JD PicKell: Breaking down the new Nebraska offense under Mark Whipple for 2022

Nebraska made quite a splash at offensive coordinator this offseason, bringing in former Pitt OC Mark Whipple. It means the Cornhuskers will have a new-look offense — and a new quarterback to run it.

Nebraska dipped into the transfer portal and brought in Casey Thompson after he left Texas. He’ll replace Adrian Martinez, who transferred to Kansas State, and bring a fresh skillset to Scott Frost’s group. Remember, last year at Pitt, Whipple helped turn Kenny Pickett into a Heisman finalist and eventual first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks Whipple’s system will help Thompson star, especially given his ability to throw the deep ball.

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“The first thing I want to say, they’re going to do a lot of levels concepts,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “To give you the most simplistic version of what that means, they’re going to have a couple of receivers — typically lined up together — and running routes that give the quarterback an easy picture. … It’s going to allow the quarterback to process the defense really quickly. And you saw that with Kenny Pickett a year ago with how efficient he was, with how many touchdowns he threw and how few interceptions. A lot of that is good decision-making, but another piece of that is the scheme.

“So giving the quarterback a clear picture to process, and that should benefit Casey Thompson. In addition to that, they’re going to push the ball downfield. … If you like the ball being in the air, this offense is for you and Mark Whipple’s going to make sure he gets that done.”

JD PicKell: Casey Thompson will help ease Nebraska fans’ fears of deep passes

Thompson is known for his ability to throw deep balls — a stark contrast from Martinez, who was known as a dual-threat quarterback and struggled with deep passes. That’s something PicKell said will help ease Cornhuskers fans’ fears of the deep ball, especially with Whipple calling the shots.

“The good news for Nebraska fans, you’ve got a guy in Casey Thompson who’s got some experience throwing the ball downfield,” PicKell said. “Last year for Texas, averaged around 13 yards a completion. Folks, that’s really good and something you didn’t really have that much last year with Adrian Martinez, [who] was a guy who was kind of inconsistent pushing the ball downfield. And if he did, you kind of cringed a little bit and you were on the edge of your seat … because you weren’t sure if the ball was going to be thrown to your team or the other team.

“That’s not going to be as much of a concern for the reasons we just mentioned. Easier picture for the quarterback, you can think much more quickly or maybe you can or maybe you can even throw away thinking altogether and just be instinctual with what you see in game prep and look at the film. Easy picture, and a capable quarterback pushing the ball downfield in Casey Thompson. That in itself is going to allow you to have a better jumping-off point for your offense. You have a clear direction.”