MJ Sherman describes Nebraska's defense as 'fast'

This offseason, Georgia linebacker MJ Sherman transferred to Nebraska. There, he’s hoping to be part of a rebuild, bringing the Cornhuskers back to the center of the college football world. A key part of doing that is going to be by figuring out the defense.

Now, Sherman is describing that defense in an exciting way — fast.

“Fast,” MJ Sherman said. “That’s how I would describe it. It’s fast. There’s a lot of speedsters on the field. That’s what this 3-3-5 gives us, a lot of guys that can move around fast.”

The 3-3-5 defense is exactly what it sounds like. It has three down linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs on the field. This allows for a team to have more athletic and fast players on the field while creating unique blitz opportunities.

Perhaps infamously now, TCU runs the 3-3-5 defense. Michigan going into the College Football Playoff felt like they were bigger and stronger and therefore they could easily run through that defense. That didn’t happen and as MJ Sherman explained, this defense proved it’s set up to thrive in the modern game.

“You know what I mean? Like, yeah we got those big guys up front, but we’ve also got fast guys on the edges and fast guys on the back end,” Sherman said.

“So, like, this college game has started to come to an RPO world and everything like that, so we’ve got to play those and adjust to the game and I think the 3-3-5 gives us the best chance to do that.”

For MJ Sherman, this means tapping into his potential as a pass rusher, particularly on third down. If he can do that, he’ll be a threat on this Cornhuskers’ defense.

Why MJ Sherman chose Nebraska

Despite being anxious about his decision, MJ Sherman chose Nebraska. It’s a decision that he says came down to trying to make an impact.

“I mean, there’s not a concrete answer on why Nebraska. But I understood that Nebraska is a team that’s fighting to make another impact on the college football world and I feel like I have the skills and everything about me that can help this team do that,” Sherman said.

“So, Coach [Matt] Rhule’s got a dream. I’ve got a dream as well. So, I just always want to win games and have an impact on this team as much as the college football world.”