The Potential of Nebraska’s Roster - Michael Bruntz | Hurrdat Sports Radio

I did want to bring up because you mentioned you know got you got my my noodle going a little bit here as I'm as I'm thinking about high high ceiling low floor guys um you brought that up with the Broncos but I'm curious do you view anybody on Nebraska like that for this year where they're like you you could see like oh I could see this going really really well or just him not being a factor at all have you thought about those types of guys at all for Nebraska yet this year um not really um a gun to my head trying to think of somebody and it doesn't have to be low floor like in terms of I just mean for this year where it's like a hey they may not they either can could could contribute a ton or maybe not be able to crack the rotation in a in a way that that's meaningful oh I got one I have one too same person what position bruny uh defensive line oh I was gonna go defensive backs oo I think I think Jeremiah Charles could be that guy oh that's a good one yeah that's a good one yeah well thank you guys I'm glad you're thank you Bartles and James thank you for your support uh I mean my my thought would so I mean you kind of know a little bit with what you got with James Williams right like he he feels like a really high ceiling guy I I just don't know is he an every down guy yet like like I feel like 12 games of him that intrigues me I think there's a lot of potential for for for that I I don't know what uh what the Baseline looks like you know I feel I feel like I love him you do you're you're a you've got a little man crush is that weird it's okay like Brony I know I'm not like you know like Mr tough guy but that is a little softy sounding but I do kind of feel like I love James Williams yeah no I'm I'm intrigued by it I mean I think he's one of those those guys that you talk to and like he's got a pretty good perspective on things I feel yes yes that's where he got DB yes he like he is such a real life person like he I mean you know his warts you know what's good you know like he just he is so authentic it's captivating yeah you know he I mean when he committed after that whole thing last you know the tryy out and whatnot last year I mean it was kind of like okay this guy you know is has is extremely productive in high school has to go off to J because of grades um I think there's probably a humbling aspect of that um and you know I think he kind of sees everything for what it is and you know even even you know I think we talked to him one time after a game last year and I it was just uh he had he had perspective that I think a guy that is in his first year of college football probably shouldn't have had like I I I don't know like that that kind of stood out to me but I mean he's 250 now he still looks like you know like he could probably stand to gain 20 more pounds but yeah still super yeah I mean they call him sticks for a reason I guess right and uh but yeah I mean I I think I'm intrigued by what that can be you know what the ceiling is there I I just don't know if he's uh you know in there on first down against Wisconsin yet you know what I mean you know Bruns I I had I had a guy on the offensive side of the ball that I was thinking about oh wow are we all three different I think well I mean we are CU you didn't guys say anybody on off but we okay so no pressure yeah but you guys said good pick for me we said good pick for Bruns yeah no mine's probably not will we say a good pick for runy what are your thoughts will we say good pick for Rob for Robbie I had to guess no all right let rip what got I think Malachi Coleman Falls in that category that's a great pick he has obviously all the ability in the world that's a great pick um but it's a crowded room I don't know who there's G to be somebody left out there right in guys that are getting major snaps that is a fantastic pick well you didn't say good pick so technically I was right you didn't I I mean wouldn't you agree with that Bruns I I think he's spot on yeah no I think we we've gone a whole off season without talking about Isaiah Garcia Caston and he's gonna play yeah like that that that's what I mean there's so many guys in that room know it's like that I think are going to play that somebody's going to get left out of some snaps yeah no I mean they they they had a legit like two and a half deep at that practice on Saturday and you didn't even have Jaylen Lloyd out there like it's uh I I'm always skeptical about wide receiver depth and talking about wide receiver dep until it gets to the season I know because then you you blink you blink and they can't even like have three units right you go from like 13 wide receivers to seven and you're thin yeah or like when you talk like oh we got 10 guys like oh you probably have about six like that's usually how it goes but no I mean I I that's a good a good pick I there's a couple there's a couple wide receivers I think in that group that that could find themselves yeah very much in the mix of very much out of it I do think the reason I went with Malachi I agree I think there's a couple guys in that in that group where you could be like yeah I could see them either being like a major contributor or barely playing in terms of of meaningful snaps I went with Malachi because of the ceiling I think physically his ceing super high ceiling yeah physically his ceiling I think is as high as anybody's in that room maybe with the exception of n um I think ner ceiling is is probably in that same neighborhood but yeah that's a guy that just like I don't know I don't know I have no expectation level for him at all this year I have no no idea what to expect yeah no that's very fair and I I mean you you know he was limited in the spring so I mean that that's a piece of it too um you don't know where he's at coming back from that I mean he could be very much like you know back in the mix what everybody thought he was going to be or you know trying to catch up with banks and and mayor on the at those outside spots yeah it's interesting catching thank you it is I hate saying it because he doesn't likeit it's rare but I I mean you know guys we're kind of forgetting about too like there's bonor there's castan there's Lloyd there's Coleman there's Banks there's um it's my little guy that stole the spring show Cory Barney yeah like I mean they got a lot of guys and you got three tight ends they can all catch passes like there's only so many balls somebody's gonna have to hang in there right where you clearly have to understand that this is a marathon and not a Sprint yeah well I mean even a you throw a guy like Carter Nelson into that mix he's kind of the same way isn't he ah I don't know I don't know we'll see yeah I kind of think I think about Carter a little bit differently just because of the true freshman nature of it all and we look at this wide receiver group as uh you know last year obviously we got to a point where it's like oh man they better get the true freshman in there I'm I'm hoping that doesn't get to the point this year where if a true freshman does Play It's because oh man they're just playing really really well whether that's Barney or or Carter or somebody else I always look at him like who's he gonna jump and how different will it be there's a lot of guys in front of him you know what I mean like the position that others play well yeah right I mean he's uh yeah like he's uh he's going an X or a z right they have I don't know like what will I'm just thinking in my head as you guys say his name and it's not a talent issue it's how pressed are we is there another like is it going to be an offense where we we throw a guy a jump ball I don't know I don't think so the question was high ceiling or not not at all right yeah super highight yeah I mean I get yeah so I I love how bruny did that you see how he just like just answer the question that's asked that's all yeah no that's fair that's fair that's fair um Bron I do I do think a lot [Laughter] delivery I I do I do not love Michael [Laughter] Bruns I do think there's uh there there is some interesting stuff in that wide receiver room I also think now the reason I didn't go running backs here is because I don't know know and I know I've been a hater quote unquote on this all you guys are I don't know that there's anybody in the running back room that I consider to have a terribly high ceiling and but I have no idea what to expect from any of them so that's what like am I how do you read the running back room kind of not in the exact terms of that question but in terms of what to expect versus likely having guys that are probably not going to contribute that we think that at this point we think May yeah it's I I guess like in my mind now um but like a week and a half into this thing like I you kind of have to organize the running backs I feel like by Tears like like I don't know that it's like you know when a depth chart comes out the first week of the Season you're gonna have somebody number one but like it feels it feels like that group of like Irvin Johnson and Johnson you could probably you're probably going to be able to shift those guys around a little bit and I don't I mean I don't know that there's a thousand yard rusher among them um is it just me or didn't McKai Nelson look a little bouncy he did he did he he looked Twitchy yeah um no I mean I think that's I I think I think with him it was kind of like you know it took people a while to see it yeah now he's little but yeah God he was kind of bursty yeah I mean I I would he's probably in that second tier with IES and Dowell and I'm trying to think of who else would be in that group um I wish IES you know he's got such those those thin legs but he's got some wiggle too like he's a good he's a good natural Runner he's just very light yeah well he was the one guy with when they updated the weights he went like 185 to like 210 or something like that like it was kind of like oh okay that's interesting at least um I mean he he's probably gonna Factor on special teams I guess I think a few of those guys will from that running back grp but yeah I don't I don't I still don't know what to make of that group and it feels like what what we're going to get from that group and what we're going to see is going to be largely dependent on kind of what happens around him too with the offensive line and you know whether or not Nebraska's going to be able to actually Force teams out of like a ninan box you know what I mean so I bet you you and scha are a ton of fun at parties when you're talking about running backs then you guys invite ravie over too just for like really set it off it's it's kind of like I don't know I mean it's it's uh I'm going with what I what I've got in the b in the past and uh I mean that's a group that needs to kind of stand up and be counted I think they can be they're going to have to be because I don't think they're gonna run the quarterback nearly as much as they did last year and and that's okay but I I just don't uh I don't know you're kind of you're kind of Hatty BG in this like you're kind of creating a a 12200 yard rusher in the aggregate FAO that that's a t-shirt there's like a handful of people that know what he's talking about H and most of them are at this table right now um that is definitely a t-shirt how Bruns how fluid do you think the the F those first and second tiers are because I know you know I I know some people are GNA hear you put Dowell in that second tier and it's going to give him a little indigestion nah nah I'm with you indigestion or no tears I'm with you Bruns I I I because I I kind of disagree with what Robbie said because I think after the spring game because you know we're quick to rush to judgment we're like oh yeah he's not fast enough I don't like that guy you know and an hour earlier it was like oh I want to see Dowell so it's like I don't know if we have an expectation level on him right I well I think that's kind of there's like caveats all around that that room I mean like I mean I thought Gabe Irvin looked okay in some runs on on Saturday um he's got to stay on the field ramir Johnson's kind of the same way um you know those both of those guys have never you know really kind of made it 100% through a full year yet I think Emma Johnson's you know showed that showed that he can do some things last year and I I think he's probably at the front of that group but you still need to see it a little bit more um I'm captivated by Gabe Irving because I just sometimes I just want to know how guys can run the ball like that being that thickly built yeah yeah like that's kind of a medical Wonder for me I'm just intrigued by it because it seems like that would be incredibly difficult so I always appreciate when guys are built like that and can still Tote The Rock yeah no I mean I and I even think last year before he got hurt I mean I I felt like he was kind of trending in a positive direction for for you know the first time in his Nebraska career so I don't know I guess I'm not I'm not negative about that group I think a little bit of healthy skepticism is probably just warranted given the the the histories of a lot of guys in that group like I think they can I think they can find somebody I think they can find multiple guys but I I don't know that that's going to be something that's settled um you know in in stone by you know the in non-conference play it feels it's it feels fluid to me I'm I'm a big barl guy so I'm I'm and I'm a former back right so I'm I'm gonna go backs be great you also you you mischaracterize my position on the backs I have often said I think they're fine act like I you act like I'm out here being like bruny like Robbie's the guy you'll take out and you'll be eating one of your you know mushroom gravy deals and like hey this is great and rabie goes oh it's fine and no but I really really like it like fine yeah it's fine like listen I'm not as high on them as you are I'm not pretending that I am but I'm also not sitting out here being like they're the weak Link in the team they're going to they they will be the downfall of the 2024 Huskers like I'm just they're fine I think they are functional I think you can get what you need out of them I also don't think any one of them is particularly special I think that's a fair characterization of this group without know without seeing them yet just being a running back makes them special is that is that why you're so special DP yes yes I see what you guys did to me this whole segment that was cute appreciate the Miller north um you know crime you STS roll together yeah good job guys better about myself jerks Bry I do got one to get you out of here though okay um like and you were right in front of me and I didn't know for a while so I apologize until I left but you're watching the Special Teams and you're sitting with BC and you're thinking what um you're I'm I'm thinking about a lot of one score games that's what I'm thinking about um you know obviously you know Tristan alvano still wasn't kicking the other night I was I I I I thought the backup kickers the guys behind him actually looked okay to me um you know they both hit from the low 40s I mean that that was that was okay hunting you know that that was a little of a concern um you know I I I think the Special Teams piece of it you don't really know for sure until you get into the season and you're in games and the lights are on and all that stuff but um yeah I mean I I think you know when you're talking about chasing three stuff and winning tight games and and that kind of thing that that's that's the area you got to get buttoned up and I think I think it was still early in Fall camp and you know the one thing I'll say though is for as much um depth as this team has at different spots that you know defensive back and um linebacker and things like that I mean I I think on cover I think the coverage units should should hopefully be pretty good I mean I think they've got enough Talent there to cover well it's just a matter of whether the Specialists are uh can can get a little bit better from where they were last year that's Michael Bruns Husker 247 bruny we appreciate the time as always ways and you know what I hope you have a great weekend Brun I appreciate that you guys too I hope it's a it's a great one thanks Bron I can your sincerity is just like dripping dripping he's sincere that's just how he sounds oh I know that's very sinere that's my sincere voice thanks bruny [Music] get it up it [Music]