Nebraska Spring Football April 10 Practice Report

You know the drill...the “quotes” are typed in real time and are most certainly not exact. I don’t go back and listen to get them perfect. If you have a question about one or more, let me know in the comments and I’ll look it up.

Head Coach Scott Frost

On how he will divide up team and format

Some guys will be limited...we’ll put them and their backups on one team and the other guys on the other.

It sounds like the intent is to divide up teams relatively evenly

On practice as it is winding down

On teams with a poor culture, these last couple practices aren’t very good, but I was pleased with what I saw today.

On his role this year

I enjoy the spring game because I don’t do any coaching.

On the support and the effect for recruiting

Our fans are the best in the country and I”m not sure it’s close. When you sell out the spring game in 24-48 hours...it’s good the recruits see that too

On his emotions

It will be different this year. It was kind of emotional for me coming out of the tunnel in the spring game last year...

On injuries

I want to see guys perform, but I want everyone to get out healthy. There are some that won’t participate at all and some that will only play a half.

Among those listed as not participating at all in the spring game: Chris Hickman, Nick Hennrich, and Wandale Robinson. When asked about Maurice Washington, Coach Frost indicated he also would not participate.

On Maurice Washington (he’s in California today for a hearing)

We’re just going to sit back and let the process play out

On depth

I like the guys that are playing but there are spots we don’t have enough depth. We don’t have enough horses.

On improvement

Every group has improved, but I’ll give Coach Tony credit. The defensive line has taken a huge step forward. Every group is better, but I’d point out that group specifically.

On the “new guys”

The freshman, the early enrollees have really impressed me. The maturity...if this is an indicator of the recruiting class we got, we’ll have a great group

On the running backs

We’re thin right now. We’ve only got two scholarship guys plus Wyatt Mazour who we put on scholarship. We’ve got three coming this summer. The picture of this group could change a lot.

Defensive Coordinator Erik Chinander

On the response from the defense last time he addressed the media (he was disappointed in his group the last time he talked to the press)

I liked how they came out...It was a very spirited practice, on both sides. There’s a lot of carryover from drills to team periods, that wasn’t happening last year.

On depth at linebacker

We gotta have some guys step up. We need some of the other guys and walk-ons to come along. Coach Frost mentioned the injury...we need another big year recruiting, but I don’t feel good about depth right now.

On the maturity he is seeing

I don’t know if it is a 180, but it’s at least a 90 degree turn from where we finished the fall

On mentoring from the older players/leaders

I tell them your job is to teach the new guys to take your job, knowing they can’t do that. Mo Barry, the DBs are doing that. They’re teaching the young guys but still have the attitude that ‘you can’t outwork me’

On Adrian Martinez

Coach Chinander’s tone of voice was clearly excited as he answered this question. This isn’t coachspeak.

He’s an exceptional football player, there times in practice - there’s no contact - you think ‘blow the whistle’ but he’s so exceptional he gets away and the guys tell me that was a sack and I tell them, ‘no it wasn’t, he got out of there and he’s still running...

I couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with the praise Coach Chinander was heaping on Adrian Martinez but he did say something along the lines that Martinez doesn’t give away where he’s going with the ball - either in the run game or on a pass. “He doesn’t stare guys down...” and that “it makes us better.”

On recruits

I want to get them here so they can see a game day atmosphere...I can’t tell the difference between April 13 and September 9

Good news: Coach Chinander is expecting a baby in week

So I’m watching my proximity with respect to recruiting

Congratulations Coach!