Jeremy Pernell: Exits and Additions Shake Up Husker Defensive Line

Nebraska reeled in a portal prize in Ochaun Mathis. Devin Drew and Stephon Wynn also figure to be key contributors.

Tim Heitman photo-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska went into the offseason with a dangerously thin defensive line. Not only did 34-game starter Ben Stille exhaust his eligibility, but nose guard Damion Daniels decided to forgo his final season to try his hand in the NFL. He'll attempt to make the roster with the Houston Texans this summer.

The Huskers also lost key reserve Deontre Thomas when he decided to give up football and not use his final season of eligibility with Nebraska. On top of that, the team lost reserve Jordon Riley in late January when he followed defensive line coach Tony Tuioti to Oregon via the transfer portal. In late April, expected starter Casey Rogers also decided to rejoin Tuioti at Oregon.

FIFTH IN A SERIES • Intro • QBs • WRs • OL

What kind of experience was on hand to fill those players' roles heading into 2022? According to Pro Football Focus data, Nash Hutmacher played just 26 snaps in 2021, Colton Feist played 12 and the young trio of Marquis Black, Ru’Quan Buckley and Jailen Weaver combined for nine. Mosai Newsom missed much of the year with an injury. In fact, entering his fourth season at Nebraska, Newsom has yet to appear in a game.

With only a handful of scholarship players available to practice this spring, Ty Robinson told reporters that he estimated he and others took more than 400 reps during spring. The D-line was without a doubt the biggest hole on the roster. Rebuilding it was an absolute priority for the staff.

Ochaun Mathis / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

The crown jewel of Nebraska's transfer class is edge rusher Ochaun Mathis. This program has been trying to find an elite pass rusher ever since Randy Gregory last played in 2014. Bo Pelini, Mike Riley and now Scott Frost have made it a priority every recruiting class and offseason since. Getting Mathis, who was regarded as the most proven pass rusher in the transfer portal, was a major victory for the Huskers.

The Huskers ranked 98th nationally in sacks in 2021, averaging 1.67 per game, after ranking 96th in 2020 at 1.63. Last year, Garrett Nelson led the team in sacks with five. No other Husker had more than two. Clearly, the hope is Mathis can improve those numbers.

A late bloomer coming out of Manor (Texas) High School in the 2018 class, Mathis committed early to TCU in January 2017. After a strong senior season, the Horned Frogs had to fend off late pushes from a number of programs including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Mathis appeared in just four games as a true freshman in 2018 in order to maintain his redshirt. He would go on to play a major role in TCU's defense over the ensuing three seasons. Mathis had 40 tackles with 2.5 sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2019, then burst onto the scene with a huge sophomore campaign in 2020. In 10 games, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Mathis finished with nine sacks, which ranked second in the Big 12, and his 14 tackles for loss ranked third in the conference. He recorded 45 tackles this past season, including seven for loss and four sacks.

Mathis was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020 and 2021. He played in 38 total games for the Horned Frogs with 34 starts, compiling 135 total tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. He was on pace to finish among the school’s top five in career sacks.

Losing Mathis was a major blow for TCU. He was a prominent voice in the locker room, having been one of the players chosen to represent TCU at Big 12 media days last summer. It's a prime example of what can happen when a program undergoes a regime change, though.

Gary Patterson resigned ahead of a presumed firing after four straight underwhelming seasons. Sonny Dykes took over as head coach in late November. Part of the changes Dykes planned was switching TCU's defense from a 4-2-5 scheme to a 3-3-5. Defensive coaches told Mathis they wanted him to gain weight in anticipation of playing more inside. Mathis, who had considered staying at TCU even after the coaching switch, opted to transfer after learning how he would be used.

Mathis entered the transfer portal on Jan. 12 after the initial wave of transfers took place in early December, shortly after the season ended - which has become standard practice. He was in no rush, however, as he planned to stay at TCU and graduate in May, then enroll at his next school in time for fall practice.

Mathis was an immediate hot commodity after entering the portal. Dozens of schools showed interest and made offers, and Ochaun spent the first month narrowing his focus to a handful of schools. His research was exhaustive as he looked at rosters, schemes, statistics, game atmosphere, even the local community. On Feb. 17, he named a top five of Texas, Nebraska, USC, Mississippi and Penn State.

Pretty quickly, however, it became a two-horse race between the Huskers and Longhorns. Both schools had staff connections to his previous school. Texas had hired Gary Patterson as special assistant to Steve Sarkisian, while Scott Frost brought Bryan Applewhite in to coach his running backs. Both coaches were close to Mathis at TCU and subsequently jumped into recruiting him for their new schools.

It was an all-hands-on-deck approach from the Huskers with every coach being involved in his recruitment in some form. One of Nebraska's pitches to Ochaun focused on the opportunity to go up against some of the best offensive linemen in the country in the Big Ten. If Mathis could duplicate his success and standout in two separate Power Five conferences, that would impress NFL scouts.

Then when Mathis sat down and talked scheme with defensive coordinator Erik Chinander and line coach Mike Dawson, their plan for him impressed. They were going to use him all over the field as an edge rusher, as a stand-up in their 3-4 looks and with his hand in the dirt in a 4-3. They told him his talents would be showcased in their defense. They wanted - needed - him to get after the quarterback.

A sizable NIL compensation package believed to be in the mid-six-figure range was also a factor. Prior to his official visit, a representative from Nebraska visited Mathis and his family to discuss several aspects of the deal. Sure there were talks of how they would help him develop a personal brand, but there was also a focus on helping to establish credit and saving money.

While that might upset some old-school fans, I've got news for you; This is the new landscape of college football recruiting. If you don't adapt, you'll get left behind. It's encouraging that Nebraska was able to compete in this arena. A major factor in Mathis picking the Huskers was the NIL package. That's a fact.

Texas did the same thing. They were also trying to put together an NIL deal that would help put them over the top with Mathis. The Longhorns reportedly ran into an issue, however, when their freshman All-America wide receiver Xavier Worthy was approached with a significant six-figure offer from at least one Power Five school to enter the portal and transfer to their program. Basically the same thing USC did with Pitt All-American Jordan Addison (allegedly).

Texas had to pivot and allocate money to keep Worthy, a budding superstar who caught 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman last season. How this affected their package for Mathis, we can only speculate.

What we do know is that Mathis grew up right outside of Austin and had a strong connection at Texas with Patterson. He also visited campus four times during the transfer process and was considered a Longhorn lean throughout most of it. Was their NIL deal close to Nebraska's after keeping Worthy in Austin? Did that ultimately factor? We may never know.

That's not to take anything away from how well Nebraska recruited Mathis. They knocked it out of the park when he visited for the Red-White spring game. He was reportedly accompanied by 10 friends and family members, including his mother, best friend and several siblings. Nebraska rolled out the red carpet for Mathis and his entourage, with the genuineness of the people around the program really impressing everyone.

His familiarity and comfort level with Applewhite being in Lincoln was also a big factor in his decision. The bond they had built in Fort Worth went a long way.

Another box that Mathis checked was having a three-hour conversation with Casey Thompson, someone who knows both programs well. Casey gave Ochaun the rundown from his experience being at Texas. Thompson didn't throw shade at his former school, just gave Mathis the back story on his decision and described what it was like in Lincoln.

On April 30, Mathis publicly announced for Nebraska. Applewhite was the first person he called to tell him he was committing to the Huskers two hours before his live announcement. Mathis is a redshirt junior with two seasons of eligibility if he chooses to use the free COVID year.

Devin Drew / Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Ochaun Mathis grabbed all the headlines this offseason, but he's not the only new addition expected to make a difference on the D-line. Texas Tech's Devin Drew is another Big 12 standout expected to push for a starting role.

The 6-foot-2, 280-pound Drew started his career at Iowa Western Community College. He earned first-team All-District and first-team All-State honors as a middle linebacker coming out of Raytown (Mo.) Senior High School in the 2018 class, but he had to go the junior college route because of issues qualifying.

He walked on at IWCC weighing 235-240 pounds. When camp opened, he was seventh on the depth chart at one D-end position. After three weeks of practice he was in the starting lineup. Drew ended up a two-year starter for the Reivers, finishing with 97 total tackles (51 solo), five forced fumbles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. As a sophomore, he earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors and was named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Drew ended up choosing Texas Tech over offers from Maryland, UNLV, SMU and North Texas. He played in every game for the Red Raiders (10) in 2020, starting once late in the year against TCU, and finished the season with 21 tackles (14 solo). This past season, he appeared in all 13 games for the Red Raiders, starting 11, and racked up 34 tackles (21 solo).

With an extra year of eligibility from the COVID season, Drew decided to enter the transfer portal on Feb. 3 to find a school with a defensive scheme that better suited his skillset. He played primarily as an end in a three-man front in Lubbock but feels he would be better suited playing the three-technique in a four-man front. Something he thrived in at IWCC.

Drew received a lot of interest when he entered the portal. Along with offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Vanderbilt, he took spring visits to TCU, Indiana and Illinois before coming to Lincoln on April 23. He liked how Husker coaches told him they would use him as they planned to implement more four-man fronts in 2022. Drew also liked the close proximity of Lincoln to Kansas City, and he admits that also played a big part in his decision.

Drew announced on May 3 that he would transfer to Nebraska. In doing so, he became the first IWCC player to get a scholarship to NU since the program's inception in 2009. He's also the first Kansas City-area player for the Huskers since offensive lineman Boe Wilson (2016) and defensive linemen Carlos and Khalil Davis (2015).

The only question is how soon he will arrive on campus. He's spent the past two months at home in Kansas City completing six summer school hours online in order to graduate. According to Texas Tech’s 2022 academic calendar, the "late summer" term of classes doesn’t end until Aug. 3 with finals taking place Aug. 4 and 5.

Going off of that and looking at Nebraska's camp schedule, Drew could miss the first eight or nine practices. Not ideal at all. The Huskers will need Drew to get acclimated as soon as possible. They're going to need him this season. He played in over 900 snaps and didn't miss a game in two years at Texas Tech. The coaches are counting on him being a big part of the rotation.

Stephon Wynn / Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Another big piece that was added to the D-line is Alabama transfer Stephon Wynn Jr. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder appeared in 21 games during his four seasons in Tuscaloosa and recorded 16 tackles as a reserve for the Crimson Tide.

Wynn was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2018 class. He was ranked the No. 74 overall recruit by the 247Sports Composite and played in the prestigious Under Armour All-American Game. A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Wynn played his first three seasons at T.L. Hanna High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for his senior year.

He had over 25 offers and chose Alabama over Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State and South Carolina, while also holding notable offers from Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M, among others.

Wynn was a part-time rotational player, but that doesn't tell the whole story. It's no small feat to play four seasons (five springs) for Nick Saban. Alabama injects its program with blue-chip talent on an annual basis that no other team in the country can relate to. Since 2011, Alabama has finished with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class nine times. Nine. They finished 5th (2018), 2nd (2020) and 2nd (2022) the other three years. Saban isn't shy about letting players know where they stand and processing guys who aren't up to his standards. If Wynn lasted that long, then Saban saw something in him.

Also take into consideration Wynn played behind Quinnen Williams (2019 1st round, NY Jets), Isaiah Buggs (2019 6th round, Pittsburgh Steelers), Raekwon Davis (2020 2nd round, Miami Dolphins), Christian Barmore (2021 2nd round, New England Patriots) and Phidarian Mathis (2022 2nd round, Washington Commanders). The Bama D-line still includes DJ Dale and Byron Young, two guys who will be drafted in 2023. There are plenty of starters on other teams that aren't cracking that rotation.

What I like about Wynn is that as a reserve, he was spending the majority of his time going up against Alabama's first-team offense in camp. Squaring off against Jonah Williams (2019 1st round, Cincinnati Bengals), Ross Pierschbacher (2019 5th round, Washington Commanders), Jedrick Wills Jr. (2020 1st round, Cleveland Browns), Alex Leatherwood (2021 1st round, Las Vegas Raiders), Landon Dickerson (2021 2nd round, Philadelphia Eagles), Deonte Brown (2021 6th round, Carolina Panthers) and Evan Neal (2022 1st round, NY Giants). Talk about baptism by fire.

With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Wynn decided to explore his options. He entered his name into the transfer portal on April 20. Wynn subsequently visited Nebraska (May 14-16) and Georgia Tech, while also seriously considering Texas Tech. He announced publicly for Nebraska on May 22.

Wynn will be a really important piece to the D-line and should help fill the void left by Damion Daniels as a standout run-stuffer. He played all over Alabama's three-man front and will offer the same versatility for Chinander. Wynn played primarily D-end in 2020 and nose guard last season. He will challenge Nash Hutmacher for the primary NG spot in the Huskers' 3-4 alignment while also being able to man the 0 shade and 2i spots in the 4-3 looks.

---