Luke Lindenmeyer is bringing a new look into his final season at Nebraska, and it goes beyond the mustache and goatee his wife likes.
The senior tight end has spent the offseason chasing a different kind of upgrade: more yards after the catch, more explosive plays and, ideally, more touchdowns for a Husker offense he believes can flash something Nebraska fans haven’t seen in a while.
“Making routine plays into a big play,” Lindenmeyer said.
That’s the idea behind the work he’s put in with quarterback Anthony Colandrea, a connection that Lindenmeyer said took a major step forward over the summer.
“This offseason was big just building that connection with him. Him understanding my kind of savviness with the game and settling in open areas,” Lindenmeyer said. “The timing of his throw and where I'm going to be on time has grown a lot.”
Lindenmeyer came away from Big Ten Media Days in late July impressed by Colandrea’s pace and control. He said the quarterback moves quickly and sees the field fast, to the point that the first pass Colandrea threw him in spring ball was dropped because it came in with so much zip.
“He's like a squirrel back there,” Lindenmeyer said in late July.
That quick trigger has Lindenmeyer thinking big-play chances can show up in all kinds of ways, especially once the play breaks down. He said he views Colandrea’s pocket awareness as elite and expects scramble-drill opportunities to matter.
The tight end enters the season as the veteran at the top of the depth chart, with Janiran Bonner behind him. Lindenmeyer finished last year with 29 catches for 312 yards, and he thinks there’s more production available for him and the rest of Nebraska’s pass catchers.
Part of that next step has come in work with Jamar Mozee and Isaiah Mozee on the little things that turn into extra yards after the catch. Lindenmeyer said they’ve gone live a couple of times, focusing on spinning out of tackles, using a stiff-arm, and sharpening lateral quickness and jukes.
“We went live a couple times. Just being able to kind of spin out of tackles, stiff-arm, my lateral quickness and jukes or whatever, getting out of tackles,” Lindenmeyer said.
That stiff-arm, in particular, is supposed to become a real weapon.
Lindenmeyer has also grown more comfortable speaking up when the game gets tight. In a Husker Connections interview with Damon Benning, he talked about wanting to be the kind of voice teammates hear when things get difficult. He pointed to “separation in the locker room that led to what the product on the field was” as Nebraska finished 7-6 after stumbling in its final three games last season.
Jamar Mozee, the Huskers’ assistant head coach who works with the tight ends alongside Marcus Satterfield, has seen that side of Lindenmeyer develop.
“I remember last season there would be some lulls in the game,” Lindenmeyer said, “and he could tell I had something on my heart I wanted to say, but I never actually said it. I was always like, 'Just do my job on the field.'
And this year I've definitely taken that role. Because I don't want to have the same season as last year.”
He also found another push from offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen early in the summer. Holgorsen suggested the offense could lean more on 10 personnel - formations without a tight end - if the tight end group didn’t improve in certain areas.
Lindenmeyer said he turned that into fuel.
“I'm always trying to find, like Michael Jordan does, find something to make it personal. And just find edges to have,” Lindenmeyer said.
“Because I'm not really a mean guy at all. So having stuff like that to really fuel my fire really helps a lot.”
Matt Rhule said early in camp that Lindenmeyer had made steady progress throughout the offseason, but the senior wants more than his own growth. He wants the whole tight end room to contribute.
He said he’s excited about the chance for younger players to emerge, including third-year tight ends who need bigger roles and true freshman Luke Sorensen. He also mentioned Eric Ingwerson, describing him as a big-bodied tight end who has worked to put himself in position to help.
“He's very good at being mean and finishing at the 'Y' position and blocking-wise,” Lindenmeyer said.
For Lindenmeyer, the next step is sharpening the technique to match the effort. He said this week matters because Nebraska needs everyone over the course of the season.
“This will be a big week for getting the young guys ready because we're going to need everybody through the whole year.”
And for the newcomers, earning trust starts before they ever get meaningful offensive snaps.
“You've got to show up on special teams. Special teams is a huge aspect for us. Special teams won us two games last year.”
That lesson matters with Ohio coming to town Saturday. Lindenmeyer said the Bobcats bring a winning mindset and that Nebraska has to be ready for a full game.
“Their ethos is of a winning culture and we've got to come in ready for a full game, full battle,” Lindenmeyer said of Ohio. “They're coming in expecting to win and we have to be ready for a good fight.”
There will be first-game nerves, he said, but he also believes the habits built in practice can settle younger players once the game starts to move.
For Lindenmeyer, the last year has been a good one. Now he’s hoping the final one is even better. Saturday finally brings a different jersey to stiff-arm.
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