Nebraska Football Spring Position Preview Series: EDGE

NU also made the addition of a lone transfer portal edge rusher over the offseason in Anthony Jones. Coming to Lincoln from UCLA, the will-be senior is expected to have a say in the rotation as early as game one. Listed at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, the Las Vegas native has played in 37 career games while earning 14 starts.

He's experienced, capable, and has been productive in flashes to this point in his career. However, Nebraska will look to be his fifth stop in college football, and that provides concerns of its own. Jones has played at Oregon (2022), Indiana (2023), Michigan State (2024), and UCLA (2025) before joining the Big Red, and has totaled 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in his career.

In his fifth year of college football, Jones appears to be an addition that was made with the intent to start. Though with edge being a new position within Aurich's defense, it is hard to say his role is at this time. Spring is sure to provide a lot of insight into what it may be, so expect his presence to be discussed heavily over the coming months.

Projected Depth Chart

EDGE- 

1. Williams Nwaneri | Sophomore or Anthony Jones | Senior
2. Nwaneri or Jones
3. Willis McGahee IV | Sophomore

EDGE-

1. Cameron Lenhardt | Senior or Kade Pietrzak | Sophomore
2. Lenhardt or Pietrzak
3. Dylan Rogers | Junior

Others in the room to watch: Mac Markway | Junior, David Hoffken | Sophomore, Jordan Ochoa | Sophomore

Unlike the other position groups covered to date, edge did not see any departures over the offseason in large part because it did not exist last fall. And partially because of that, there are several players who have not been discussed who could earn playing time to varying degrees.

Players who stick out apart from the top group include former linebacker Dylan Rogers, who earned his first start of his career against UCLA in 2025. Jordan Ochoa was also a former linebacker who made the transition to edge and was highly regarded before the start of last season. David Hoffken is listed at 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, and if this staff is able to develop him over the offseason, he would easily be the most physically imposing player within the room.

Finally, the biggest question mark is former tight end Mac Markway, who will join the unit this fall. In 2024, the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder played in 12 games for LSU while earning his first start of his career. Injuries have defined his time at Nebraska, and he's yet to see the field, but Markway has shown he's a capable athlete and one this staff likely has plans for before his time in college football comes to a close.

Overall, Manning's group is likely the biggest question mark heading into the spring. The room itself offers a lot of promise with some of the best defensive linemen on Nebraska's entire roster featured within it, but with the position group being new, no one is truly sure what to fully expect.

Players like Nwaneri, Lenhardt, Jones, and Pietrzak look to hold the early lead for playing time, but there are plenty of younger players behind them that offer different skills that could come in handy in certain situations. For now, the group of four talked about at length seems to be the most reliable option, but with every one of the athletes in the group taking on a new role, it is hard to project the impact each will make.

There's plenty of reason for optimism, but until forced to buy into it, many will remain in wait-and-see mode, and that is perfectly fine. For the Huskers to improve in the areas they struggled in last fall, Manning's group will have to step up in a very big way. Talent is not the issue; being disruptive is. So, this unit will need to prove that early on to create momentum in 2026.

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