Quick thoughts From Rob Dvoracek’s Press Conference

Evan Cooper Nebraska

Last Wednesday, new Nebraska linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek met with the media to offer his perspective on his coaching journey alongside Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. Other topics included his passion for coaching and the type of linebackers he wants to recruit at Nebraska. Finally, he offered his thoughts on new defensive coordinator Tony White and his scheme to help the Cornhuskers win on defense. Here is what we learned of Dvoracek in his time with the media.

Dvoracek’s Long Journey With Matt Rhule

As a linebacker at Temple under Matt Rhule, Rob Dvoracek starred in a number of games in his two years with the team.  However, his career would not begin to blossom until he was off the field. This is because Rhule took him under his wing as a grad assistant.  The position suited him well because he liked helping out, “Wherever he could,” around the players. Because of his work,  Rhule gave him an opportunity to be the defense’s head of quality control at Baylor.  It seemed that his efforts were enough as he helped lay the groundwork for Baylor’s rebuild in 2018. Now that Rhule and Dvoracek are both coaching at Nebraska, a familiar task lies ahead of them in rebuilding a program once again. But can they do it?

Where His Passion For Coaching Comes From

As an education major in college, Dvoracek had no idea where he would make an impact. However, he said he knows that one thing that he was passionate about was, “Helping young people.” Dvoracek said that his passion was aided by his deep knowledge of the game of football. Through these two avenues, he feels he can contribute to the game because, “He has done it his whole life.” Therefore, he would owe it to himself to, “Stay involved as much as he can.” This is reflected throughout his tenure at Lehigh when he served as the defensive ends and linebackers coach at the university. His proudest achievement was when he helped defensive end Mikhari Sibblis reach  All-American status in his freshman year. It will certainly be interesting if Dvoracek can have that much success at Nebraska this season.

Off-season Evaluations Ahead in Lincoln

As a newcomer to the Big Ten Conference, Dvoracek knows that he has a steep learning curve ahead if he wants to succeed.  But in his view, all that he needs to do is get to know his linebackers.  As their new coach, Dvoracek owes it to them to build a “really good personal relationship with everyone in his room.” But seeing as how they haven’t experienced  football yet, Dvoracek says that he is “taking time throughout the spring to evaluate the roster.” In this process, he wants to make sure that the player has knowledge on the  previous schemes so Dvoracek will know where to improve individual linebackers. 

The Types of Linebackers He Wants to Recruit

Dvoracek knows what he wants in his linebacker room at Nebraska. Simply put, he wants to find recruits that are, “Tough, smart and competitive.” As for their physical makeup, he believes in a long and explosive player who is able to run and change direction. These explosive traits are exemplified in Nebraska linebacker Eric Field’s high school highlights.  In his junior and senior years alone, he had amassed 270 tackles by attacking ball carriers. Furthermore, his length could cause problems for teams because he has the ability to add weight to his frame in the offseason.   But it hasn’t been easy for Dvoracek in his pursuit of kids that have his attributes. This is mainly because he and the other staff members want to focus on how recruits fit the culture that Nebraska already has on the roster.

What He Thinks of Tony White’s Defense

It’s hard for the new linebackers coach, Dvoracek to describe Tony White and his defense. But the first thing that comes to his mind when he sees it is, “Chaos”.  This is because White’s defense is structured in a way that the Cornhuskers can get to a lot of different fronts and cover teams very quickly. But don’t be confused by the defense’s fast nature. He’s been familiar with it his whole career.  Now, all that Dvoracek has to do is learn the scheme from White. But can it be a winning formula on defense for the Cornhuskers?

A Brief Look at Nebraska’s Linebacker Position in 2023

Former Nebraska linebackers coach Barrett Ruud helped carve out big roles for Nick Heinrich and Luke Reimer last season. This showed when the duo combined for 123 tackles along with one sack and one interception in 2022. Although both linebackers are poised to return to their starting roles next season, it is apparent that Rhule doesn’t want to give them the nod just yet.  Instead, he added more depth when he gained the pledges of both Eric Fields and Dylan Rodgers. But now a big question remains. Can the two linebackers’ play guarantee them a spot as a starter next season?

Read more about the linebacker position here: https://lastwordonsports.com/collegefootball/2023/02/01/nebraska-2023-signing-day-a-class-in-review/

Rob Dvoracek

Photo courtesy: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

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