Nebraska Football: Return of Will Honas strengthens leadership at LB

Nebraska football adds another player back into the fold.

In what has been a week of news for the Nebraska football program, a veteran linebacker is coming back to Lincoln. Will Honas announced on Thursday that he would be returning to the Nebraska football program.

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Honas recorded 57 tackles in the 2020 season, and really made an impact rushing the passer. He recorded three sacks on the year, setting a new career-high for him. In 2019, he recorded 72 tackles and a sack, establishing himself as a key linebacker at the positional unit.

His best game of the season came against Penn State. In that contest, he recorded 13 tackles and really established himself as a defensive force in that game. He was a big reason why Nebraska football was able to pick up their first win of the season.

I’m excited that he is coming back. He is not the most athletic linebacker on the roster, but he does offer experience and familiarity with the playbook. Those are two huge things as the defense looks to continue trending upward. You know what you are going to get from him, and you know he is going to play hard every single afternoon.

In addition to what he may bring in terms of knowledge, he also give Nebraska a good complementary linebacker that knows where he needs to be at all times. That execution will be able to come in handy in the red zone and on short-down situations. I noticed him a lot in those two areas last year.

Between the news of several key defensive players returning on Wednesday, as well as players announcing they would return earlier this month, this defense is stacked. There’s a lot for the coaching staff to work with here. At the beginning of the off-season, I was worried about what the defense would look like, because I thought some of these players would be leaving. Now, I feel a bit more at ease.

This defense should be well prepared for next season. They have had two years to establish their identity, and last year, they really found it. Now, it’s going to be up to them to build off it. Development and progression will be key as Nebraska football enters a crucial fourth year under Scott Frost.

I’ll be interested to see who else decides to stay with the program. This is certainly a key return for the defense, as they look to play at a high level next year.