There was talk some who might have rolled their eyes while hearing how these bowl practices can be like another spring camp. Is it really that important or just fluff?
Verdict: No fluff.
From all indications – and that includes from Husker offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen who has shot us pretty straight so far – Nebraska has had some very useful developmental practices this December.
It’s not just about young guys showing out too. The coach on Thursday noted how Thomas Fidone has attacked the practices when asked about him specifically and the tight end position.
«He’s had really good practices. I’ve been very proud of Thomas. He’s treating this like it’s camp. He’s out there just playing his tail off every single day,» said Holgorsen, who also continues to be impressed by Luke Lindenmeyer. «Luke has been playing his ass off for the last nine days. He has all season but those two guys, their reps have gone up. Obviously because 87 is going to do something else.»
The reference to No. 87 would be Nate Boerkircher, who got a lot of attention from other schools after this season, and took an opportunity with Texas A&M to finish his career.
It was a notable departure since the Aurora native Boerkircher had showed up heavily in the attack in the three games under Holgorsen’s direction.
With 462 snaps to his name, Fidone played the most of any tight end throughout the whole regular season. He did have just a 3-snap game against Wisconsin but it started to bump back up again to 17 (though still below his season average) against Iowa.
Fidone has 31 receptions and 323 receiving yards, which ranks fourth on the team in receptions.
Heinrich Haarberg is also transitioning more into playing the tight end spot heading to 2025. It’s going to be a critical position in Holgorsen’s offense.
«Heinrich is transitioning and looks really good,» the coach said. «He’s another body (where) the more of those bodies we can put out there, the better. No. 16 (Janiran Bonner) brings that kind of a body type. He’s not really a tight end but he’s a move-around H-back type of guy. Carter Nelson is a guy that is going to grow and develop into that. So the more of those bodies we can have the better.»
Holgorsen made something clear during his Pinstripe Bowl media session with reporters.
«We’re not turning this into an Air Raid, four-wideout program. That’s not going to happen. So these tight ends are important. There’s probably two or three other ones that got a whole bunch of reps over the last nine practices that excite me, that are all young and are going to keep getting better and better.»
The OC also passed on praise to Marcus Satterfield. «He’s an incredible tight end guy and run game guy to the point to where he gives me ideas … and drills them. It’s been cool.»
Holgorsen has clearly enjoyed the opportunities these bowl practices have given him to get to know guys and what skill sets they have.
«I tell you the one that is exciting is we just finished our ninth practice and we haven’t even gotten into game week yet,» Holgorsen said. «These have been pretty much nine developmental practices and this past week we started game planning so it was kind of a mixture of both. So it’s been fun to watch a bunch of young kids just start to develop.»
Holgorsen said he hasn’t had this many practices before a bowl game as a coach since maybe 2011 getting ready for the Orange Bowl. Yes, the portal is popping, and you have to excuse yourself at times to talk with a visiting player, but coaches aren’t on the road in December like in the past.
All this to say Holgorsen has gotten some time to get to better know some different guys who were understandably just numbers on a jersey at first.
«What I’ve been used to the last 10 years is you have like one week’s prep, so there’s no developing,» he said. But after the ninth practice this time around, he added, «It’s been really fun to figure out who these guys are … that I didn’t really know who they were because they were on scout team.
«If someone leaves it’s an opportunity for other guys to step in.»