Nebraska Football Fall Camp Preview: Cornerback
Matt Rhule’s first fall camp with Nebraska football is right around the corner. The HuskerOnline team dives into what to expect from the Huskers with our position-by-position fall camp previews.
There’s a healthy sense of intrigue and youth surrounding this unit. Nebraska likely has its top two corners in mind but once fall camp begins there will be plenty of athletes pushing for the top jobs.
Related: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB |
What we know right now: Newsome and Hartzog enter camp as Nebraska’s top corners
Right out of the gate, defensive backs coach Evan Cooper has a pair of strong candidates for his starting corner jobs.
Quinton Newsome is entering his fifth year of collegiate play and is Nebraska’s most experienced corner on the roster. He played exactly 100 more snaps (864) than he did during the 2021 season (764). Newsome will almost certainly greatly extend his streak of 24 consecutive starts when the season begins in late August.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound native of Suwanee, Georgia, has 111 career tackles with six for a loss and three sacks. All three of his sacks and 14 pass breakups have come in the last two years. Newsome led the team in passes defended with 10 during 2022.
When fall camp opens, there will be a rising star on the other half of the gridiron.
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Malcolm Hartzog started the final eight games of the season and paced the defense with three interceptions. His freshman stat line featured 22 tackles and five pass breakups. In Hartzog’s breakout start against Indiana, the corner also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
During the spring, coaches said Hartzog is capable of playing any of the defensive-back positions. He started the spring game with the top defense opposite Newsome.
Key stats and numbers from 2022:
| Player | 2022 Snap Count |
| Quinton Newsome | 864 |
| Malcolm Hartzog | 479 |
| Tommi Hill | 271 |
| Tamon Lynum | 11 |
| Javier Morton | 10 |
| Player | TCK | TFL | INT | PBU |
| Quinton Newsome | 44 | 4.0 | 0 (FF: 1) | 10 |
| Malcolm Hartzog | 22 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Tommi Hill | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tamon Lynum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Javier Morton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Biggest question: Can Tommi Hill make himself a factor again?
Tommi Hill is fresh off a trying 2022 campaign. After faltering against Oklahoma and Georgia Southern, the corner was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Hartzog. Soon after he switched to wide receiver where he stayed for the rest of the season.
Now the 6-foot, 200-pounder is back at defensive back.
The Arizona State transfer has favorable measurables in terms of his speed and length according to Cooper’s comments before spring practice. Hill totaled 17 tackles and four pass breakups before he transitioned to the offensive side of the ball last year.
So can he get back in the game?
Nebraska needs more depth at corner and Hill certainly has the talent to deliver. His impact may not necessarily come at the corner spot considering Cooper’s emphasis on players being capable of playing multiple positions.
Kick return is another area where Hill could help the Huskers. Special teams coordinator Ed Foley recently said the junior is in the running to win that job along with Josh Fleeks and Billy Kemp IV. Zavier Betts returned a kickoff during the spring game as well. It’s a battle Foley said will carry through fall camp.
Tamon Lynum and Javier Morton are among Hill’s competition. The former took the second series with the top defense in the spring game, replacing Hartzog. Plus there are plenty of freshmen worth monitoring including Dwight Bootle II, Syncere Safeeullah and Ethan Nation.
Projecting the fall:
Top Group
Quinton Newsome
Malcolm Hartzog
Names to watch
Tommi Hill
Javier Morton
Tamon Lynum
Syncere Safeeullah
Dwight Bootle II
Ethan Nation
