Notes: Nebraska’s bye week plan, Riley Van Poppel’s rise and receivers moving to corner
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule will hit the recruiting trail Thursday and Friday this week, he said, as part of a blanket-the-country recruiting effort by he and his assistant coaches. One assistant, Rhule said, is out all week, while most will join him on the trail toward the weekend.
“We’ll get to a lot of guys, Thursday and Friday, evaluation period-wise,” Rhule said. NU has mostly filled up its 2024 recruiting class, but coaches can find any late-blooming prospects for that class or work ahead on 2025 and 2026 prospects.
The Huskers had on Tuesday their first practice of the bye week after having Saturday, Sunday and Monday mostly off. On Wednesday, Rhule said, the team will work on its own weaknesses in a self-scout process — “some third-down stuff, some red-zone stuff” — and will start preparing for Northwestern on Thursday.
“They have a bye week, too, so they know who we are, and we know who they are,” Rhule said of the Wildcats, who are also 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. “To me right now, the goal is for us to go 1-0 this week, just in terms of improving ourselves and getting the young guys some work.”
Quick hits
>>Rhule said he’s pushed defensive line coach Terrance Knighton to play freshman Riley Van Poppel more in the wake of Van Poppel’s big fourth down stop in the Illinois game and his performance in the Michigan game.
“He didn’t look like the moment was too big,” Rhule said of Van Poppel, who plays more when NU goes to its “jumbo package” in the red zone or a bigger 3-4 scheme against teams that prefer to use two or three tight ends.
>>Two 2023 wide receiver signees, Jeremiah Charles and Brice Turner, have moved to cornerback. Charles had been playing both receiver and corner and is now a full-time cornerback. Turner has moved into playing some corner.
“They’re over there and kind of in the mix,” Rhule said. “They’ll hopefully help us on special teams at some point.”
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