What's the Biggest Reason To Be Optimistic About Nebraska Football in 2025?

Jack Mitchell and Josh Peterson discuss the optimism of Husker football fans ahead of the 2025 season and the reasons to believe a jump is coming for the program.

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen during the Huskers' game against Wisconsin on Nov. 23, 2024 in Lincoln. / Nebraska Athletics

On this week's Saturday Morning Coffee Show, Jack Mitchell and Josh Peterson unpacked the poll question posted on Josh's radio show, Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

People are optimistic. Why? How much is about the changes at multiple coordinator spots? And why can't Jack seem to find more of these people in his life?

Below is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation.

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Jack: The optimism is way higher for this coming year than it's been for years!

It's time for another check-in on Husker expectations!

Nebraska's 2025 spring season is now in the rearview mirror. The opener vs. Cincinnati in Kansas City is exactly four months from today.

What will Nebraska's regular season record be in 2025?

— Unsportsmanlike Conduct (@USC1620) April 28, 2025

Josh: Correct. Then it has been since we started doing this poll question. 

Jack: It's the highest it's ever been on both metrics. And so, I bring again my question back: What are people excited and optimistic about? Besides the schedule.

Josh: People love the schedule. [subscriber] Scott says, “Holgo making the offense score more and possibly the defense falling back.” Wouldn’t the answer be Holgorsen?

Jack: I guess that's the best answer I've heard so far.

Josh: I think it'd be Holgorsen. That’s the prompt, right? Find the reasons that Nebraska is going to be able to overachieve for the first time in a decade. So, what's the answer? Is the first answer Holgorsen?

Jack: Holgorsen and Dylan is who we thought Dylan was.

Nebraska football quarterback Dylan Raiola met with the media after practice. / Kaleb Henry

Josh: Yeah. I mean, it really does kind of start and end there.

Jack: I think it's still a little bit of faith in Dylan. I think if I had to be honest about where I think it comes from, I think that's probably it. People have not given up on that and they do believe some of the things that happened with him last year were flukey and injury and offensive coordinator related.

So, I think the answer to my question that I'm asking, I don't know for sure, but I would guess is you're right. A combination of Holgorsen and Dylan Raiola.

Josh: And then where would you go? 

Jack: Probably Ekeler?

Nebraska special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler. / Kaleb Henry

Josh: I was going to say special teams improvement.

Jack: But it was high right after the season. Ekeler wasn't there then.

Josh: Yeah. But I know a lot of people were feeling confident that Foley wasn't going to be doing anything with special teams [in 2025].

Jack: But beyond that, I just don't know where there's a foothold of positivity for people. And I'm more positive than most about the defense. Like, if you asked me, it would be more about the defense than almost anything; the experience of the defense. I don't sense that there's a lot of other people who feel that way, though.

Josh: I think you're in the minority on that. [subscriber] Dilo says, “How good does Holgo have to be for Nebraska to win nine?” Okay, I'm going to do the thing that I know annoys people, but I'm going to use that prompt for an exercise. So last year they blow the Illinois game, right? For a variety of reasons; special teams included, offensive play calling in my opinion included. So they lose that game.

Jack: And defense. 

Josh: Yeah. And defense for sure. At the very end of the season, we know about the Iowa game., Ohio State's not so much about the OC. It was just, you know, they didn't have the horses and they weren't able to overcome.

Jack: UCLA.

Josh: UCLA! The reason to buy into Holgorsen is they blew some of these games last year and that a lot of us do think that Satterfield was horrible. Having this OC is going to be able to improve things enough that they could pick up the Iowa win, that they could pick up the Illinois win earlier in the season. That’s what you're banking on. It's like, how much better does he have to be? I don't know. Not that much, I don't think overall.

Jack: If you pick up two wins, you get there, you know?

Problem With The Running Back Room?. dark. Next. Problem With The Running Back Room?

Josh: Exactly. Yeah.

Jack: It's just fascinating. And look, I get it; Your poll isn't scientific. There may be issues with it, but nonetheless, somehow, we have these two simultaneous things happening where it feels like this fanbase is so sick of positivity that they just don't want to hear it anymore until they see it. Yet they're also more optimistic than they've ever been in their lives. 

Josh: How much of this Jack is just the raw optimism of Husker fandom and you and I don't really talk to these people very much? Much to your chagrin! You wish you could talk these people.

Jack: Yeah, where are these people? I don't know like where is that person? Do we have that? Well, you know what? That's the whole Ken thing is he kind of pushed back against me and he said I was I or we were wrong about our assessment that people were kind of negative and these poll results would suggest he was right.

Nebraska fans celebrate on the field after the Huskers' 44-25 win against Wisconsin on Nov. 23, 2024 in Lincoln. / Nebraska Athletics

Josh: We just don't ever hear from these people!

Jack: Who are they?

Josh: I just wonder if you know.

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Watch the entire clip below!

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Volleyball State subscriber perks. / I-80 Club

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