Camp chatter: Sights and sounds from Nebraska's practice, March 28

Nebraska has a small group of offensive linemen in camp but, for the guys who are there, that can be good news: They’re getting a ton of reps. Including early enrollee Gunnar Gottula and Georgia transfer Jacob Hood.

Both had their good moments in Tuesday drills seen by reporters. Ditto for Teddy Prochazka, in a green jersey while he fully recovers from last season’s knee injury but still participating in many ways.

Hood, the 6-foot-8, 345-pounder from Nashville, draw a strong, positive clap from position coach Donovan Raiola on a zone blocking drill that had Hood blocking laterally and vertically for roughly 15 yards. It tests a lineman’s movement skills, and Hood has more of a frame to move than any other Husker.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Gottula, meanwhile, doesn’t look like he just arrived at college. Offensive line graduate assistant Aaron Coeling had direct teaching for Gottula — who worked against left tackle Turner Corcoran — but liked what he saw on a number of reps.

More things seen and heard at Tuesday morning’s practice:

SEEN: Running back Anthony Grant, back at practice in a normal jersey. The suspension has been lifted, it would seem.

SEEN: Linebacker Mikai Gbayor working a bit with the edge rushers. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Gbayor could fit an edge rusher role.

SEEN AND HEARD: Receivers coach Garret McGuire put his group through a drill where players lined up under a pair of six-foot red hurdles, broke on his cadence — “Disco! Delta! Ready!” — and caught passes five yards into their routes. “C’mon Josh, this drill is for you!” McGuire told Joshua Fleeks. “I picked this drill out for you!” Fleeks and McGuire are close friends from their days as teammates at Cedar Hill High in Dallas and at Baylor. 

SEEN: A quarterbacks drill in which a staff member stood at various points of the end zone — on the goal line near the pylon, near the back line, and a few inches just beyond the corner — and received passes from the five quarterbacks throwing in camp. The idea: Get used to throwing to specific tight spots in the red zone.

HEARD: “No balls on the ground,” from offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Marcus Satterfield, who wanted to make sure, as quarterbacks took snaps from under center, that their ball security extended even after the drill. Quarterback Casey Thompson, wearing a yellow jersey, took snaps with the other quarterbacks before spending the rest of the viewing period with the other yellow-jersey-wearing attendees.

HEARD: “Do the drill right — why are you holding?” One Husker defensive back to another younger DB, new on the scene and perhaps getting used to giving a good look in practice.

SEEN: Nebraska’s new warm-up routine, which looks a lot like most warm-up routines other than five years under Scott Frost, who preferred unusual stretches, perfect jumping jacks and players arrayed in a circle. Under coach Matt Rhule, the team breaks up into two groups, facing each other while strength coach Corey Campbell walks down the middle, blowing his whistle. The process goes faster than it did under Frost — especially when players didn’t complete the perfect jumping jack in pads.

SEEN AND HEARD: Linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek and defensive coordinator Tony White working together on coaching defenders on how to properly tackle a ball carrier. Dvoracek is direct, pausing frequently to make sure players are listening and understand his teaching points. On the whole, this Husker staff is louder and more specific than the previous staff in drill work.

SEEN AND HEARD: Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper working with defensive back Quinton Newsome on leverage strategy as a gunner during a punt-coverage drill. “Hey! That minimum wage in the league is good,” Cooper said. “If you’re not a top-three corner in the league, you’ve got to go all over (the field).” Responded Newsome: “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” 

SEEN: Jalil Martin wearing a gray jersey working with the receivers. The redshirt freshman was a defensive back last season but played both ways in high school in Chicago. One other Husker, tight end AJ Rollins, also wore a gray jersey.

SEEN AND HEARD: Nebraska closing the warehouse-style doors to the Hawks Center early in the workout to keep the chilly 23-degree morning temperatures outside. They opened briefly when players transitioned from one field to another. “Get in or get out!” one official reminded a crowd of media members.

SEEN: Defensive linemen Nash Hutmacher, Ru’Quan Buckley and Stephon Wynn again receiving individual technique work with position coach Terrance Knighton. 

SEEN AND HEARD: Two student assistants quickly wheeling a JUGS machine on a cart from one drill to another. “I don’t think you’re pulling your weight!” the pusher told the puller, who picked up the pace.

HEARD: Said receiver Marcus Washington: “Turn that (stuff) back up; same song,” to no one in particular as he jogged from one station on an outdoor field to the indoor one.

SEEN: A group of Huskers taking punt returns. Receiver Billy Kemp was consistently the first to catch balls. Others were receivers Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Elliott Brown and running backs Emmett Johnson and Anthony Grant.

SEEN: Receivers demonstrating to McGuire how to disengage from blocks. Thumbs up, hands inside the defender, moving hands up like doing a hang clean. Marcus Washington verbalized the actions while everyone else showed the technique. 

SEEN: Kicker Timmy Bleekrode handling kickoffs during drills. Bleekrode last season exclusively kicked field goals.​