Count Nebraska offensive line coach Barney Cotton among those impressed with true freshman I-back Rex Burkhead.
All indications point to Burkhead skipping a redshirt season in his first year at NU.
He attained near-legendary status as a do-it-all star during the past four seasons at Plano (Texas) High School.
“As a line coach, I'm pretty excited about a back like Rex,” Cotton said.
Additionally, Burkhead, who played quarterback for part of his prep career, gives Nebraska the threat of a diversified look.
Burkhead is competing for time behind juniors Roy Helu and Quentin Castille. There will be no shortage of chances, Cotton said, for several backs.
“You can look back to last year,” Cotton said. “How many times was our first back always healthy? How many times was our second back there? You better have three or four guys ready to go in the Big 12.”
Some updates to report on positioning of the Huskers' offensive linemen:
Junior D.J. Jones and sophomore Marcel Jones are locked in a tight battle for the starting job at right tackle. Cotton said Marcel Jones has a slight edge and that he's swinging between the left and right spots. Redshirt freshman Brandon Thompson is also swinging. D.J. Jones is playing only on the right side.
At right guard, Ricky Henry has returned to practice but was able to participate in only about one-quarter of Tuesday's workout, Cotton said. Derek Meyer has added some work at left guard to his time on the right side. Center Jacob Hickman has practiced only one day this month at right guard. But if the situation turns unstable, Hickman may get more work at the spot next week, leaving Mike Caputo to play center.
“We think we know who the 10 guys are going to be,” Cotton said. “We don't necessarily know the order those guys are going to be placed on the depth chart yet.”
Junior I-back Roy Helu wasn't in pads when Nebraska took the field for practice Tuesday, though he wasn't dealing with a serious injury. Helu, the team's leading returning rusher, missed the latter portion of spring practices because of a hamstring injury. The staff was careful with its I-back then, a philosophy that seems to have carried over into preseason camp.
Article Courtesy of Mitch Sherman and Jon Nyatawa at Omaha.com
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