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Rocco Spindler Named Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten by PFF

Rocco Spindler is bringing a championship pedigree and big expectations to Nebraska’s 2025 O-line.
Trevor Tarr|
Rocco Spindler
Rocco Spindler | Nebraska Athletics

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska transfer offensive lineman Rocco Spindler is getting some preseason love.

Pro Football Focus released its preseason All-Big Ten teams this week, and Spindler earned a spot on the first team. The recognition comes before Spindler has played a down in Lincoln but reflects both his potential and the impact he could have in 2025.

For a program that has struggled to produce All-Big Ten-caliber players in recent years, Spindler’s early praise is a promising sign not only for the upcoming season, but for the program’s long-term trajectory as well.

Over the last five years, Nebraska has had just 10 players named to either the first, second, or third All-Big Ten teams. That number might not seem alarmingly low until you realize that Iowa matched that total in 2024 alone.

This underscores a crucial point: having players earn All-Big Ten honors matters a lot for the health and trajectory of the program.

It’s a bit of a circular predicament: Nebraska needs to win more games to start landing more All-Big Ten selections, but to win more games, they also need more All-Big Ten-level talent. And the easiest way to attract that talent? You guessed it, by winning more games.

To supplement that for now, of course, are transfer portal additions like Spindler, who bring years of starting experience at national championship-level programs. Ideally, recruiting and developing your own homegrown All-Big Ten team selections is more sustainable and well-respected by future recruits down the line.

With 23 starts and 40 career appearances at right guard under his belt, there’s already plenty of reason to believe Spindler is ready to make an immediate impact at Nebraska. Add in the fact that he started the final 13 games of 2024 for a Notre Dame team that finished as the national runner-up, and it becomes clear that this is the type of player who can be a game-changer for the Husker offense in 2025.

With high praise on several occasions coming from his new head coach, position coach, and teammates, it leads me to believe that Spindler is helping make a difference in more ways than one ahead of the upcoming season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Rocco Spindler against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championsh
Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Rocco Spindler against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If Spindler lives up to first-team All-Big Ten expectations in 2025, it can only mean good things for Nebraska. Awards like that typically go to players on winning teams, ones that get the benefit of the doubt for their impact on the field. So if this prediction holds true by the end of November, we’ll be looking back on both Spindler’s season and Nebraska’s as something to be proud of.

No Huskers made the Pro Football Focus first-team All-Big Ten defense.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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