Nebraska Fall Camp Preview: Safety
Matt Rhule’s first fall camp at Nebraska is right around the corner. The HuskerOnline team dives into what to expect from the Huskers with our position-by-position fall camp previews.
Next in our Nebraska fall camp preview are the safeties, which the Huskers will likely have several on the field in their 3-3-5 defense.
Related: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | CB |
What we know right now: Huskers 2022 starters are back but with lots of competition
The Huskers have both of their 2022 starters returning this season and more competition for the starting positions.
Junior Myles Farmer started 11 games last season and started five games at the end of the 2021 season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound DB has recorded 110 tackles in his four seasons as a Husker, with 73 last season.
Junior Marques Buford Jr. started 11 games last season but suffered a season-ending knee injury against Wisconsin and missed Nebraska’s last game against Iowa. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had the second most interceptions in 2022.
Buford missed the spring due to his injury late in the season. However, he is still expected to be in the top group. In fact, he could be the one to beat.
The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska is two weeks from the start of Fall Camp
With Buford out, Isaac Gifford, Omar Brown and Corey Collier started on the first team during the Red-White spring game. Gifford, who has been classified as a nickel until this season, is going to be a key piece in Nebraska’s secondary as well. He’s another versatile player in the Huskers’ defense.
Brown has reportedly made a big jump in his second year at Nebraska. The new coaching staff has been impressed with Brown after he’s fully recovered from a back injury.
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Florida transfer Corey Collier had three tackles and a 0.5 tackle for loss during the spring game. He’s another athletic safety that will play to some capacity this season.
Key stats and numbers from 2022:
| Player | Snaps |
|---|---|
| Myles Farmer | 828 |
| Marques Buford Jr. | 695 |
| Isaac Gifford | 665 |
| Javin Wright | 111 |
| Phalen Sanford | 89 |
| Omar Brown | 53 |
| Jaeden Gould* | 5 |
| Player | TCK | TFL | INT | PB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Farmer | 56 | 6.5 | 1 | 3 |
| Marques Buford Jr. | 54 | 2.5 | 2 | 2 |
| Isaac Gifford | 58 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Javin Wright | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phalen Sanford | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Brown | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaeden Gould* | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Biggest Question: Where will Myles Farmer land?
Although Farmer started in 2022, he doesn’t have a starting job locked down. The new coaching staff has had Farmer play some cornerback this spring. Nebraska’s new coaches value speed at all positions but especially in the backfield.
Farmer is one of the slower defensive backs but does a good job tackling in the box like a cornerback needs. In our last Nebraska fall camp preview, we broke down the depth at cornerback with Quinton Newsome and Malcolm Hartzog.
In 2022, Farmer’s Pro Football Focus coverage grade was a 67.6 and his tackle grade was a 61.9. Buford led Nebraska’s DBs with a 80.4 tackle grade last season.
Farmer was on the second team during the spring game and recorded one tackle.
The Huskers have a big group of defensive backs and lots of options at both safety and corner. With the Huskers 3-3-5, there will be lots of DBs on the field. They will need versatile skills in defensive coordinator Tony White’s defense.
With many options at safety, the Huskers can rotate their players for fresh legs and based on their skills. Farmer will likely be a part of that rotation but it’s unknown if he will play as much as last season.
Projecting the fall:
Top group:
Marques Buford Jr.
Myles Farmer
Omar Brown
Isaac Gifford
Corey Collier
Names to watch:
DeShon Singleton
Javin Wright
Phalen Sanford
