Jeremy Pernell: A Whole New Scheme at Linebacker, but Two Mainstays Return

Adapting to Tony White’s new system will be crucial this season for the Huskers

Seventh in a series breaking down Nebraska's 2023 post-spring roster by position. | HuskerMax discussion

It doesn't get as much attention as other position groups on the roster, but the linebacking corps will be undergoing a shift of its own this season at Nebraska. Their assignments will be different in defensive coordinator Tony White's scheme, with no carryover from the old defense. Linebackers in this system will be playing downhill. They will need to be fast, physical and aggressive.

These guys are working from square one in this new 3-3-5 defense. How quickly they can pick things up will be vital this season. Along with new schematic responsibilities, there will be a shift in the physical profile you see these coaches target on the recruiting trail, but I'll cover that later.

The three linebacker spots in this defense are broken down as the "Mike", "Will" and "Jack." The Mike will cover the inside gaps and primarily stay inside the box. The Will covers the weakside of the offensive formation and needs to be adept in coverage. The Jack is a hybrid of the traditional "Sam" linebacker who lines up on the strongside of the formation. In White's system, the Jack will need to be stout against the run, while also being an effective pass rusher and capable in coverage.

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Luke Reimer

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Position coach Rob Dvoracek

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Chief Borders

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Robert Goddin photo-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Henrich

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MJ Sherman

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Jimari Butler

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Mikai Gbayor

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Nebraska returns veteran starting linebackers Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich. Reimer was a part-time participant this spring, while Henrich was out as he continued to recover from a knee injury. The senior Reimer has played in 38 games with 27 starts as a Husker. The two-time honorable-mention All-Big Ten performer has the skillset to really thrive in this system. He's been dinged up a lot in his career, but if healthy, he should be a difference-maker for the Huskers.

Speaking of battling injuries, that's been the bugaboo of 2022 team captain Henrich as well. The junior broke his hand in the opener against Northwestern and then was lost for the season in mid-October after tearing his ACL against Purdue. If Henrich can return to his 2021 form when he finished with 99 tackles starting all 12 games, those two could be a nice foundation for the defense.

You know what you're getting with those guys, so one of the benefits this spring was being able to divvy out reps to youngsters and newcomers.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of that was junior walk-on John Bullock out of Creighton Prep. He was brought up by coaches several times this spring and was with the first-team defense for the Red-White game. Another walk-on, junior Grant Tagge out of Omaha Westside, was running with the second team. Keep an eye on those two.

The staff brought in a pair of SEC transfers who are set for big roles this season. MJ Sherman comes over from Georgia, where he played 39 games mostly on special teams for the Bulldogs. Sherman got lost in the shuffle playing for one of the most talented defenses in modern history. Georgia's 2021 title team has now had seven defenders selected in the first round of the NFL draft. In total, 14 players from that defense have been drafted thus far, including every starter. Just crazy to think about.

The junior Sherman was a composite five-star recruit in the 2020 class. He came in and made his mark this spring. Sherman's a versatile player who can play every linebacker spot and also line up and rush the passer from the five or seven technique. He'll have a big role this season.

Sophomore Chief Borders comes over from Florida, where he played primarily on special teams last season. Borders was a four-star recruit, according to ESPN, and played in the Under Armour All-America Game. Borders will be a versatile piece as a linebacker who can also move up and play in four-man fronts.

Junior Garrett Snodgrass has battled injuries for much of his time in Lincoln. The son of a coach, Snodgrass has picked up the defense faster than anyone. Can he earn some reps as a backup this season? Snodgrass will have competition from sophomore Mikai Gbayor, who seemed to take a step this spring.

Sophomores Randolph Kpai and Seth Malcom are entering their third seasons in Lincoln. Neither has seen the field in any capacity. With the new staff coming in and an emphasis on recruiting trait-specific players for the new defense, I have to wonder what their long-term futures are if they don't make a move this fall.

Redshirt freshman Gage Stenger is listed as a linebacker on the roster and was one of the standouts for the No. 2 defense during the spring game. He has the ability to play on the second and third levels in this system for Tony White. He could be a candidate, ultimately, for the Rover spot in the backend of the defense.

The same could be said of Kaine Williams, who transferred to Nebraska last offseason from Alabama. Williams didn't play last season after coming in to play safety for the previous staff. Watching his high school tape, I felt Williams was best suited as an in-the-box safety, but with the switch is defenses, the new staff has moved him closer to the line as a linebacker. Could he find his niche playing the Rover spot?

One of the more important positions in this scheme will be the Jack linebacker spot. Like I covered above, the Jack will play on the ball, off the ball and also in space. It's a chess piece position and coaches need those guys to be versatile. MJ Sherman and Jimari Butler were basically co-No. 1s for much of spring. Those two will play big roles this fall. Maverick Noonan and Javin Wright also spent time at that spot this spring.

I'm looking forward to freshmen Eric Fields and Dylan Rogers joining the room this summer. If we've learned anything from the coaches so far, it's that they are going to give everyone a chance to come in and earn a role early.

Rogers, a high-priority target of the previous staff, will step on campus physically ready to play from Day 1. He is a holdover from the old coaches, but he's a great fit for what Tony White wants his linebackers to do, which is attack gaps. I guarantee when White got to Lincoln and watched Rogers' Hudl tape, he was excited. Can Rogers come in and leapfrog a few veterans for playing time?

I'm really interested in how quickly the staff gets Eric Fields onto the field. He flew way under the radar for what his film and testing numbers showed. This staff loves his upside. He could play his way into the mix this season at the Rover spot - a hybrid position in the secondary that I'll cover later. But I think long-term, the staff wants Fields at linebacker.

Looking ahead, I'm going to take an interest in the guys the staff ultimately bring in at linebacker. I really like the commitment they got already from Willis McGahee IV, who they are earmarking for the Jack spot in particular. It's huge in a roster rebuild when you can identify and target guys to bring in to play roles instead of trying to tweak what you do to fit certain players. McGahee is a good first piece.

I could see at least a couple more guys here. They're top-heavy right now with Reimer, Henrich and Sherman. Behind them you have several unproven younger guys who were recruited for a different scheme.

Some other top targets at the position to keep an eye on are Dylan Williams (Long Beach, CA), Kamar Mothudi (Los Angeles, CA), Michael Boganowski (Junction City, KS), Elijah Newby (Cheshire, CT), Tyanthony Smith (Jasper, TX) and Melvin Laster (Liberty, MO).