Nebraska Looks for Answers at Linebacker

The Las Vegas Bowl offers a spotlight for Nebraska players looking to further cement themselves with the current coaching staff or showcase their abilities for future ones, potentially in the transfer portal.

That makes the New Year’s Eve bowl game an important one for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the Huskers having a chance to end the season on a strong note after back-to-back ugly losses to Penn State and Iowa to close the regular season.

A lot of focus will be on Nebraska’s offense, as the Huskers have plenty of questions about how TJ Lateef plays with more lead time, how they replace All-American running back Emmett Johnson and what offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen can cook up after an up-and-down season. But some of the most interesting players for the bowl game are on the defensive side, including freshman linebacker Dawson Merritt.

2025 stats

Eight tackles
One tackle for loss

Linebackers Willis McGahee and Dawson Merritt tackle QB Jake Weir during Nebraska's 2025 game against Houston Christian — Linebacker Dawson Merritt should see a much bigger role in 2026. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

What to know

It isn’t a new feeling for Nebraska fans to be excited about seeing a true freshman linebacker get more opportunities in a bowl game. Just a year ago, Vincent Shavers was in the same spot Merritt is now and turned in a strong performance during the Pinstripe Bowl. Merritt has had plenty of time to get healthy and to learn more of what Rob Dvoracek wants. Could that put him in a position to play more in Las Vegas?

What’s at stake

Merritt could go a long way in helping fans and coaches feel better about a linebacker room that wasn’t Nebraska’s biggest problem, but was far from the level of play the Huskers received in Matt Rhule’s first two seasons.

Merritt has shown himself to be an intriguing player who has flashed when he’s been in games, but clearly also needs more time and more reps to fully become the player he was recruited to be after the Huskers flipped him from Alabama last fall.

Merritt’s bowl game and expected ascension make for an interesting picture at linebacker. The Huskers have to see what the portal holds, both in terms of linebackers leaving and the need to add veterans for depth, as players like Merritt, Christian Jones and others continue to grow and develop.

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