Nebraska football gets big defensive boost for 2024
The Nebraska football team may or may not lose its defensive coordinator this fall but it found out it got a big boost with one player returning.
Nebraska football fans received much-welcomed news Tuesday, as junior defensive lineman Ty Robinson announced that we will be returning for a sixth season.
Robinson staying is a huge testament to how Matt Rhule and his staff are going over for players that have gone through a rollercoaster of change and disappointment. He made it clear that a feeling of normalcy and a true feeling of being on the right path weighed in the decision to return.
"It definitely goes into it. Being in that environment, being able to stay for another year, and knowing that there is not going to be anything crazy going on. It’s all going to planned out, it’s all going to be probably how it was this year."
Was Robinson ready to go to the combine and enter the NFL? Probably. Especially in a quarterback league, teams are willing to take a chance on athletic interior players, looking to bring opposing quarterbacks to the ground.
Unfortunately, as someone that used a covid year of eligibility, the rules will not allow him to receive an official NFL draft grade from teams. But the staff can get an idea just by talking with connections, and using experience to get a feel for his potential as a prospect. At this point, with a full offseason and another year of development, he will be able to secure his draft stock and ensure that he comes off of the board earlier in 2025.
It is important to note, Ty Robinson returning was the feeling that under coach Rhule, and defensive line coach Knighton are putting him in the best position to develop, learn, and showcase his talent for scouts. He directly stated his mentality of returning regarding this aspect.
"With my dreams and aspirations to go onto the next level, I think coming back another year to really sharpen some tools and some skills that I need can help."
Even if Ty Robinson had decided to not pursue his NFL dreams quite yet, we have seen a number of players elect to go elsewhere for their final collegiate year.
Nebraska football gets big boost
The fact that he feels comfortable to announce his return so early is a good indicator of the culture that is growing in Nebraska. Matt Rhule even alluded to this in a press conference this week.
"We are going to build the base of what we do with a homegrown roster. We want to build a nucleus of guys that are all here, that understand what we’re doing. I love getting guys here, and I love having them for four or five years."
The fact that a player like Ty Robinson is already signing up for 2024 shows that the pull factors to stay are, at the moment, outweighing potential greener grasses. Imagine how much stronger that could be if Nebraska was able to also match that with consistent winning.
In a transfer portal era that can often feel like free agency, it can be easy to focus on players added from other teams. With today’s news, one of the biggest contributors, for a defense that is gearing up to be elite, committed today for the upcoming season. Is today the day we look back and say, Nebraska football secured one of the best impact players in the conference?