Nebraska football continues to make decisions as a program that will shape the program itself. Monday, linebackers coach Mike Dawson was also given the role of special teams coordinator.
Being from the Boston area and currently still living there, I have seen what Dawson has been able to do first-hand at Boston College. He served the role of special teams coordinator for the Eagles from 2009-2011. He was able to get the most out of that unit, and his efforts helped punter Ryan Quigley get to the NFL.
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In addition to Quigley, he also helped several other players break or achieve school records. He did a lot during his time with the Eagles, and I believe he can help Nebraska football in the same way. Dawson will certainly have his hands full, as he will be in charge of four units. Punt, kickoff, and kickoff and punt return will be his duties.
I’ll be interested to see how he will impact the kickoff return game. That has been notoriously bad over the past couple of seasons.
He is a very solid coach, and his attention to detail will certainly help Nebraska football in that area. Nebraska football has been making a bunch of staff changes over the course of this offseason, and this is a great one. His fundamentally-sound decision-making was evident in the special teams department while at Boston College, and I have no doubt that he will be able to bring that to Lincoln.
Fundamentally sound decisions are something that Nebraska will desperately need on special teams. They will need that attention to detail, and emphasis on the little things. Too often, we have seen special teams switch the momentum of the game in favor of the opposition.
In addition to that, , he has already been with the program for a little bit. This is helpful in terms of familiarity with players, and his ability to get his message across. The players know how he coaches, and they know what his expectations are.
In any event, this was a great move by Scott Frost and the Nebraska football program. Although some might have wanted to see an outside hire, Dawson has the experience to get it done. He is in his element in this regard, and the proof is in what he did with the Eagles. With the talent that Nebraska football has on special teams, it will be exciting to see what he can do with this group, and how far they can go.