LINCOLN — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini announced Saturday that six players have been elevated from walk-on to scholarship status with the Husker football team.
All six were in-state players, including seniors Wes Cammack (receiver, DeWitt), Colton Koehler (linebacker, Harvard) and Derek Meyer (offensive lineman, Campbell). Meyer is a transfer from Kansas State who becomes eligible this season.
The others were juniors Alex Henery (kicker, Omaha Burke) and Dreu Young (tight end, Cozad), and sophomore Mike Caputo (center, Millard North).
Pelini said all six worked hard and earned it. The scholarships will go into effect for the fall semester that starts Monday.
“It shows that if you come in here and you do the right things, for the football team and yourself, you have a good chance of being rewarded for your efforts,'' Pelini said. “That shows with those six young men.''
Henery was the least surprising of the bunch. As the Huskers' regular place-kicker the past two seasons, he has made 26 of 29 field goals, including a school-record 57-yarder.
Young caught nine passes last season and Koehler made 16 tackles in seven games. Cammack has been a regular on special teams each of the past two seasons.
Both Meyer and Caputo are in the two-deep for the Husker offensive line.
While Pelini said it was nice to recognize their contributions, he said there are “some more deserving guys.'' The combination of the six going on scholarship and Quentin Castille being dismissed from the team put NU back at the NCAA maximum of 85.
“Over time, I'm sure there are going to be more,'' Pelini said. “There's some other guys that come to my mind right off the bat that I wish right now I could give scholarships to. If they continue down the right path, they're going to be rewarded down the line.''
Pelini doesn't care about poll spot
Pelini would have been hard-pressed to look any less excited Saturday about Nebraska being No. 24 in the Associated Press preseason poll.
“I don't care about that,'' he said. “That'll take care of itself.''
Nebraska checked in just ahead of Big 12 North rival Kansas at No. 25. Three Big 12 South teams made the Top 10 -— Texas at No. 2, Oklahoma at No. 3 and Oklahoma State at No. 9.
It marks only the second time in the past seven years that NU holds a spot in the preseason AP poll. The other was 2007, when the Huskers started No. 20, reached as high as No. 14 and then crumbled in a 5-7 season that led to Bill Callahan's ouster as head coach.
Nebraska did not make the AP Top 25 at any point last season, but won six of its past seven — including the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 — to finish 9-4.
Scrimmage results not surprising for Bo
Pelini said Nebraska scrimmaged for “a good two hours'' inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
The Huskers worked No. 1s on No. 1s and No. 2s on No. 2s. It also included some special teams.
“We kind of came out of it knowing what I knew going in, that we're not ready to play a football game yet,'' Pelini said. “We have a lot of work to do. I saw a lot that needs fixed, but I saw some good things.''
Hickman: Facing Suh is good for offensive line
The Nebraska offense is getting a daily dose of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in preseason practice. And senior center Jacob Hickman says that's a good thing.
“It really helps you with your technique and everything like that,'' Hickman said. “Because if you go west on one play where you're not taking the right step, you're beat. Being an O-line guy you get frustrated out there, but I'm not going to see a harder look in a game. So I know if I just translate whatever I do against him to other people, it's going to really make me a better player.''
Suh mostly has been lining up against the NU right guard. That has somewhat limited his matchups with left guard Keith Williams.
“They don't really see each other a ton because they're on opposite sides of the line,'' Hickman said. “When they do, it's quite a battle, though. It's battle of the titans over there when Suh goes over to that side.''
Papuchis to speak at luncheon
Papuchis will be the guest speaker Thursday for a Walk-On Club luncheon at Lincoln Station, 7th and P Streets.
The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. and costs $20. Reservations can be made by calling the NU Athletic Development Office at (402) 472-2367 or 800-8-BIGRED.
Future luncheons are scheduled for Oct. 1 and Dec. 10.
— Rich Kaipust
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