Huskies Seeking Nebraska Defensive Tackle, Make Offer
Still seeking to bolster an undersized defensive front, the University of Washington has offered a scholarship to former Nebraska down lineman Casey Rogers, the Cornhusker player confirmed in a Thursday posting on social media.
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Rogers, who has one season of eligibility remaining, surprised the Nebraska when he submitted his name to the portal the day before. He was projected to be a starter this coming season.
Almost immediately, Arkansas and the UW reached out to the New York native with offers.
The Huskies recently signed another Nebraska transfer, redshirt freshman running back/receiver Will Nixon, to a letter of intent and he will report in the fall.
The UW returns junior starter Tuli Letuligasenoa and has promising redshirt freshmen in Kuao Peihopa and Voi Tunuufi competing for jobs, but is still trying to upgrade its defensive line after giving up 193 yards rushing per game last fall.
"This spring it'll be mixing and matching to see who can make plays, and the strength of each person," said Inoke Breckterfield, the new Husky defensive-line coach, who added, "We are what we are and we've go to play to our strength."
Rogers, however, has a little mileage on him and no warranty. He missed the first five games this past season with a knee injury suffered in preseason camp and aggravated that same knee near the end against Iowa.
This caused Rogers recently to miss spring ball. Yet all indications in Lincoln were that he would be healthy and ready to resume as a starter in the fall for a defensive line that badly needed him because it was short on depth.
Rogers, 23, has played in 19 games for the Cornhuskers, four games in 2019 season as a redshirt freshman, eight during the shortened 2020 campaign and seven last fall.
He has 42 career tackles, including 6 for lost yards and 1.5 sacks, with 17 tackles coming this past fall.
Casey Rogers tackles an Ohio State runner.
Barbara J. Perenic/USA TODAY Sports
Rogers was a standout high school lacrosse player in Syracuse and committed to play the sport at Nebraska. However, he had a change of heart, opted for football and spent a year at a prep school.
West Virginia and Western Michigan tried to sign him before he eventually wound up at Nebraska as originally planned, just in a different sport.
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