Training camp preview: Nebraska has talent and depth to shine at defensive back

Omaha World-Herald 11 hrs ago
Loud guys in the front. Quiet guys in the back. Nebraska secondary coach Evan Cooper has all kinds of personalities in his room.
What all defensive backs must have, Cooper said in July, is a mental toughness to deal with the inevitable failure that comes with the position.
“You could have 90 great plays and two bad plays and that’s all anybody will ever talk about,” Cooper said on Husker Sports Radio. “You’ve got have some deep-rooted confidence, and I think I have those type of guys. Those guys, they work.”
Unlike some Nebraska assistants, Cooper inherited a deep, experienced position group recruited and developed, over time, by Travis Fisher, Erik Chinander and Bill Busch. Four of the team’s top five players in 2022 defensive snaps came from the secondary, and all return. Nine scholarship players enter at least their third year, and one projected starter who doesn’t, Malcolm Hartzog, plays like a veteran.
“Malcolm is really one of a kind,” Cooper said of Hartzog, who can play corner or safety. “His parents should be proud of him. That guy competes every day in the classroom, in the community, on the field. He just kind of works… if I had five Malcolms, my job would be way easier.”
Or five players like Isaac Gifford, who Cooper called “coachable, smart and tough as nails.” Gifford is slated for the starting rover role with Myles Farmer, another seasoned vet who may be in for a slight position shift in new defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme.
Here’s a deeper look at the defensive back position headed into training camp:
Who’s here
Quinton Newsome, Malcolm Hartzog, Isaac Gifford, Myles Farmer, Phalen Sanford, Tommi Hill, Corey Collier, Omar Brown, Marques Buford, Javier Morton, DeShon Singleton, Javin Wright, Rahmir Stewart, Koby Bretz, Tamon Lynum, Ethan Nation, Dwight Bootle and Syncere Safeeullah, Ashton Hausmann.
Who’s new
Freshman Ethan Nation and Rahmir Stewart arrived over the summer.
In another move, D’Andre Barnes is more likely to play wideout.
Who’s hurt
Marques Buford continues to rehab from a knee injury in the first half of NU’s 15-14 loss to Wisconsin.
Husker coach Matt Rhule believes in players taking their time to rehab from knee injuries.
Buford is eight months removed from getting hurt.
Snapshot
This could be the strength of Nebraska’s team — top half of the Big Ten or better — thanks to strong recruiting over the last four years producing real depth and experience.
Newsome and Hartzog make a strong 1-2 combination at cornerback, combining for nine pass breakups and three interceptions last season.
Hartzog is undersized but tough as nails; he can give up big plays and bounce back.
Buford will be on a ramp back to health, but NU has plenty of older talents in the back end, plus Collier, a Florida transfer who turned heads in the spring.
Rover is a key position in White’s 3-3-5 scheme — the position can play deep safety, in-the-box safety, slot corner, you name it — and Nebraska has a good race between Myles Farmer and Isaac Gifford going for the spot. They’re both likely to play.
The safety/rover spots are in good hands.
Corner will be if Tommi Hill settles back into the position he left last fall, Javier Morton turns a corner and Dwight Bootle — younger brother of Dicaprio — keeps developing. He had a strong spring camp.
Prove-it players
Tommi Hill started at cornerback for the first four games in 2022 before getting suddenly benched and moved to wide receiver.
White moved Hill back to corner, where he’s likely to be a backup for both Hartzog and Newsome.
He has the size and speed — all the physical tools — but coaches want him to put bad plays in the rearview mirror faster.
Meanwhile, DeShon Singleton and Javier Morton are highly-touted junior college transfers who only played 77 snaps combined in 2022.
Omar Brown didn’t play a ton, either, but he’s found his spot at safety and will be vying for a starting role.
Walk-on to watch
Since transferring from UNK, Phalen Sanford has consistently earned playing time over scholarship players.
He’s an asset on special teams, but he also had key reps on defense, too, finishing with 12 tackles last season.
Ashton Hausmann is likely to earn some playing time, too.
Training camp pecking order:
Cornerback
1, Newsome/Hartzog
2, Hill/Bootle
Safety
1, Collier/Buford/Brown
2, Singleton/Bretz
Rover
1, Farmer/Gifford
2, Wright