It is quiet in Lincoln, Nebraska right now. School is out, summer is on, and the campus is lonely. However in the North Stadium, above the multi-million dollar weight room, the coaches and support staff are working in a fury to go and get a championship back to Lincoln. The Spring Game has ended, we have seen a glorified practice where 71,000 people decided to show up, so you know Nebraska is ready to get this football season underway. The buzz around the football program has been escalated this year with the new hiring of Mike Riley and his staff to see what they can do here at the University of Nebraska. To help nurture your Husker football addictions, I will try to give you some insight on what to expect from this upcoming football season.

As for positions, who and what should we see from the starters. For QB, the coaches are going to have to look in depth at who is going to be the starter. Tommy Armstrong? AJ Bush? Zach Darlington? Johnny Stanton? We have a lot of QB's that have the ability to push for a starting role. I first want to look at the starter who has started his last two years, Tommy Armstrong Jr. Coming into his third season as a starter, Tommy is more confident and ready to compete and go win the starting position. He has the in-game experience that really separates him from the rest. AJ Bush is a very interesting guy to look at because of his physical size and his impressive arm that is extremely accurate. (If you don't believe me watch his High School film, he is a monster). The only question is if he is ready to start. Game experience can't be earned in practice however, he has the tools to become the starter. Zach Darlington is another interesting guy because of his impressive spring game performance where he clearly out preformed every QB.

This is a guy to keep a close eye on this year and the following, to see what he can do. Stanton has a lot of people excited because of his talented High School career. Can he put it together in College though, he has the tools and size to be a good QB, it will be interesting to see if he can compete with the starters. With all this said with the QB's, I think Tommy Armstrong Jr. will take the field on the opening kick-off. Tommy has taken a lot of criticism in the past for his interceptions and completion rate, but one thing he does have is a winning attitude and leadership mentality that is second to none and needed for QB's at all levels. I think Tommy will surprise a lot of people with how much he will improve, the new coaching staff has put a lot of QB's in the NFL and made them very successful, so I am fully confident that Tommy can lead are team to many wins with his warrior like work ethic and the confidence he has in himself to be great.

For running backs, this is another very interesting position to look at. We have a stable of good running backs that could play anywhere in the nation. This is a good problem to have. With Ameer graduating and going the NFL, I feel people are worried about who will start and give the spark to our offense that Ameer has given the past three years. We don't need to worry, Newby, Cross, Adam Taylor, and Mikale Wilbon all have what it takes to give us that spark. The starter will probably be Newby, if you look at the spring production from him. However, running back is a unique position where we can use multiple backs in different situations to be successful. Adam Taylor is a very powerful but fluid back that could become the starter and have great production. Imani is a train, we know that, he will be good on certain situations.

Wilbon is another guy that a lot of people probably haven't heard of but he is explosive and looks like one day he could become a starter. Newby, finally, is a great running back who is putting together the pieces to be very good. He has the ability to make people miss but also can run between the tackles and be successful. Concluding with running backs, I hate to say there is a starter, but there technically needs to be one. I say this because we have a stable. If you look at LSU or Alabama, they constantly have two or three good backs that play and are very productive. I feel like we have that and with Coach Riley's ability to use all backs and make them productive will certainly put a added stress on any team we are playing.

Now to receivers, we are solid here. I first want to say it will be nice to have Jamal Turner back from his injury last year, don't forget how explosive this guy is. From top to bottom we have a good set of receivers that have all different abilities to make our offense great. Let's start with Jordan Westerkamp, he is good. He catches almost anything that comes his way and is a great route runner. He is going to be special. Jamal Turner, like a said before, is explosive. He can make plays anywhere on the field and can turn a game upside down really fast. Demornay Pierson-El, he is good.

He has had a productive offseason with his video that went viral and had people going crazy. He is explosive and is a special player that Nebraska always seems to produce. He will have a monster year because the coaches will feed this man the ball and he will do unworldly things to any and all defenses. Watch out. This is the core group of guys but there is a lot of guys on the roster that can flat out play like Glenn Irons, Jariah Tolbert, Brandon Reilly, Sam Burtch, and incoming freshman who may see some minutes, Stanley Morgan. The receiving corps is loaded and ready to make plays happen.

For defense, I am going to talk about this as a whole. We should have a loaded defense with a lot of returning talent. To start, Maliek Collins is a monster. He is already catching hype in becoming one of the top defensive linemen in the country and I believe he will showcase why he should be at the top. Nebraska fans know the best that one defensive lineman can completely change an entire game like what we saw with Suuuuh, Collins can have that same impact. The man next to him, Vincent Valentine, may be just as explosive, he will be fun to watch next to Collins. Teams will have their hands full when they try and face our interior lineman. We will be very good up front. For linebackers, we are thin.

With the new defense in place, linebackers are key. Even though we are thin at linebacker, I believe that we will be alright. Michael Rose-Ivey, Josh Banderas, and incoming freshman Dedrick Young can be very good. Along with those guys, we have a lot of incoming freshman linebackers that could make an early impact like Young, Berry, Ferguson, and Talen. They are all young, but could make an early impact and get some playing time. For defensive backs, we have a a very solid group that will help anchor down the secondary. Daniel Davie returns and other side there is a spot open that a lot of potential cornerbacks could take. Jonathan Rose, Trai Mosley, Josh Kalu, Eric Lee could all make a push to start. I think Rose will get the final job but it will be interesting on how it plays out. The defense is going to be one of the best in the Big Ten, hopefully it will rank in the top defenses in college football as well.

Now the coaches!! We have a new staff on the brink to do great things here at Nebraska. Coach Riley has been around the block in college football for many years in coaching mainly for Oregon State for a majority of his career. While his record may not show it, he has had great success there making Oregon State a contender at times when he had good players to utilize. Coach Riley has a calm demeanor that is respected by all. He never really yells or curses but people love him and play hard for him which is a great thing to see in college football these days.

His staff that he brought with him speaks volumes on the amount of respect people have for him. He brought a majority of his staff back that was at Oregon State and has gotten coaches that have had connections with Coach Riley. They all wanted to come coach with him because he is a great coach and a better man who cares about everybody. The coaching staff is loaded with experience and knowledge about the game that they are able to teach to the kids in a very effective way. I am excited to see what the coaching staff can do to make Nebraska great again. I know we have the right people in the North Stadium to make a championship run.

Be patient Husker fans, it is right around the corner. Husker football returns to Memorial with a new staff, a new offense, a less confusing defensive system, and a new refreshing vibe to the football program. I am excited to see what we can do this year with all the talent we have and from seeing what Coach Riley has done with the special players from the past (Brandin Cooks, James, and Jacquizz Rodgers) it should be exciting to see what he can do. I am going to take a bold stand on my prediction of what our record will be and I think its going to be 10-2. I can feel it. Nebraska is headed on the right track. As fans we have to be patient and understanding, our time will come again.