Corey Brown Sees 'Healthy Competition' Brewing in Nebraska's Defensive Tackle Room

The depth chart isn't final just yet, but Brown is starting to see his DT rotation take shape.

Corey Brown is in his first season as the Huskers' defensive line coach. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Playing time is still up for grabs on the interior of Nebraska's defensive line.

When speaking to the media Tuesday after practice, Husker defensive line coach Corey Brown said there's a “healthy competition” among the defensive tackles. For players to emerge, he's asking for consistency every day. He's seen a few players begin to separate themselves during fall camp.

Nebraska defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel warms up ahead of the 2025 game against USC. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska's Interior Depth

When Nebraska changed defensive coordinators and switched to a four-down front, Brown was brought in over the offseason to become Nebraska's defensive line coach. Having been in Lincoln throughout the spring, he sees the depth chart for the interior players beginning to take shape.

Before it's finalized, however, Brown wants to see more consistency. He's challenging his players to become steady presences along the line of scrimmage.

“These guys have been working hard,” he said. “It’s a healthy competition. I think there will be some guys that emerge who are doing some things consistently that we look for on a day-to-day, practice in and practice out, game-to-game basis … I’m excited about who will emerge and finalize those spots.”

Nash Hutmacher, Jimari Butler and Ty Robinson pose with a Blackshirts shield during 2024 Nebraska football Fan Day. | Nebraska Athletics via X

The Importance of Having Depth

The Huskers have had depth along the defensive line before, but Brown knows they'll need it again in 2026. With Big Ten competition taking a physical toll, he believes rotating multiple defensive tackles will be essential.

“It’s important to have,” he said. “As you know, this conference is heavy, week in and week out. A lot of demand on those interior guys. I think we’ll have those guys that can rotate in and out, but you don’t want there to be a drop-off in the details that are being done. That’s what we’re working on right now.”

Dylan Berymon has a frame that makes him a candidate to contribute as a true freshman. | Nebraska Athletics

A Younger Player Brown Believes Can Help

Trying to work his way into the rotation is former four-star defensive tackle Dylan Berymon, who signed with Nebraska in February. The Louisiana native wasn't an early enrollee, leaving Brown tasked with helping him get up to speed during fall camp.

“It’s been fun,” Brown said. “One, because of the person that he is. His personality is contagious. He’s outgoing, but he does love the game of football. He knows he has some things in front of him that he’s approaching and attacking day by day. We are looking to get him in the best shape possible to be out there and be consistent. But he has a really good skill set.”

A high school knee injury forced Tyson Terry to sit out his freshman season in 2025. | Nebraska Athletics

A Second-Year Player Making a Move

Another underclassman has been impressing this fall: Tyson Terry. A knee injury during his final high school season derailed the Omaha native's true freshman campaign, but the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder is healthy and back in action in 2026.

Brown spoke highly of the second-year interior defender, who recorded more than 300 career tackles and won four consecutive state championships on the wrestling mat during his prep career.

“His approach is second to none,” Brown said. “Really takes care of his body, gets himself ready to roll. Asks the right questions and then tries to apply coaching to get better the next rep and then day by day. But just his balance and overall strength is a real, real big skill set for him.”

Riley Van Poppel, now a junior, has played in 29 games as a Husker. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Even the Veterans Can Still Improve

All 6-foot-5, 305 pounds of junior defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel will be needed for the Big Red this fall. Brown said the Huskers intend to get the most out of him.

Even with 29 games under his belt, Van Poppel still has areas to improve. Brown wants to see the veteran defender consistently finish his reps all the way through.

“I would say to finish,” he said. “That’s definitely something that he knows. You don’t get a chance to tackle all the time throughout camp, but when you are in a thud tackle situation as a defensive lineman, it’s really the next best thing. You have to take that extra step to be in a good position to thud a guy up … So, I think he understands it, and he knows it.”

One of Corey Brown's earlier stops was at Rutgers. | Rutgers Athletics

The finer details are still being worked out, but Brown has identified the characteristics he wants to see.

“Fast and physical,” he said. “Things along those lines. But being in attack mode up front. You have to attack the line of scrimmage; you have to be heavy-handed. And then identifying blocks, because the faster you can identify them, the faster you can get off of them.”

Those are the areas Brown and his group will continue to emphasize in fall camp. With the defensive tackle rotation still taking shape, NU will have plenty of opportunities to find out which players can consistently meet that standard in 2026.

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