Jeremy Pernell's 2025 Nebraska Football Preview: The Defensive Line

All offseason there appeared to be a clear core four along the D-line consisting of Keona Davis, Elijah Jeudy, Cameron Lenhardt and Riley Van Poppel. It was long assumed those guys would see the bulk of the snaps this season and that the real question was who would step up and join that foursome as rotational pieces.

When the Week 1 depth chart was released yesterday, we saw Williams Nwaneri had solidified himself as a key member of that first group. Nwaneri had a quiet first offseason in Lincoln after his transfer drew headlines thanks to his recruiting profile.

There were even whispers of his role being somewhat limited this year — conjecture that was swiftly dispelled after John Butler flatly stated Nwaneri would play during an Aug. 5 press conference. Even so, seeing an "or" accompanying his name with Cam Lenhardt for the starting defensive end spot was a bit of an eyebrow raiser.

Nwaneri is a fascinating, promising addition. A former consensus five-star and top-10 national recruit from the 2024 class, Nwaneri is a bit of a unicorn as it’s rare to see a pass rusher with his length, athletic ability and growth potential. He has some of the best clay you could ask for from a D-line prospect due to his size, bend and natural pass-rush ability.

With that said, he was a bit of a paradox as a recruit. There was never any expectation that he was going to be a major contributor in year one at Missouri. While viewed by everyone as a can't-miss prospect coming out of Lee's Summit (Mo.) North, it was also understood by most — including Missouri coaches — that it would likely take Nwaneri a few seasons to develop and polish the finer points of his game.

That came to fruition last season as Nwaneri played in only four games for Missouri so he could preserve his redshirt. More to the point, he saw just 38 snaps as a Tiger, with a bulk of them coming in second-half relief appearances in blowout wins over Murray State and UMass.

Nwaneri is in a good situation this season. With established players with him in the room, he can be afforded the opportunity to solidify a role getting around 25 snaps a game as he continues his development. If Nwaneri embraces the process at Nebraska and attacks his craft with a sense of urgency, he could be an absolute monster in 2026. If he puts the pieces together over the next couple seasons, Nwaneri has a first-round ceiling. There will be fervor from Husker fans to see their big-money portal addition this Thursday in Arrowhead.

Nebraska actually has three guys with NFL potential with Keona Davis and Riley Van Poppel also having that possible trajectory. Husker coaches have been bullish on both Davis and Van Poppel's upside and potential ever since they stepped foot on campus. Now entering their second and third seasons, respectively, they're being counted on as stalwarts along the front four this season.

Another portal addition seems to have solidified himself in the top six of the rotation. Jaylen George was an early priority target for this staff in December. After redshirting in 2022, George had a dynamic two seasons for East Tennessee State. He was a member of the All-Southern Conference Freshman Team and followed that up this past season by being named first-team All-SoCon.

George committed to Nebraska on Dec. 17, which allowed him to accompany the Huskers on their bowl trip and take part in a few practices as well. He impressed coaches during those practices and with 23 starts under his belt, George was expected to come in and possibly challenge for a starting spot. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle and missed spring practices.

He was healthy in fall camp and made a big move. After being listed at 265 pounds in his ETSU bio, George has gained over 20 pounds since arriving in January. Generously listed at 6-foot-3, George possess a rangy wingspan that allows him to keep offensive linemen away from his chest, while his shorter stature typically gives him the leverage advantage.

George has the versatility to play as a five-tech in the Huskers’ scheme and also move inside to nose guard, much like Elijah Jeudy, whom he shares a similar build with. After a full year in Lincoln and more time in the weight room this offseason, George could take over the spot Jeudy is set to vacate after this season and play an even more prominent role in 2026.

After those six, there is a glut of players trying to crack the rotation. Among those names are David Höffken, Sua Lefotu, Mason Goldman and Ashton Murphy.

Also keep an eye on Kade Pietrzak, who made the initial depth chart. He arrived on campus in June and is looking to continue the trend of true freshmen bypassing a redshirt. He's had a strong camp and has a real chance to join Cameron Lenhardt, Riley Van Poppel and Keona Davis in that exclusive club. He's going to play this season.

I wrote about my affinity for this freshman D-line class in February. Malcolm Simpson and Tyson Terry may have also pushed for early snaps this season had they not had their freshman seasons derailed by injuries.

If you look at some of the positional versatility along the D-line and couple that with several Jack linebackers who can be mixed and matched into exotic personnel groupings, I expect defensive coordinator John Butler to feature several different fronts. At times you'll see a 4-2-5 look instead of their standard 3-3-5 base. I also think you'll see a traditional 3-4 and 4-3 as well, depending on the look Butler wants to throw at the opposing offense. You can also expect to see the defensive front playing different techniques, depending on those packages. I talked a bit about that in my write-up on John Butler's defense on July 2.

Check back a little later today for a look at the linebackers.

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 • QBs & RBs  • WRs & TEs • O-line