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It is year three of the Matt Rhule era for Nebraska football. The team has improved in the time Rhule has been running the Cornhuskers. After not having a winning season from 2017 through 2023, the Huskers won seven games in 2024, capped off by a win in the Pinstripe Bowl. Expectations for Nebraska are high this year. They return nine total starters from the 2024 campaign, but also have some major position battles to decide.
The school comes in 42nd in the nation in returning production overall, but eighth in the Big Ten, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. They bring back Dylan Raiola, who was solid as a Freshman. He passed for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns, but 11 interceptions. The big questions for Nebraska do not surround their quarterback, but do concern who will be protecting him on the offensive line.
The team was also 104th in the nation in points scored, with issues not only on the offensive line, but with the kicking game as well. As Nebraska looks to make another step forward in 2025 and potentially contend in the Big Ten, Rhule needs to make some decisions on starters for Week 1.
Kicking makes a difference
Nebraska lost six times last year, and many of the losses were close. Of the six losses, five were one-score games. They lost to Illinois for their first loss of the season in overtime, but in that game, John Hohl missed a field goal that would have been the difference. At the end of the season, Nebraska fell by three to Iowa, but also missed a field goal in that game.
The Cornhuskers ranked 122nd in the nation in special teams SP+, and a part of that was the kicking game. Hohl was the primary kicker last year, but was just 10 of 15 kicking last season, while going 23 for 25 on extra points. He did show some strength, hitting a 54-yard field goal last season.
Tristan Alvano also returns for the team. He struggled in 2023, going just nine for 15 kicking. He would then deal with injuries in 2024, but he did go three for four. The team also brought in a transfer kicker. Kyle Cunanan spent two seasons at Charlotte before transferring to Cal for the spring and then to Nebraska. He was five for five kicking last season, but nine for 15 the year before.
Special team coordinator Mike Ekeler has said there will be a decision on the kicker soon. This will be a major decision. A better kicking game could have made this a nine-win team in 2024, and it will be a major decision for the 2025 season.
Who will protect the blind side of Raiola?
There are two battles on the offensive line, and the first one is deciding the left tackle for Nebraska. The two primary contenders for the job are Gunnar Gottula and Elijah Pritchett. After redshirting in 2023, but playing in four games, he would play in 11 games with nine starts at left tackle in 2024. He was solid in pass blocking, but not great. He also needs to improve his run blocking overall.
Pritchett is also competing for the spot. He joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2022 season, playing in two games and taking a redshirt year. He would play both tackle positions in 2023, but did not make a start. In 2024, he started in 11 games at right tackle and one game at left tackle. The Georgia native was named to the Outland Trophy watch list during the 2024 campaign. He is a versatile lineman and currently has the inside edge on the job. He has also been reliable as a player, which is something Nebraska has been missing from the offensive line.
Right tackle is up for grabs as well
The left tackle competition needs to be decided first, before the right tackle job can be decided. If Gottula wins the left tackle job, this job will most likely go to Pritchett, who has experience there. Still, if Pritchett wins the jobs on the left side, Gottula would more than likely move to a rotational role. This opens the job for other solid offensive linemen to take a run at the job.
Joining Pritchett and Gottula in the battle for time on the line are Teddy Prochazka, Turner Corcoran, and Tyler Knaack. Prochazka played in the final 10 games of the 2023 campaign, making six starts, with one at right tackle and five at left. He would miss all of 2024 with an injury, though. Injuries have been a theme in the career of the lineman. He has suffered season-ending injuries in three of the last four seasons.
Corcoran has also started at times in his career, joining the Cornhuskers in 202, seeing some playing time. He made 11 starts in 2021 and started every game in 2022, playing right tackle, left tackle, and left guard. He would be the starter in 2023 before an injury ended his season. Then, in 2024, he started four games at left tackle before taking a redshirt year because an injury ended his season.
Knack has played in the rotation in each of the last two years, mostly playing on special teams. He also dealt with injuries in 2024, playing in just eight games. Overall, there are plenty of players who have experience, and it is possible that all of them see starts during the season. The biggest issue has been injuries for them, and something that needs to be monitored as the Cornhuskers attempt to improve on their 2024 campaign.
