Nebraska Football’s tallest tasks for position coaches in 2018: Greg Austin

Every Nebraska Football position coach is new going into the 2018 season, so we’re sure to see some changes in the way each group functions. We’re going to break down the tallest tasks for 2018 for each position coach.

The first Nebraska football coach in the series is Greg Austin, offensive line coach. The Huskers’ offensive line has seen its fair share of struggles over the past few years, so the pressure is on Austin to change that.

It is continuously reiterated regarding football, “it starts in the trenches”. Offensive line play is a fundamental part of the game. The caliber of offensive line play can dictate the caliber of the offense as a whole. So what must Greg Austin do to make the Nebraska Football trenches treacherous for foes once again?

The tallest task for Austin is to have the right personnel starting in games. Scott Frost has stated that the five best offensive linemen will start in 2018, even if that means switching guards and tackles. Greg Austin will have many familiar faces to choose from when evaluating.

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Seniors Cole Conrad, Jerald Foster, and Tanner Farmer all return. The line lost a chunk of production with the departure of David Knevel and Nick Gates. The former graduated, and the latter declared for the 2018 NFL draft. However, due to the offensive line being consistently banged up in 2017, many younger players were able to gain experience. Sophomores Brendan Jaimes and Matt Farniok got lots of playtime as freshman and did not disappoint.

New to the mix will be redshirt freshman Chris Walker, Broc Bando, and Matt Sichterman, and incoming freshman Willie Canty and Will Farniok.

Greg Austin will give all players, regardless of seniority, a fair chance. The staff has really been emphasizing that. However, based on the amount of returning experience, one thing that’s safe to say is that Willie Canty and Will Farniok will likely redshirt. It is also likely that Cole Conrad remains the starting center because the only other center on the roster will be Matt Farniok. Nothing else is set in stone.

Next: 3 storylines to follow in Scott Frost’s first Spring Practice

The even mix of seniors and underclassmen makes the offensive line an intriguing group in 2018. The underclassmen for the Nebraska football team have some promising talent that will push the seniors. Greg Austin has the tall task of weeding out the five best among them. It will be interesting to see how that progresses through the Spring and Summer.