2023 Husker Signee Analysis: Defensive Line

A lack of proven bodies on the roster makes replenishing the trenches a must

Riley Van Poppel via Twitter

Whether it was Mike Dawson or Tony Tuioti coaching the unit, Scott Frost and his Nebraska football staff struggled to recruit the defensive line position during their time in Lincoln. In five recruiting classes, the previous staff signed a total of 11 players to play on the D-line. One of those eleven (Tate Wildeman) was committed to Mike Riley and remained part of Frost’s transition class. Think about how egregious that is.

The staff inherited solid veterans from Riley’s roster: Carlos and Khalil Davis, Freedom Akinmoladun, Mick Stoltenberg, Ben Stille, Damion Daniels and Deontre Thomas. Even with a nice foundation to build from, they failed to add and develop youngsters behind them. As they lost those guys to graduation over the ensuing years, there was nothing to show for it. In five seasons, Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher were the only high school recruits who saw the field in a meaningful way.

Earlier installments in Jeremy Pernell’s series: • OL • TE • WR • RB • PK • NU signee rankings • Top 40 classes

This room is in dire need of an overhaul and an influx of talent. The Huskers dipped into the portal to add Elijah Jeudy, a former four-star recruit from Texas A&M. With Colton Feist and Devin Drew graduating, the redshirt freshman will have an opportunity right away in Lincoln. Even in a three-man front, there’s a staggering lack of proven bodies on the roster. You’re looking at Ty Robinson, Stephon Wynn, Nash Hutmacher and Jeudy. After that you’re praying a guy like Ru’Quan Buckley is ready to give you some meaningful snaps. Much like the O-line, you can expect this staff to keep its eyes open when the next wave of transfers hit the portal in mid-April.

New head coach Matt Rhule is going to have to rebuild this team brick-by-brick, and nowhere is that more apparent than on the D-line. He used his transition-class to take a nice first step toward that process.

The one holdover from the previous staff was Argyle (Texas) High School standout Riley Van Poppel, and to their credit, he appears to be a really nice foundation piece for that room moving forward.

Van Poppel first got on the previous staff's radar in January 2022 when Husker coaches were on the road during the open contact period. Bryan Applewhite first caught a glimpse of Van Poppel during a weight room workout at Argyle. Applewhite was impressed and reported back to Nebraska’s recruiting department. That same day, then-Director of Player Personnel Sean Dillon started following Van Poppel on Twitter and got the ball rolling.

The following week, January 25, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander was at Argyle to see Van Poppel in person for himself. After a 30-minute conversation, Chinander offered him a scholarship. From that day forward, Van Poppel was in consistent communication with Chinander and Applewhite. About a week and a half after his offer, Mike Dawson got involved as well. The three Husker coaches were in constant contact as Van Poppel quickly rose to the top of their D-line board.

Riley is the son of Todd Van Poppel, a former first-round draft pick who pitched in Major League Baseball for over 10 years. Riley grew up loving baseball and played through his sophomore year. Doing so limited his exposure on the gridiron, and it wasn’t until he set the sport aside to concentrate on football that his recruitment really took off. He began training regularly with former Iowa State defensive lineman James Reed.

Last spring, Van Poppel’s stock exploded after standout performances at several camps. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, Van Poppel ran a laser-timed 5.14-second 40-yard dash, 4.58-second shuttle and 7.64-second 3-cone prior to his senior season.

The staff was able to get Van Poppel to Lincoln for their March 5 Junior Day. The two-way lineman was blown away and nearly committed during the visit. He took subsequent trips to TCU and Tennessee, but his time at Nebraska stood out. He planned a return visit for May but had to cancel because he needed to have his wisdom teeth pulled. So instead, Chinander and Dawson went down to Argyle to see him.

Riley returned with his parents and brother for an official visit June 10-12. It was actually a four-day trip for Van Poppel, who flew into Nebraska on the Thursday night before the NCAA-mandated 48-hour clock of being on campus for an official visit began.

Nebraska was the frontrunner heading into the visit, with TCU, Michigan, Tennessee and Arkansas also among his contenders. On Saturday, while having dinner with coaches at Firethorn Country Club, Van Poppel rounded up Frost, Chinander and Dawson and told them he was committing.

Van Poppel waited until Monday, June 13, to publicly announce his commitment. He first wanted to call the coaches recruiting him at other schools to let them know his decision. He subsequently canceled planned trips to TCU and Michigan.

During the recruiting process, Van Poppel had bonded well with  Frost’s coaching staff. He watched as the team got off to a slow start and then fired the head coach and defensive coordinator that played big roles in getting him to commit in the first place. After Frost was fired, he developed a close relationship with Mickey Joseph as the interim coach moved to keep the class together. Eventually, they were all gone.

Surprisingly, Van Poppel never wavered. Along with strong relationships to the previous staff, he’d fallen in love with the Husker program. The town, business school and fan base made a lasting impression, and Van Poppel wanted to be part of the turnaround.

Matt Rhule called Riley the same day he was hired. In their first 10-minute conversation, Rhule was able to put Van Poppel’s mind at ease and assure him he was a priority for the new staff as well. Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton made a visit to the family house a week or so after the staff was hired, and the two hit it off.

On December 7, Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield made an in-home visit with Van Poppel. That was followed up with another visit from Knighton on the 13th, a few days before Van Poppel returned to Lincoln for his second Husker official the weekend of December 16. The visit went better than expected, and Van Poppel signed a few days later during the early signing period.

Van Poppel was recruited for both sides of the line, with several schools liking him as an interior O-lineman. The previous staff loved his potential on defense, and the new coaches share that opinion. They love his frame, potential and versatility. They’re going to line him up all over the D-line, whether it’s as a five or a three tech or the nose. Rated as a four-star prospect by both ESPN and On3, Van Poppel is a high-floor prospect with a ton of upside.

Van Poppel was named District 7-4A D-I Utility Player of the Year as a junior after recording 38 tackles with seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He took his game to another level as a senior, even as Argyle moved up a classification. Playing all across the defensive front, he finished with 80 tackles, 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss en route to being named District 3-5A Div II Defensive Player of the Year. Van Poppel also participated in track, with personal bests of 50′ 4.75″ in the shot put and 128′ 7.5″ in the discus.

The staff added another versatile piece with Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin East lineman Vincent Carroll-Jackson. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Carroll-Jackson didn’t play football – or any other sport – until his senior year.

His road to the gridiron got started when he took a strength and conditioning class as a junior. It was taught by head football coach Lance Deane. The two formed an incredible bond, with Deane convincing Carroll-Jackson to join the football program for his senior season.

After just four games, he received his first offer from New Hampshire. That was just the beginning. Despite playing on a team that went 3-7, his stock soared after he managed over 50 tackles, with eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss. Carroll-Jackson earned all-conference recognition and was named to the PennLive all-star team.

Not long after, several schools came calling. He was offered by Rutgers, UConn, Central Michigan, Ohio, Buffalo and Akron on the same day in late November. Within two weeks, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Pitt, Syracuse and Colorado had offered as well – with some schools recruiting him for the O-line.

Nebraska extended an offer on December 7, a few days before Carroll-Jackson took an official visit to Syracuse. He ended up committing during the trip and canceled a planned visit to Rutgers. Carroll-Jackson was content to shut down his recruitment and sign with the Orange a few weeks later.

Around the same time he committed, Matt Rhule hired Syracuse defensive coordinator Tony White to run the Blackshirts. Nebraska subsequently ramped up their efforts. On December 13, Rhule called to see if Carroll-Jackson would be open to hosting him for a visit.

Vincent had a good relationship with Tony White, so he told Rhule he would listen. The following day, Rhule flew to Harrisburg to see Carroll-Jackson at his school and conducted an in-home visit afterward. With the dead period on the horizon and the early signing period less than a week away, the Huskers pressed for a visit.

Carroll-Jackson loved his fit in White’s 3-3-5 scheme, so he decided to take an official visit to Lincoln to check out the Huskers. He arrived Saturday morning, December 17, and was blown away. Along with Tony White, he clicked instantly with Terrance Knighton and Husker staffers Omar Hales and Mike Wallace. He committed during his visit but didn’t announce it publicly until early signing day, December 21.

Ranked as a four-star recruit by On3, Carroll-Jackson has immense untapped potential. This is someone you plug into your system and after 2-3 years of building his body with Corey Campbell and developing under Terrance Knighton, you’re excited to see what can emerge down the line.

During his signing day press conference, Matt Rhule spoke of the emphasis he and his staff will place on depth and development. He also said they’re never going to not take a talented offensive or defensive line prospect. That philosophy led them to make a late offer to T.F. Riggs (S.D.) High School standout Jason Maciejczak. At the time, Maciejczak had been committed to North Dakota since late July and was preparing to sign with the Fighting Hawks.

That was until offensive line coach Donovan Raiola brought him up to Matt Rhule. On Friday, December 16, Husker staffer Omar Hales reached out to gauge his interest in Nebraska. About 30 minutes later, Maciejczak was on the phone with Rhule, Raiola and D-line coach Terrance Knighton for about 2½ hours, as the trio extended an offer to the two-way lineman. The offer came out of the blue for Maciejczak, but he had some history with Raiola and the previous staff.

Maciejczak had visited Lincoln March 5 for a Junior Day and participated in the Husker Pipeline Camp on June 18. After a good showing, Raiola told him he wanted to offer but needed to convince Frost because of a numbers crunch.

A week before he committed to North Dakota, Maciejczak texted Raiola to see if there was still an opportunity for him at Nebraska. Raiola told him Frost was looking at other guys and for him to commit to UND. That was the last contact he had with anyone at Nebraska until Hales called.

The new staff wanted to move fast with Maciejczak. Early signing day was around the corner and the Huskers wanted to bring him in for an official visit before the dead period started on December 19. Unfortunately, Maciejczak couldn't make it to Lincoln for a visit because blizzard conditions had caused roads and airports to shut down outside his home in South Dakota.

Despite that setback, Nebraska’s coaching staff was able to answer questions for Maciejczak and his family over video conferencing. Maciejczak met with a number of Nebraska coaches, including Matt Rhule, Marcus Satterfield, Tony White and Donovan Raiola. Maciejczak felt comfortable enough to commit, announcing his decision on social media December 19 and signing two days later.

Maciejczak was a two-way starter for T.F. Riggs, playing center and guard this past year, as well as multiple spots along the D-line. When the staff decided to pursue Maciejczak, the 6-foot-3, 320-pounder spoke of how the staff was “fighting over him.” In December, it seemed the initial plan was to give him a look on the O-line – Maciejczak’s preference.

After taking his official visit Jan 20-22, he received more clarity in the staff's plans for him. He’s going to start out on the D-line, which was where North Dakota had planned on playing him. Personally, I agree with this move. Nose tackle makes a lot of sense for him. Not only does he have the build and skillset to thrive there, it’s also more of an overall team need.

Although Maciejczak wasn’t highly recruited – few in his area are – there’s a lot to like about him. In a transition class he’s a really good take. Maciejczak has put up 31 reps of 225 pounds, has a 545-pound squat max, and runs the pro-agility in 4.7 seconds. He’s a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball and is one of the best shot put and discus throwers in the region. He has personal bests of 59′ 5″ in the shot put and 175′ 8″ in the discuss. He took second in both events at the Class AA state meet last year, losing out to Kael Miedema, who will be joining Nebraska’s track and field program. As a sophomore, Maciejczak placed second in the discus and third in the shot put.

Jason played his first three seasons for his father, Dan Maciejczak, at Douglas High School in Box Elder, South Dakota. Dan was an All-American at Chadron State and is a member of their Hall of Fame. Jason was a three-time all-conference selection while playing for his father. He earned honorable-mention all-state honors as a sophomore and was an all-state pick as a junior. He moved to Pierre and attended T.F. Riggs as a senior when his father got a job at the school as a paraeducator and a coach in their football and track programs.

Maciejczak helped T.F. Riggs to a perfect 12-0 record and a state championship, earning all-state honors and being named a finalist for state player of the year by the Argus Leader.

This staff's ongoing goal to replenish the trenches led them to Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco lineman Joshua (Sua) Lefotu. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Lefotu was another of Rhule’s post-December signing day acquisitions.

Lefotu would have garnered more interest had it not been for an injury. He missed his sophomore year because of a torn ACL, which ended up impacting his playing time as a junior. As a result, he didn’t really get on coaches' radars until last spring and summer, when he stood out at multiple satellite camps and showcase events.

His offseason performances earned him several offers with Power Five tenders coming from Michigan State, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. Lefotu ended up committing to the Huskies on June 26 during an official visit to Seattle.

Finally healthy, Lefotu had a breakout senior campaign playing for a team that finished the season ranked No. 1 in the country, according to MaxPreps. The powerhouse Braves program is loaded. It features over 40 players with Division I football scholarship offers. Lefotu was part of a 6-8 man rotation at St. John Bosco, so the competition for reps was intense.

The Huskies had hoped Lefotu would get more playing time as a senior after such an impressive offseason. On November 2, Washington and Lefotu had a mutual parting.

After he reopened his recruitment, several schools reached out with scholarship offers including Washington State, Hawai’i, Arizona State and Tennessee. The Sun Devils offered a week before the early signing period, and Lefotu gave serious consideration to signing with them. However, he didn’t want to sign with a school without having the chance to visit first. At the time, his parents were in Texas with his younger brother, who had been selected to play in the 14U All-Star Bowl. As a result, Lefotu elected to bypass signing in December and let his recruitment play out.

Nebraska jumped into the picture a couple weeks later. On January 14, Terrance Knighton reached out and extended a scholarship offer, as did Tom Allen’s Indiana Hoosiers. Once the ball started rolling between Nebraska and Lefotu, Tony White also joined in the recruitment.

The Huskers were late to the scene, but the coaches were quick to establish a relationship with Lefotu and were ready when an opportunity arose. Lefotu had originally set up official visits to Arizona State and Tennessee for the weekend of January 20, but both fell through. Nebraska moved quickly to get him on campus for that weekend.

As his recruitment hit the homestretch, Lefotu narrowed his focus to Nebraska, Arizona State, Indiana and Nevada. In the days leading up to his visit to Lincoln, Tony White conducted an in-home visit with Sua and made a huge impression on him and his family. Once he was on campus, the bond between Lefotu and the coaches grew stronger, and he liked how he would fit in the defense.

Lefotu was hosted by tight end Brody Tagaloa. The redshirt freshman shared his personal experience as a Samoan moving to Lincoln from California and adapting to the culture shock. He admitted it was difficult at first but has grown accustomed. That relatability was an important factor in helping Lefotu feel he could be comfortable as well.

The visit went better than expected and Lefotu canceled a planned trip to Indiana for the following weekend. He publicly announced his commitment to the Huskers on January 28 and signed on February 1.

Lefotu is a big, stout kid who displayed impressive explosiveness this past summer. He has the tools to be a valuable piece to the D-line room down the line. Along with an impressive 79-inch wingspan, Lefotu bench-presses 345 pounds, squats 435 and can deadlift 405 pounds.

Nebraska likes Lefotu’s versatility on the interior of White’s 3-3-5 scheme. He has the ability to play both the one-technique and the zero-technique and has played on a three-man front all through high school. If Lefotu’s knee injury is completely behind him, he could turn out to be a really nice late addition to the class. There’s some good upside here. Playing at St. John Bosco, he’s received excellent coaching and has spent his prep career practicing against some of the best players in the country and going up against top competition on Friday nights.

On Thursday, I’ll take a look at the EDGE position, where several early enrollees will try and earn immediate playing time at a depleted position.

Related: HuskerMax 2023 recruiting central

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