Nebraska Football Position Breakdown: Offensive Line

All starters return this season, but this spring the Huskers mixed some things up on the line. Will Nebraska find more success than last year? We will soon find out.

The Coach

Greg Austin returns for his third season as offensive line coach for the Huskers.

Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images

Looking Back at 2019

Last season was a rough one for the line. It started with the high snap problems in the first game and continued early in the season. The offensive line struggles were blamed, in part, for the Adrian Martinez’s decline in play last season. This group had trouble clicking and working as a cohesive unit early on. As the season progressed the line started to click a little bit better. That is until they played Iowa and everything fell apart.

2019 Returners

As I stated before, starters Brendan Jaimes, Trent Hixson, Cameron Jurgens, Boe Wilson, and Matt Farniok all return this year.

Cameron Jurgens: 6’3”, 285lb sophomore- Beatrice, NE- started every game at center

Boe Wilson: 6’3”, 300lb senior- Lee’s Summit, MO- started every game at right guard

Matt Farniok: 6’6”, 335lb senior- Sioux Falls, SD - started every game at right tackle-Nebraska Offensive Linemen of the Year

Trent Hixon: 6’4”, 310lb junior- Omaha, NE - started every game at left guard

Brendan Jaimes: 6’6”, 300lb senior- Austin, TX - started every game at left tackle- Honorable Mention All Big Ten

Others Who Saw Playing Time in 2019:

Broc Bando: 6’5’, 310lb junior- Lincoln, NE

Matt Sichterman: 6’4”, 315lb junior - Cincinnati, OH

Will Farniok: 6’3’. 295lb sophomore- Sioux Falls, SD

Brant Banks: 6’7”, 300lb redshirt freshman - Houston, TX

Ethan Piper: 6’4”, 300lb redshirt freshman - Norfolk, NE

Bryce Benhart: 6’9”, 295lb redshirt freshman - Lakeville, MN

*Christian Gaylord: 6’6”, 310 senior - Baldwin City, KS- Gaylord didn’t see any playing time last season due to injury, but he did contribute in 2018. He was granted a medical redshirt and this will be his 5th season.

New Additions

Turner Corcoran: 6’6”, 285lb freshman - Lawerence, KS - Turner Corcoran was a top player in Kansas in 2019. He was a four star recruit and was the No. 1 player out of Kansas and in the top 50 players in the nation.

Alex Conn: 6’6”, 280lb freshman - Derby, KS - Conn was another highly regarded player from the state of Kansas. He was a three star recruit and listed as the No. 6 player in Kansas.

Eli Simonson: 6’5”, 260lb freshman - Fremont, NE- Simonson comes to the Huskers from Freemont Archbishop Bergan High School.

Keegan Menning: 6’4”, 310lb freshman- Fremont, NE - Keegan Menning is a walk on from Fremont High School.

Bladen Bayless: 6’3”, 260lb freshman- Beatrice, NE - Bayless was Honorable Mention All- State out of Beatrice High School.

The Rest of the Roster

Riley Moses: 6’2”, 305lb redshirt freshman - Fairmont, NE

Ian Boerkircher: 6’6”, 260lb sophomore - Aurora, NE (transfer from University of Nebraska Kearney)

Noah Stafursky: 6’3”. 330lb redshirt freshman - York, NE

Nouredin Nouili: 6’4”, 285 sophomore - Frankfurt, Germany (transfer from Colorado State)

Ezra Miller: 6’6”, 310lb redshirt freshman - Holstein, IA

Michael Lynn: 6’6”, 290lb redshirt freshman - Greenwood Village, CO

Jimmy Fritzsche: 6’7”, 275lb redshirt freshman- Greenville, SC

Outlook for 2020

This season Nebraska is looking to have a strong offensive line. Not only is there a lot of experience coming back, but t many younger players have shown a lot of potential to make an impact this fall.

The Huskers are also tweaking their line up from last season. Matt Farniok is moving to right guard after starting at right tackle for the last two seasons. This will free up the right tackle spot for a younger player to come in, presumably Bryce Benhart. Flanking the line on the other side will be another senior veteran Brendan Jaimes.

Benhart was a highly touted 2019 recruit and impressed coaches last season. Ethan Piper also made a name for himself with the coaches this spring. True freshman Turner Corcoran is also expected to contribute to the offensive line this year.

The 2020 Nebraska offensive line is full of experience, but also has more depth than they’ve had in years. Expect good things from this group this year.