Three Things We've Learned About Rob Aurich's Nebraska Defense

A new scheme, a new mentality, and several new players: Here's how it appears to be coming together thus far.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich | Nebraska Athletics

In 2025, Nebraska's weakness against the run helped bring about the firing of the Huskers' first-year defensive coordinator, John Butler. Taking his place is Rob Aurich, fresh off a stellar season heading up the defense at San Diego State. Aurich brings a new scheme and a new attitude as he seeks to restore the Blackshirts.

Here are some key things we've learned about Aurich and how he hopes to turn things around in 2026.

Aurich's Message to the Defense: "Simple, Fast, and Violent"

The Huskers brought in several defensive players from the portal during the offseason, including one of Aurich's own: all-conference linebacker Owen Chambliss from SDSU. The day before the start of fall camp, Chambliss offered insights into Aurich's philosophy.

"We live by 'Simple, fast, and violent,'" Chambliss told reporters, "and that's the way it should be."

The "simple" part doesn't mean things are being dumbed down; it's intended to give players confidence in their assignments. It can instill discipline in a defense that simply must get better at tackling and stopping the run, all while remaining elite in the secondary.

Linebacker Owen Chambliss was an all-conference player as a sophomore last season at San Diego State. | Nebraska Athletics

Jamir Conn, a safety who could start in 2026, had similar remarks: "Our whole defense plays like that, and that's one of the main things you need for a great defense. You need 11 guys that can tackle that are physical that fly around to the ball and that are going to do their job at a high level. And that's what we've been preaching over and over again, and I fit that."

The Huskers always seem to have talent, but they don't always maximize it. A new mindset can help remedy that.

The 4-2-5 Scheme Could Be the Difference-Maker

When Matt Rhule came to Nebraska ahead of the 2023 season, he hired Tony White and brought a new defensive scheme to Lincoln: the 3-3-5. With White, the defensive line thrived and ranked among the best in pass rush and run defense in the country, but the secondary was nothing more than average.

After the 2024 season, White was hired by Florida State, leading to Butler's promotion. In 2025, Butler ended up with two extremes: an elite secondary and an abysmal rush defense.

Safety Dwayne McDougle brings a familiarity with Rob Aurich's defense to Lincoln. | Nebraska Athletics

Aurich's 4-2-5 system is more common than the 3-3-5, meaning many players may feel more comfortable with Aurich than with Butler or White, especially on the defensive line. A four-man front allows players like Cam Lenhardt and Williams Nwaneri to get more one-on-ones with the offensive line. The pass rush should get better, leading to more quarterback sacks. Stopping the run should also be easier with more D-linemen up front.

The Huskers also have multiple defenders who have played under Aurich: Chambliss, Dwayne McDougle and cornerback Andrew Marshall. Their familiarity with Aurich and his system should help the Huskers adapt to the 4-2-5 with fewer growing pains.

The Defensive Line Looks Bigger and Better

After an atrocious season in the defensive trenches, building a bigger, better D-line is a must. The Huskers ranked 100th nationally last year in rushing yards allowed per game, while the pass rush resulted in just 22 quarterback sacks.

By most accounts, the defensive line is looking bigger and better in fall camp. But if the observations of veteran Husker beat reporter Steven Sipple are any indication, better does not mean great at this point. He had this to say about the line after observing a portion of practice earlier this week:

"It's not a great-looking group in the interior, but the edges look representative, and I think they'll be pretty good, the edge guys. ... There's some of the (interior) guys that are just small. (Jahsear) Whittington, though, it sounds like is one of their best players now on defense. ... Jahsear Whittington's gonna start, and he's probably gonna start with (Riley) Van Poppel."

After the interior D-line got bullied last season, that assessment of Jahsear Whittington is encouraging, even if Sipple isn't sold on the interior as a whole. Whittington could be a big sack threat, along with those "pretty good" guys at the edges.

Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone gets a pass away under pressure from Nebraska's Williams Nwaneri last season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Meanwhile, edge defender Nwaneri, the sack leader when it came to defensive linemen, totaled only 2½ sacks last season. In the 4-2-5 defense, the edges will have a greater chance to succeed, so players like Nwaneri, Lenhardt, Kade Pietrzak, and Anthony Jones Jr. could get a lot more sacks this season. The interior is concerning, but getting sacks is an effective way to kill an opponent's drive. And hopefully, the interior can be good anyway with Van Poppel, Owen Stoudmire, Whittington, and more.

Getting the 2023-24 version of the defensive line is unlikely, but any improvement will be welcome. It's one thing to be average, decent, or meh. But it's another thing to be steamrolled by teams like Penn State or Iowa. The Huskers were destroyed, to put it mildly, by both teams up front last season. When it comes to improving the defense in 2026, Husker fans would probably most like to see results on the D-line. Nebraska isn't supposed to be bullied up front.

In order to win big games and finish with a good record in 2026, the Huskers need a balanced and rugged defense. Aurich rolls into Lincoln with a new scheme, new transfers, and a lot of returning talent. This formula could put Nebraska on a path toward restoring the Blackshirts to their former standard.

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