Nebraska Football: Veterans in secondary mentoring eager underclassmen

Nebraska Football has a friendly competition in the secondary.

Nebraska Football has a ton of talent at multiple positions. Especially in the secondary, they have a bunch of players who can make an impact right now. Some are underclassmen, while some are veterans looking to shine once again. The mix of these two types of players has created an interesting juxtaposition as fall camp begins.

According to a report from Parker Gabriel of the Lincoln Journal Star, the veterans are helping the rookies get acclimated. I love to hear that. Especially at a position where ego is are abundant, and players are looking to either gain or hold onto their starting spot, the competition can be fierce. While there is undoubtedly aggressive competition on the field, I get the sense that this team really wants to win together and that there are not too many cliques, or situations where one player is going to make another player look bad just to win a starting spot.

More from Husker Corner

Now, what is going on out of the watchful glares of the media and what is being told from the mouth of the coaches could be two different things. But so far, the message of team and togetherness have stayed intact.

The secondary is extremely talented. Veteran guys like DiCaprio Bootle and Lamar Jackson undoubtedly headline the group. However, underclassmen such as Noah Pola-Gates, Myles Farmar, and Javin Wright certainly could make position battles interesting. I’m not saying that they’re going to take the spots of the veterans right away. Rather, they will force the veterans to work even harder. For a secondary that seems determined to do things the right way, the added competition could only be a good thing.

Secondary coach Travis Fisher told the Journal Star that the veterans are showing the young guys the ropes. As a coach, that must be pleasing to see. That embodies the team mentality, and certainly provides for more cohesiveness down the road. Especially when conference play begins, cohesiveness will be extremely important.

"“The veteran guys have accepted the younger guys right off the jump and to still be able to compete and say, ‘Hey, you’re not taking my spot’ … that’s what I’m most proud about this with group,” Fisher said. “They accepted the freshmen right off the jump. They’re helping them. When the freshmen are making plays out on the field, you see the older guys running out there and patting them up, giving them a ‘that-a-boy.’"

It’s great to hear that the upperclassman are accepting the freshman right away. That will only make things easier for the underclassmen as well. Especially with the talent at the position, the future looks very bright. Hopefully, this positive reinforcement will be something that carries over to the regular season.

The future of the Nebraska Football program is bright, and the secondary could end up being a big part of it.

Home/Nebraska Football