Nebraska Defense Looks to Reset in 2026 Behind Veteran Core and New Leadership
LAS VEGAS - As Nebraska players filed out of Allegiant Stadium and into the offseason, there was no sugarcoating how things ended. The Huskers' defense, once a strength, sputtered down the stretch - giving up 535 yards in the finale and 121 points over the last three games. That late-season slide cost the defensive coordinator his job and ushered in a new era under a fresh face tasked with rebuilding the Blackshirts’ identity.
But if there's one thing that's clear as Nebraska turns the page to 2026, it's that the returning leaders aren’t shying away from the challenge.
Cameron Lenhardt, a rising senior and one of the key voices on this defense, isn’t waiting long to get back to work. “I’m going to take a day or two and then I’m back to work getting in shape more, putting on some more muscle, doing things like that,” Lenhardt said after the bowl game.
His tone wasn’t bitter - just focused. He knows what’s ahead.
When the Huskers reconvene in Lincoln in early January, they’ll be learning a new scheme - one that leans on four-man fronts - and trying to recapture the edge that slipped away in 2025. That means installing new concepts, building chemistry with a reshuffled staff, and likely integrating fresh faces from the transfer portal to fill gaps left by outgoing veterans.
Among those expected to return is defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel, another cornerstone of the unit. His message was clear: the players who are staying are all-in.
“It’s not at all what we wanted, but I think everybody in that locker room knows what needs to be done,” Van Poppel said. “And we know that for whoever is coming back, they want to be here.
That’s what we want. We don’t want you to be spaced out, we don’t want you thinking about going somewhere else.
Our big message this week was being a team.”
Van Poppel’s words carried the weight of a player who’s seen both the highs and lows of a season - and wants to be part of the turnaround. “I wish I could have done more for those seniors… It hurts,” he added.
“But again, in that hurt with everybody coming back, you can see what needs to be done. We know what we have to do starting Jan. 12 right when we get back.”
That Jan. 12 date is already circled. That’s when the grind begins again - this time under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, who brings with him a reputation for turning things around.
At San Diego State, Aurich took a struggling unit and molded it into one of the nation’s top defenses. Nebraska’s hoping for a similar transformation in Lincoln.
There were glimpses of what’s to come in the Las Vegas Bowl. The defense showed flashes of new concepts - including some quarters coverage looks - that hint at the blueprint Aurich plans to build on.
And the early reviews from the players? Encouraging.
Lenhardt and others said they like what they’ve seen from Aurich so far - not just in scheme, but in energy and direction. Linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr., heading into his junior season, echoed that optimism with a clear vision for what fans can expect.
“You’re going to see a lot of fast, physical violence and people flying to the ball - a Blackshirt defense,” Shavers said.
That’s the identity Nebraska is chasing: aggressive, swarming, relentless. And while the pieces are still coming together - both in terms of personnel and philosophy - the players who are returning aren’t waiting for someone else to lead the charge.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but that’s adversity,” Lenhardt said. “That’s what football is about.
It’s never perfect. We’re going to really use that as motivation going into next year.
We didn’t finish how we wanted to, but that’s fuel for the fire.”
The road back won’t be easy. Nebraska’s defense has holes to patch, habits to rewire, and trust to rebuild. But with leaders like Lenhardt, Van Poppel, and Shavers setting the tone, the Huskers aren’t just hoping for a bounce back - they’re preparing for one.