Nebraska’s linebacker room enters the fall with a new look, a new scheme and a lot riding on how fast everybody catches up.
The Huskers are moving from last year’s 3-3-5 to a 4-2-5 under first-year defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, who came to Nebraska after serving as DC at San Diego State. That kind of change can sharpen a defense, but it can also slow things down if the players are still thinking instead of reacting. The big question hanging over this group is simple: how quickly can they get comfortable in the new system?
One thing Nebraska does have is continuity on the sideline. Fourth-year linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek is back in the same role, and he’s one of only two Husker assistants who have stayed in the same job since joining Matt Rhule in 2023.
RB coach E.J. Barthel is the other.
On the outside linebackers side, Phil Simpson is in the mix after serving as a defensive analyst at NU in 2023 and coaching outside linebackers last season.
The room itself has been reshaped by departures and portal additions. Dasan McCullough entered the 2026 NFL draft and is listed with the Denver Broncos, Javin Wright entered the 2026 NFL draft and is listed with Tampa Bay, and Marques Watson-Trent has used up his eligibility.
That leaves Nebraska sorting through a group that includes Owen Chambliss, Vincent Shavers Jr., Dawson Merritt, Dexter Foster, Will Hawthorne, Christian Jones, Dylan Rogers, Pierce Mooberry and Jacob Bower. Chambliss, Foster and Hawthorne arrived through the portal, while Shavers, Merritt, Jones, Rogers, Mooberry and Bower are part of the returning mix. Merritt is even noted as someone who might be an edge rusher.
Chambliss may be the most important newcomer in the bunch because he already knows Aurich’s defense. He played for Aurich at San Diego State last season, and that familiarity could make him feel like an extra coach on the field.
Still, the linebackers won’t be judged in a vacuum. The group, along with the defensive backs, is only going to look as good as Nebraska’s defensive line allows it to look. If the D-line plays to expectations, the rest of the defense should benefit across the board.
Rhule clearly spent the offseason trying to reset things. Nebraska has a new defensive coordinator, a new D-line coach, a rush ends coach and a new scheme. That’s a lot of moving parts, especially for a team that finished last season with three blowout losses.
There’s talent in the room, but not the kind that screams preseason All-Big Ten. Shavers, Rogers, Merritt and Jones give Nebraska a base to work with, and the portal additions raise the ceiling. Whether that turns into a reliable linebacker unit this fall will depend on how fast the new pieces click and how well the front four does its job.
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At the same time, the recruiting board keeps moving, a reminder that the staff is trying to build for both the immediate future and the long haul. Nebraska has already jumped in on 2028 offensive tackle Kavon Blackmon of Ohio and EDGE Javontae Eldridge of Indiana, two early offers that signal where the program wants to stay aggressive. And with Tom Osborne recently becoming the first living person elected into the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame, there has been no shortage of reminders around the program of how much weight the past and future both carry in Lincoln. [Read more 🡒]
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Jeudys path changed after he tried to catch on in the NFL and did not stick, pushing him into coaching sooner than he likely expected. He now joins a staff led by Cameron McGarry, and the challenge is obvious: help a program that is trying to climb out of a rough season and build something sturdier on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhule Still Has To Solve Nebraskas Two Biggest Problems
Nebraska heads toward the 2026 season with the kind of familiar pressure that comes from back-to-back 7-6 finishes, and the biggest questions are still sitting in the middle of the roster. Matt Rhules staff has tried to address the defensive line and secondary through the portal, bringing in Anthony Jones, Owen Stoudmire, Jahsear Whittington, Dwayne McDougle and Victor Evans III, while also shifting into a 4-2-5 look that is supposed to keep the back end sturdy and help the front create more disruption.
The challenge now is turning those additions into answers. Nebraska still has to sort out which LB/DB hybrid pieces will fit the new structure, and the run defense and pass rush both need to take a step forward if the defense is going to match the standard the Huskers want to set. Up front on offense, the line looks like a strength with Brendan Black joining returning anchors Justin Evans and Elijah Pritchett, but the running back room remains unsettled enough that one of the rosters biggest jobs is still waiting for a clear solution. [Read more 🡒]