” for the ILBs in practice and was helping in as many ways as possible.

***Reimer said one notable improvement he’d made over the years was learning how to “properly” watch and study film. He said it wasn’t just a matter of watching more film but knowing what to watch and how to watch.

Reimer said he learned a lot in that regard from guys like Honas, Collin Miller, and Mohamed Barry, and it’s translated to his improved play on the field.

***Outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson said his group went from "400-level classes to 700 level" this offseason in terms of what they understand about the defense compared to last year.

Dawson said now the focus was more on the "whys" than the "whats" when it came to each play and individual responsibilities.

***Dawson said NU would start every practice with special teams work in an effort to make that element a higher priority. He said one reason why was because the retention of what they'd taught in the previous practice was so much better when they went back to it first thing the next time out.

***Dawson said they'd only had one practice with live kickoff work so far, but they'd done individual work every day.

***Dawson said Pheldarius Payne had made some noticeable strides over the past year just by finally staying healthy. Payne came in with a shoulder injury last fall and then got COVID-19, so he was set back right out of the gates.

Now Dawson said Payne was bigger, faster, and stronger than ever, and he'd been playing like it so far in camp.

***Dawson said Payne was a "slippery guy" when it came to his ability to rush the passer. He said Payne didn't always use the most orthodox technique, but he found unique ways to get past blockers by "contorting his body" that has been effective.

***Dawson said tight ends coach Sean Beckton would help work with the returners this season.

***Dawson said the evaluations at punter and kickoff specialist would likely go a little longer than other special teams spots just because of the competition that needed to play out at those spots.

***Linebacker Garrett Nelson said he weighed in at 262 pounds before fall practice began, the heaviest he has ever been. Nelson put on 10 pounds since the end of the 2020 season and 20 pounds since he arrived at Nebraska.

“262, that’s like eight pounds from 270. I’m going to get the knee braces here soon,” Nelson said.

***During the off-season, linebacker Chris Kolarevic spent time working on his mental health in the terms of doing yoga and meditation. Kolarevic said he meditates every morning before practice.

“I think physically I feel really good right now,” Kolarevic said. “My body feels awesome. I feel explosive. I feel fast.”

“The biggest thing for me is, I’ve been playing college football for a while, so I know the season is going to be a grind. So there was a lot of mental preperation to get ready to go.”

***Pheldarius Payne, who transferred from Lackawanna Community College before the 2020 season, will make a considerable contribution to the outside linebacker group. He said he has learned a lot from Nelson, Caleb Tannor and Damion Jackson.

***Payne said that he expected more out of himself last season and particularly during the Ohio State game. This season he said he is in better shape physically and mentally than his first season at NU.

“Going into the Ohio State game I expected more. Leaving the Ohio State game I was sad, me personally, because there was a sack I missed. I remember on one play I missed it and was hard on myself.”

***Payne will be one of the Huskers pass-rushers along with Nelson and Tannor. He said since he came to Nebraska he has worked on his mobility and hands. Last season, he said he learned how to key in on the ball and see the play unfold better.