Huskers' DB Room Offers Plenty of Choices for Coach Williams

The defensive backs room for the Nebraska Cornhuskers is very crowded. There are a bevy of cornerbacks and safeties. From true freshman to transfers to upper classmen, there are defensive backs everywhere.

Defensive backs coach Addison Williams has to decide which players will take the field when Nebraska opens the season. There are starters that have to be decided and then a rotation of who substitutes in and when.

Williams has some tricks up his sleeve. He has plenty of competition and the players have been working hard. However, the cream always rises to the top. He said he is going to play a lot of players, especially early in the season and it will be a competition to see who gets the most reps.

"The way the guys communicate, the physicality that they play with, the effort they play with and who can consistently execute on a high-level," he said. "Then when you got a lot of guys consistently on a high-level — who's going to make plays? At the end of the day who's going to make plays on the football? At the end of the day playing the defensive back position if guys want to earn more NIL money, if guys want to play in the National Football League, you've got to make plays. That'll be the deciding factor in the end."

DESHON SINGLETON COMING BACK IS HUGE

DeShon Singleton is going to start and get his plethora of repetitions. He passed up a shot at the National Football League and petitioned for an extra year of college football. He can play safety and he can play corner. He offers Williams plenty of choices. He can fit in just about anywhere in the defensive backfield.

At 6-3, 210 pounds and with speed that lasts for days, Singleton can do so much for the Cornhuskers in his final season of eligibility.

"Deshon is a Swiss Army knife," Williams said. "The one thing about him is he's very unique with his size, his height, his length, his weight, his ability to come down and make tackles, his ability to cover in space, his ability to tackle in space. He's going to be a guy that's going to be all around the field doing a lot of things. Coach Butler is going to do a good job to put our playmakers in a position to do what they do best."

ANDREW MARSHALL IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

Cornerback Andrew Marshall played a lot of safety at Idaho. He is another tweener who can take take one of the starting cornerback roles. Head coach Matt Rhule said he likes what he has seen so far from Marshall and he fits it nicely in the back, most likely on the perimeter.

Williams tends to agree with his boss. He likes Marshall a lot.

"Drew is a pro. He's a pro. I one hundred percent agree with coach Rhule on that," Williams said. "The one thing about Drew is that he has that chip on his shoulder coming from an FCS school and he feels like 'hey I should've been here before now,"

Andrew Marshall, Nebraska Cornhusker — Aug 31, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Idaho Vandals defensive back Andrew Marshall (7) tackles Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) during the second half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The fact that Marshall did not start out at a Power 4 school weighs heavily in his mind, but he does not let it get in the way of his play. Williams said he uses it as motivation to prove he belongs. He has a lot of receipts he needs to cash in.

"He's not holding that as a grudge against anybody else, but he's taking that as motivation from the stand point of 'hey I'm here now so I'm going to go prove myself.' He has that mentality now whether we're in the weight room or whether we're running gassers, film room or where ever we are at, he has that mentality and he's a real competitor."

DONOVAN JONES COULD PLAY SAFETY

Another guy Williams likes is Donovan Jones. Jones has plenty of experience at safety, but learned how to play cornerback over the last year.

Donovan Jones, Nebraska Cornhusker — Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Carter Nelson (29) and defensive back Donovan Jones (37) celebrate after a stop on a kick return during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

"Donovan is similar to DeShon. He is a big, strong, fast, physical guy. Donnie is one that safety is really his natural position. That's where he really likes to play. " Williams said. "He is one of our better players that we can use anywhere. We can use Donnie anywhere back there. He's one of our better players on defense and he'll continue to play both spots."

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