Now that Tanner Lee has been named Nebraska's starting quarterback, it somewhat takes the drama out of the summer months.
As the Huskers head into offseason workouts though, there are still a few topics which 3 News Now's Adam Krueger & Ben Stevens discussed:
A. With Tanner Lee being named the starter, do you think it will have any major impact good or bad of Nebraska's offense?
Adam: I think it should give Lee & the offense some confidence moving forward that they now know who the guy will be under center moving forward. You hope Patrick O'Brien's confidence, on the other hand, isn't too shaken because he could very well be needed down the road. No one thought Ryker Fyfe or Ron Kellogg III would take meaningful snaps at NU and look how that turned out.
Ben: I think naming Lee the starter now gives the offense cohesion and confidence heading into the summer. Even if there was a feeling during spring practice, it is now known that Lee is the starter and that lets the rest of the offense have a steady force to look to take command. And I agree with Adam, you hope this doesn't affect Patrick O'Brien's confidence because he also had a very good spring. And if even not this season, O'Brien's time will come for the Big Red.
B. Now that the quarterback battle is settled in the short term, what do you think is the Nebraska's biggest question mark on offense heading into the summer?
Adam: I think the most glaring is the offensive line. Mike Riley made it a huge point of emphasis this spring of how they need to improve. And with Tanner Lee being arguably the least mobile quarterback on Nebraska's roster, he's going to need all the protection he can get. While the NU O-line gave up very few sacks last year, Tommy Armstrong bailed them out numerous time to keep that number from being much larger.
Ben: Adam couldn't have said it any better. The offensive line will be the biggest concern not only heading into the summer, but throughout all of fall camp leading into the regular season. There has been a lot of big storylines this spring so not much attention has been paid to the O-line, but to play well and compete in the Big Ten, the offensive line will need to be improved.
C. After watching spring practices & the Red-White game, who do you think will be the biggest surprise on offense & defense next season?
Adam: On offense I will say Keyan Williams. I thought he was very impressive in the spring game & won't be afraid to take on a key role in the wide receiver room alongside DPE & Stanley Morgan. On defense, it's hard to say because we didn't really get a look at Bob Diaco's 3-4. So I'll just say Luke Gifford not just because of his two takeaways, but also because of long frame he brings to the table. I think that'll translate well to the new defense.
Ben: I think offensively, keep an eye out for Wyatt Mazour this season. The Albion, NE native had 141 total all-purpose yards in the Red-White game. I think it's easy to sort of dismiss this performance because it is just the spring game, but I believe Mazour will factor in to Nebraska's offense next season. Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf could even feature Mazour in special packages that really highlight his skill-set. And as for the defense, we really didn't get to see much in the spring game, but I think Mohamed Barry will be big for the Huskers this season. The sophomore linebacker earned a lot of praise throughout spring workouts and I think Husker nation will see why this upcoming fall.
