Mac Markway came to Nebraska a few years ago as a surprise addition, and then-offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield learned the news while giving a press conference. Unfortunately, just a few days after the ex-LSU tight end joined the program, he tore his ACL. Last year, he tore the same ACL early in fall camp yet again. Now, he’s trying to stay healthy while also trying a new position.
Markway made the move to defensive end earlier this year. However, because he was still rehabbing from his repeated injury, he wasn’t able to show head coach Matt Rhule or the rest of the staff what he could do. Camp has allowed the former tight end to finally show off his defensive prowess, and Rhule can be counted as impressed. In particular, Rhule likes the new defensive end’s motor.
“There's two types of football players,” the Nebraska head coach said at his press conference earlier this week. “Those who you have to tell to speed up all the time, those you have to tell to slow down. He'd run through a brick wall if it's in front of him, for no other reason other than it's there.”
Rhule also made it clear again that Markway came up with the idea to move to defensive end. The transfer was even thinking about giving up football altogether, but before he did, he wanted to see how he’d do on defense.
Matt Rhule details Mac Markway’s progress in his transition from tight end to defensive end. pic.twitter.com/Sw2RGpe06n
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) August 15, 2026
Mac Markway impresses Matt Rhule after Nebraska football move to defensive end
It’s not a totally foreign concept to the former 4-star prospect. He eventually decided to play tight end at LSU out of high school, but plenty of offers wanted to try him on the other side of the ball. Now that he’s in camp and healthy, he’s showing that the position switch might have been a darn good idea.
"He can bend the corner. He can go speed to power, he can set edges. He's really, really, really an explosive athlete unlike many," Rhule said.
The Nebraska head coach added on Saturday that he was excited to watch film of how Markway performed in the Huskers’ first scrimmage of fall camp. He said that he saw the new defender out there running around, but he wasn’t able to track exactly how he played. If he did show the new staff, including defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, what Rhule thinks he did, Mac Markway might finally be starting for the Cornhuskers at a position they never expected.
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