Ty Robinson says Nebraska practices are more 'strict' under Matt Rhule

Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson has been around the block a few times with the Huskers. Since arriving in the class of 2019, Robinson has been a part of five fall camps with the program.

This fifth one is different from the rest as it is the first time the team enters the season under new head coach Matt Rhule. Robinson said he noticed some differences and similarities between practices under Rhule and practices under former head coach Scott Frost.

“I didn’t really feel no change I guess just because I love playing football,” Robinson said. “They were taking care of us out there. They understand what they had to do during this week as we get acclimated in this period. It felt just a lot more looser, a lot more free, but it’s also very, very strict out there.”

Robinson is one of the most important contributors to the Cornhuskers team heading into the 2023 season. HuskerOnline ranked him No. 6 on its Top 40 ranking for the football team.

That accounts for both his leadership, on-field ability and also the potentially thin depth the team will have on their frontline.

“Coach Rhule has a strict practice and if you’re not upholding that standard that we all have for ourselves, then he’s gonna let you know about it,” Robinson said. “There were a few moments today where it happened to me and I got pulled. I’d go in for one play and got pulled and then I’d go back in and I’d have to get back my butt back into gear and uphold that standard. It’s just gonna have to take some time.”

That standard Rhule is trying to set with the team he hopes will return the team to its old glories.

The Huskers have fallen on lean times in recent years but Rhule said he is hoping the team can return to the championship expectations it was previously known for in previous decades. He discussed this at Big Ten Media Days last week.

“For me, when I think about Nebraska, I just think about that helmet,” Rhule said. “It’s iconic, to me, all across college football what that means. Are we being talked about right now? Are people talking about — I’m not talking about Nebraska. I’m talking about nationally. So for me, this is about us as a program from the way we practice to the way we travel to the way we carry ourselves. I told [sports information director] Keith Mann, I wanted to be the first guy here this morning. I just want us to do everything better than everyone else.”