Nebraska Football: Heinrich Haarberg making strides for success

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 27: A member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers cheer squad waves a flag after a touchdown during their game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska beat Michigan 23-9. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 27: A member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers cheer squad waves a flag after a touchdown during their game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska beat Michigan 23-9. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images) /
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As we all know, spring practices are a time to build reps and make good first impressions. For some of the younger players, spring practices mean quite a bit. Nebraska football quarterback Heinrich Haarberg would fall into the category of players who need to have a solid spring.

So far, things appear to be going well. As the Nebraska football coaching staff discussed earlier in the week, Haarberg seems to be adjusting positively.

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When I watched his high school highlights, there was a lot there that I thought he could translate over to the collegiate football ranks. Just a viewing his highlights, I thought that he was the perfect mold for a Nebraska football quarterback. Now that he is in Lincoln and on campus, it seems like he is impressing the coaching staff as well. This is certainly great to hear because one of my biggest issues with the program is that they have failed to develop talent adequately at the quarterback position. Of course, the coaches may be saying only positive things to appease the fans.

With that in mind, given what I have seen from his tape, I am buying what they are telling the media about Haarberg. He has a very strong arm and is not afraid to move up in the pocket and throw down the field. He could be a perfect fit in Nebraska’s offensive system as it stands right now. Quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco is impressed with his ability to make reads so far.

"Verduzco’s initial reaction to Haarberg’s throwing mechanics is that they’re “pretty clean” without a heckuva lot to fix. “So he’s learning our drop-backs and the mechanics with regards to how they apply to different pass routes and pass patterns. He was a pretty clean cat. What we saw on tape was pretty much what we got, which was good.”"

Right now, it’s all about cleaning up little aspects of his game to make him more efficient. Verduzco is working with him to do just that.

So far, the coach seems to like what he sees. Now, it’s just the challenge of continuing to be able to build off of them. These reps are crucial for a guy like Haarberg who may play a big part in the future of Nebraska football. Now is the time for him to begin the process of shaping his future in Lincoln. It will not be easy given the other young talent in the quarterback room, but he can get it done.