JD PicKell: Nebraska feels good about additions on defense

Nebraska suffered some losses from its defense last season. But the Cornhuskers dove into the transfer portal to recoup some of them, and they feel good about it.

Nebraska made some big splashes in the portal, notably landing former TCU EDGE Ochaun Mathis and former Alabama defensive lineman Stephon Wynn. It was all part of a major roster overhaul as Scott Frost signed a revamped contract extension following a 3-9 campaign in 2021.

On3’s J.D. PicKell said Nebraska has every reason to be excited about its new defensive additions, adding they can make a major impact for the Cornhuskers this year.

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“The defensive line lost some players, obviously, but they’ve re-energized that front with the transfer portal,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “You’ve got Ochaun Mathis coming over from TCU, you have Devin Drew from Texas Tech, you’ve got Stephon Wynn from Alabama. All guys that have played at the Power Five level. You know how I feel about that. I think those are all big gets. But they feel solid about what they have on defense.

“To the same token, lost some guys in the secondary. A lot of guys that are going to be playing for the first time, but even so, they feel good about the replacements so far. So the thought on defense is, ‘Hey, we’re going to be OK. Yes, we’re winning the fall, that’s great. You don’t get any points for winning the fall, you don’t win any games in the fall camp.’ … Defense should be solid.”

JD PicKell: Questions remain for Nebraska transfers after positive start

With so many new faces, Nebraska could be looking for leadership. On3’s J.D. PicKell addressed that, saying more players will have to step up besides Casey Thompson and Trey Palmer.

“When you have so many new faces, it causes for some hesitation with stepping up into the leadership roles,” PicKell said, in part, on The Hard Count. “Doesn’t sound like that’s so specific to Casey Thompson, but in this team in general — especially on offense — they need more leaders to step up because what happens is when you get a bunch of transfers, there’s that first day of school syndrome.

“You don’t really want to ruffle any feathers, you don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. You just want to keep your head down, go to class, do what’s right in front of you. That’s good, but for Nebraska to get to where they want to be, they need leaders.”