Locked On Nebraska - Daily Podcast on the Nebraska Cornhuskers

The final Friday mailbag of the Nebraska football offseason is here. It’s game week. Nebraska plays in just six days at Arrowhead Stadium against Cincinnati. And everybody is starting to feel a little nervous. One listener has the audacity to ask us this: “What if … Cincinnati wins?” We tackle plenty of questions that involve the Huskers’ opener and address a series of CFP topics. Matt Rhule’s got...

Big Ten football predictions ignite fierce debate. Will Ohio State reclaim conference glory or can Penn State follow the championship blueprint? Expert panelists clash over potential coaching changes, with Mike Locksley and Luke Fickell under scrutiny. The discussion heats up as Jay Stevens argues for Ohio State's talent advantage, while Zach Seiko champions Penn State's experienced roster. Craig...

Nebraska tight ends coach Marcus Satterfield and running backs coach EJ Barthel, the final two assistants to appear in front of the media this month, stated the cases Wednesday on their position groups to rank as strengths in 2025. Are we buying it? It’s been an interesting offseason, with many twists, for the running backs and the tight ends. Connor and Mitch sort through the hype and deliver the...

A special episode on this Wednesday. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule in three seasons has made many decisions on whom to hire for his coaching and support staffs and for administrative roles. What were his best choices? We’re here to rank them, 10 through 1. Connor and Mitch made lists, independent of input from each other, we’re revealing them today. Who made the cut and who may have just missed? That’...

Monday brought us one day closer to the season opener for Nebraska. One day closer to Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. And one day closer, for defensive line coach Terry Bradden, to … a reunion with Gates BBQ. Bradden made no attempt to hide his preference among KC’s famous meat-filled establishments. We’re here to tell you that this is important information for travelers next week. Or perhaps we’...

Preseason camp at Nebraska is over. The Huskers scrimmaged in the heat on Saturday. How do we judge the past three weeks in Lincoln, with the opener against Cincinnati now on the horizon? One of our hosts says it ranks as the best preseason at Nebraska in many seasons. We get into the explanation. It involves a formula of leadership, development and readiness.  Coach Matt Rhule was in a talkative...

We dig back into the mailbag to end this week. Questions about Matt Rhule’s team and the upcoming Nebraska football season are coming fast here in August. We’re tackling topics that include the production of the Huskers’ tight ends in 2025, Mike Ekeler’s career path and an individual season record likely to fall in the months ahead.  What kind of impact should we expect from Williams Nwaneri this...

Big Ten football faces SEC dominance in AP Top 25. Can the conference prove its worth on the field? Hosts dissect perceived SEC bias in rankings, with 10 SEC teams vs 6 Big Ten squads making the cut. The panel explores potential Big Ten expansion targets, weighing academic fit and competitive balance. Fall camp updates reveal key position battles and injury concerns across the conference. Spencer...

The single-digit jersey list is nearly complete as preseason camp winds to a close at Nebraska. Four more Huskers got new numbers on Wednesday – Javin Wright, Jacory Barney, Janiran Bonner and Vincent Shavers. We discuss each and what they bring to the Huskers. The group this year is trending young. It includes more offensive talent.  And the big question: Who gets the last single digit? Will it b...

What’s it like to play football with your “damn hair on fire?” First-year Nebraska special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler appears intent to show us. Ekeler stood in the front of the microphone after the Huskers’ 13th practice of the preseason on Tuesday and breathed fire as he talked about the kicking game. Coach Ek ready to hit someone, seemingly, still more than two weeks ahead of the opener.  We...

Looking back at the 2024 Nebraska football season, there’s a Big Red flag that perhaps we’ve failed to take into account as the offseason hype built this spring summer. Does everyone realize just how poorly the Huskers played on special teams last year? We dive down a dark hole – and then take a look at the potential impact of new special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler.  As Ekeler meets with the me...

Just five days remain in preseason camp for the Nebraska football team. The Huskers scrimmaged in front of Matt Rhule on Saturday. He was again awestruck with freshman punter Archie Wilson. The coach is doing nothing to diffuse hype around the dual-footed Australian. In fact, Rhule is building him up ahead of the Aug. 28 opener at Arrowhead Stadium, which is set to be the first time that Wilson pl...

It’s Friday and the mailbag is open. Thanks to our listeners and viewers, as always, for your questions. You truly make these shows our most enjoyable. Connor and Mitch burn through 22 questions, providing answers in what is now our longest episode ever. We got from talking about how AI projects the Huskers’ finish in 2025, based on specific variables, of course, to the best running back groups ev...

Big Ten football's future stars take center stage. Who will lead the conference in passing, rushing, and receiving? Spencer McLaughlin and a panel of college football experts break down the top contenders for statistical dominance. From Ohio State's Julian Sayin drawing Dwayne Haskins comparisons to Oregon's Makai Hughes as a potential rushing leader, the discussion covers every angle. Dark horse...

Nebraska hit a milestone on Thursday in preseason football camp. It’s 40 percent of the way through its practices ahead of the season opener – now just three weeks away as we discuss the latest from around Lincoln. On Friday, AD Troy Dannen will stop into the media room to take questions. About what? We’ll see, but the topics of Memorial Stadium and revenue sharing are sure to come up.  Wednesday...

Tuesday in Lincoln, we heard from new defensive coordinator John Butler. The intensity was high. Butler is made in the mold of a typical defensive coordinator. He’s all business. Connor and Mitch are here to offer analysis on Butler’s style – and on what we learned about the Huskers on defense.  The defensive linemen appear set to play with a chip on their shoulder. Butler is encouraging it. He’s...

As preseason football camp continues at Nebraska, a new feature has taken hold. Matt Rhule is taking fans on virtual walks. He’s talking with the Huskers. He’s updating injuries. He’s showing a side of the head coach that matters to players – and that matters to many fans as Nebraska continues to try to reach new audiences in this changing world of college sports. Back on the field, the Huskers ar...

Preseason camp at Nebraska is in full swing. The Huskers completed their first workout in full pads on Saturday. Practice was open to the public. The Big Ten Network visited Lincoln on Friday to see Matt Rhule’s team. The observations and takeaways are coming fast.  We’ve got a big list of players whose stock is on the rise through one week. And a chunk of our list includes Huskers from one class...

The first Friday of August is here. It delivers a mailbag, and we start with a heavy subject that involves Matt Rhule, Nebraska as a “forever job” and the possible draw of Penn State. Why aren’t we hearing more about Dana Holgorsen’s mesh concepts? Kenai, Alaska gets a pin on our new world map. What seasons in the Huskers’ past have delivered too much hype and painfully little substance? If you’re...

Big Ten football shakeup: Oregon's debut season under the microscope. Will the Ducks soar or stumble in their new conference? Spencer McLaughlin and the Locked On crew dissect the top 100 college football players, questioning Big Ten representation and debating surprising inclusions. The hosts analyze Oregon's challenging 10.5-win total, breaking down key matchups against Penn State, USC, and Wash...

Nebraska football continues to maneuver through the opening week of preseason practice. Matt Rhule’s Huskers have progressed to wear shoulder pads at practice, with full pads likely to come Saturday for the Big Red Preview event inside Memorial Stadium. Before we get to that, there remains plenty to digest about the events of Thursday and Friday – which include appearances in the media room from D...

Locked On has released a list of the top 100 players in college football. On it, you’ll find two representatives from Nebraska, wide receiver Dane Key and QB Dylan Raiola – both ranked in the 90s. Are they too low? Too high? Perhaps this is just about right for a program that’s still got plenty to prove under third-year coach Matt Rhule. Who else, if anyone, should have made the cut? We discuss th...

Opening day is in the books at Nebraska football preseason camp. Matt Rhule and the Huskers took to the grass – and the turf – and plowed through the opening hours on Monday. We heard from the coach in addition to several Huskers. And we’ve got observations on the tight ends, the offensive line, the running backs and a young punter named Archie Wilson.  We hear in this episode from Rhule on the ps...

Preseason camp is officially open. Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football team are practicing on the beautiful, new green grass outside of the Osborne Legacy Complex on this Monday morning. And we are here to talk with you about the questions that face the Huskers as camp opens. To start, did Nebraska already clear a big hurdle during this long offseason? And if not, what do you need to see for to k...

The final Friday without real-life football observations from the practice field is here. We’re filling up our plate with your questions in a mailbag. Which freshmen from Matt Rhule’s third signing class might make an impact, aside from Isaiah Mozee and Cortez Mills, as preseason camp opens on Monday? Are the Big Ten and Tony Petitti as “uppity” as they seem? What is the SCORE Act, and does it mat...