Nebraska DL Coach Corey Brown Lays Out Huskers' 'Attack, React' Mentality and More

Spring ball is here, and for Husker Nation, that means inaugural media availabilities for several of the new coaches brought on staff over the offseason.

Like defensive coordinator Rob Aurich last week, defensive line coach Corey Brown met with the media earlier this week to discuss the outlook of his room, his relationship with Aurich from previous stops, and a new-look mentality he will instill within the teeth of Nebraska's defense ahead of the 2026 season.

With plenty to unpack from his time at the mic, here's everything you need to know about Brown, his room, and how it will tie into the Huskers' scheme next fall.

Having been on staff for over a month, Brown's experience in Lincoln and being back under Aurich's coaching staff were major talking points in his first media availability as an assistant coach at Nebraska. Still, with the way the college football calendar worked out this year, the former Miami (OH) defensive line coach is currently in the process of learning new names, faces, and things about this program. It helps, however, to have a familiar face as his boss. With Aurich and Brown having an existing relationship with each other from a previous stop at South Dakota, the Huskers' new assistant coach took time to reflect on how his defensive coordinator has grown.

"He's always been confident," Brown said. "That hasn't wavered. He knows the grand scheme of what he's running, and that's how he's continued to grow". Since the two worked together at the FCS level, both have seen their careers lead them to different paths, and now reunited within the Big Ten, the duo appears to bring the knowledge they've gained over that time to Lincoln in order to help them find success under Matt Rhule.

To little surprises after seeing the success Aurich found at San Diego State a season ago, Brown described the defensive scheme his boss runs as something coaches and players can be excited to grow in. "The things he's doing up front," said Brown. "It's fun to play as a defensive lineman".

That may be exactly what the Huskers need after a disappointing season in 2025. With the staffing shakeup that occurred over the past couple of months, continuity moving forward, and reason for optimism backed by results, is a recipe for success in their first year on the job. For Brown, it appears as if the talent is there; all he needs to do is unlock it.

While Brown was hired to NU's staff later on than many liked, he shed light on the fact that he was still able to build relationships with the players Nebraska added over the offseason before the window to enter the transfer portal closed. That began with will-be sophomore Jahsear Whittington, who joined the Huskers after two seasons at Pitt. Immediately after Brown was announced as the at-the-time newest member of Rhule's staff, prospects for his eventual room were already taking visits to campus. "[I] got a chance to meet Jahsear while he was on his visit," he said. "Then, I did some things over Zoom calls with Owen [Stoudmire]. Looking at those guys, they bring an explosive element to the table".

Even though the timing of his hire was not as favorable as he likely would've enjoyed, Brown said that watching film on the transfers Nebraska managed to secure helped him identify their strengths and weaknesses before the start of spring practice. After gaining that knowledge, the defensive tackle's coach will look to help the duo of transfers, along with the rest of the room, become more physically suited to the task that the Big Ten demands within the scheme of Aurich's defense.

Following the announcement of his hire, Brown had to hit the recruiting trail without faltering to secure one of the most high-profile players left in the 2026 class. To his credit, he helped the Huskers do just that when they signed four-star defensive lineman Dylan Berymon in early February. That naturally shifted the conversation towards what Brown liked to identify when scouting recruits. When giving his answer, he suggested the most important thing he likes to see is the leverage a player plays with.

"Sometimes a guy is 6-foot-1, but plays like he's 6-foot-5," Brown said. "Because he plays with great leverage and good knee bend. So those aspects of being explosive, and then strong hands. You can't shy away from contact at that position." The former Big Ten defensive lineman appreciates a physical approach, and he made it clear that he will ask his players to do the same from the very start.

Brown also discusses the importance of having a violent mentality from his group. After coaching a unit that combined for 11.5 sacks in 2025 and helped his team total 41 on the year, it's clear the Miami (OH) RedHawks did that at a high level. Now, he'll look to bring his coaching approach to Nebraska and find the same success.

When shedding light on exactly what that approach will be, Brown made it clear the Huskers will move first and think later. In fact, his exact words were, "Attack, [then] React". As something that seemingly all of the Nebraska faithful can get behind, the idea that the line of scrimmage will emphasize movement and speed over decision-making is encouraging to hear. Here's to hoping the players in the room take that approach early on.

Overall, his approach seemed simple, yet backed by results, and now the Big Red will need to heed his advice ahead of 2026. Improvements need to be made up front for Nebraska to find success, and Brown's position group will lead that charge on the defensive side of the ball. During his short time at the mic, he set a tone for his unit, whether they knew it or not. Now, the decision will need to be made regarding the physicality of these players as spring practice ramps up.

It's not pretty, or filled with glory, but a sizeable leap for the Huskers at the line of scrimmage would do more for a waning fan base's confidence than words ever will. And though what he said was encouraging to hear, his unit will have to prove it early and often next fall. The talent and (hopefully) coaching are now there, but execution will need to be seen. Until then, many will remain skeptical of the group. For now, they put their heads down and work, and with them playing football in February, that may be exactly what is needed to set the tone heading into a new season.

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