Falling Into Spring

Hopefully by now you’ve taken a little bit of time to get to know some of the players that have signed with Nebraska nearly ten days ago. Winter conditioning is in full swing and the word out of Lincoln is fairly nil on what exactly is going on. In the past several years the old coaching staff was more than willing to post stats and measurable improvements from the participating players.

Pelini and staff are content to keep things under wraps for the most part as the returning players run through their conditioning. The one thing I can say is that some players are still adjusting to the early morning workouts as mandated by the staff and new strength and conditioning Coach James Dobson. At this point, there will be only a few nuggets of information coming out of the Nebraska training facility until spring practice beings on March 26^th.

Speaking of spring practice, the team under the Pelini coaching staff has chosen to concentrate their schedule as opposed to spreading their practices out like most of the other teams in the Big 12. For example, Oklahoma starts their spring practice on March 5^th and ends on April 12^th with their spring game. The NCAA only allows a certain amount of practices and it’s just all a matter of how the respective staffs decide how to set up their plan for the spring.

For those that are curious the Nebraska Red – White Spring Game is on pace to break the previous record for attendance. As of right now I’ve heard anywhere between 55,000 and 68,000 tickets have been sold already. Reserved seating was sold out by the end of the first day of ticket sales. Hopefully with a strong group of gameday walk-ups it can be the biggest spring game in Nebraska history. I’m sure there will be much anticipation to see if the Blackshirts are on their way back along with various other question marks. Pelini has also stated that to start the game the first string offense and defense will square off against one another. This is an obvious contrast to the Callahan way of running the spring game where the first team would play the second team and so on. The game is at 1pm on April 19^th.

I’m going to cover this a little more in depth and maybe even list the names of players that are grey shirting (having to pay for college and obtaining a scholarship in the near future), preferred walk-ons or just plain walking-on. The walk-on program itself, for you long-time Husker fans, will remember it as sort of a state and program identity. It was a way for kids from the state and surrounding areas to come to Lincoln and prove themselves worthy on a team that they grew up loving and respecting. The return of the program is a bit of misnomer as it was still under operation while Callahan was in Lincoln. However, the emphasis on the program itself and the general scope of players acquired through it is decidedly different.

The philosophy behind it was, in my opinion, to create a passion throughout the locker room and on the field from the All-American players to the practice squad regarding the Nebraska Cornhuskers. All players will be treated the same, just like under Osborne and not “second class citizens” as it was reported to be under Callahan. How will the coaching staff and the two graduate assistants be able to facilitate practices with a roster of over 120 kids? It’s hard to say at the moment, but Osborne was able to do it, and if Pelini can find a way to duplicate that success, the Huskers may find themselves with not only a motivating force and groundswell of player support, but some hidden talent that otherwise would have left the state to another Division I-A school or Division II.

These kids are giving up money, and a lot of it, to go to school and play in places like my alma mater Northwest Missouri State which is a perennial D-II football power. These guys wouldn't have just played, they most likely would have started. But they are giving up playing time and success on a lower level for just the chance to strap on the pads and that iconic red 'N' helmet. You can't do anything but respect that.

Just a little note to add to this… Remember the Makovicka brothers? Of course you do. Well, their youngest brother Jordan, has decided to walk-on for coach Pelini. Will this signal as a prophetic and symbolic return to form on the back of a name that embodied and represented the hard working attitude that once was in every corner of Memorial Stadium? One can only hope.

Go Big Red!!