New Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich is excited about his linebacker room, especially Owen Chambliss, whom he brought over from San Diego State. Unfortunately, while Chambliss could be one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten, there are questions about whether he’ll be ready for Week 1.
Aurich talked to Huskers play-by-play man Kyle Crooks after practice on Friday and said which players have stood out during fall camp. He also suggested he already has an idea of how the starting linebackers could line up when the regular season starts. In the middle of that talk, he let it slip that Chambliss has apparently been nursing an injury.
Nebraska football linebacker Owen Chambliss misses full week of fall camp
“Yeah, right now I think there's a clear line of who's ready for gameplay right now,” the Nebraska DC told Crooks. “Between Dexter (Foster) and (Vincent) Shavers playing Mike, Chambliss and Dawson (Merritt) playing Will, a little bit of cross-training there.”
After Aurich said he’s very pleased with how the linebackers have played, he added the unit has shown some new leaders emerge. Then he dropped the bomb that should have Nebraska fans at least a little worried about what comes next.
“And so Chambliss has been out this week, and so it's been a great opportunity for the other guys in the room to step up and take the leadership role.”
On the one hand, Aurich doesn’t seem particularly worried about Chambliss missing the entire week. It’s possible whatever has kept him out isn’t considered that serious. And because Chambliss played for Aurich last year, he already knows how the defense works and where he’s supposed to be on the field from one play to the next. None of the coaches mentioning his absence from Nebraska practices this week seems to underline that.
On the other hand, Aurich could have been painting a rosy picture about Chambliss’ situation. The segment with Crooks was clearly geared toward Aurich liking what he’s seen not just from Chambliss this camp, but also from the other guys manning the linebacker positions. His squeezing the comment about Chambliss into the middle of a long speech about the guys he’s seen step up made that clear.
Chambliss being out for any length of time, even with a schedule that eases Nebraska into the season thanks to Ohio, Bowling Green and North Dakota in the first three weeks, could be disastrous for a unit still trying to find its footing under a new defensive alignment (4-2-5 vs 3-3-5 last year). There’s also the fact that Chambliss has been projected to be one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten this season.
In 2025, Chambliss recorded 109 tackles, 5 passes defended, an interception, and 4 sacks. Those numbers, except for interceptions, would have led or tied for the team lead.
Nebraska has an important scrimmage scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Coaches could share more on Owen Chambliss’ status soon after.
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