Who will be the new defensive line coach for Nebraska? It may be more than one person. That was hinted at on Thursday afternoon when the Huskers hired Roy Manning.
Manning, who was an assistant under new NU defensive coordinator Rob Aurich at San Diego State, has officially been added to the staff at the same position he had with the Aztecs. That is to say, Manning will coach the edge rushers in 2026.
That reports have Manning only coaching one part of the defensive line means one of two things. Either Aurich himself will be coaching the defensive tackles, or Nebraska is waiting to announce one more hire before the staff is officially complete.
Should the Huskers look to bring in another assistant on the defensive line, that would fit into the narrative that NU is chasing Syracuse's Elijah Robinson. Because Robinson is reportedly sought after, Aurich and Matt Rhule may be covering all their bases if their next top candidate gets away.
Nebraska is hiring San Diego State’s Roy Manning as an edge rushers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 11, 2025
Manning, whom @JohnDBrice1 previously reported as being of interest to Nebraska, worked at USC and Oklahoma before San Diego State. pic.twitter.com/gVDUsPkKrq
Nebraska’s defensive front could soon have multiple new voices
Manning signed on with Aurich's staff at San Diego State last January. Still, he's a veteran coach who has had several jobs with power programs.
Manning has made stops at Cincinnati, Michigan, Washington State, UCLA, Oklahoma, and USC before his time with the Aztecs. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at USC, where he coached the outside linebackers and helped the Trojans to back-to-back bowl game appearances.
With Roy Manning now in the fold, it will be interesting to see what Nebraska's next move is for the staff. Is it full up? Or is there at least one more assistant on the way to Lincoln to revamp a defensive line that was a massive liability in 2025?