Exit interview: Greg Austin, Nebraskas former offensive line coach, talks Huskers linemen and wha

June 24, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. — It’s been a month, and getting fired from Nebraska doesn’t feel much better for Greg Austin, the Huskers’ former offensive line coach let go among four assistant coaches on Nov. 8. The moves were made in tandem with the decision to retain coach Scott Frost and restructure his contract for 2022.

“I sit back and think what I could have done better,” Austin said.

A lineman himself at Nebraska from 2003 to 2006, Austin, 37, maintains his love for the school.

“The one thing I’m not going to do is look at the people that were able to stay and wish that things didn’t work out,” he said this week. “I’m a Husker. That’s who I am. Ever since I got here in 2003, I’ve wanted Nebraska to win every game.”

Austin said he was “as hurt as anybody else in the state” to watch the Huskers lose against Wisconsin and Iowa to finish 3-9, the worst record in a season at Nebraska since 1957.

He believes in the players that he helped recruit and coach over the past four years. Austin, who came with Frost from UCF in 2017, was promoted to run game coordinator before the 2020 season. He earned $500,000 in 2021 and remains under contract until Dec. 31, 2022.

In the first extended interview conducted by one of the assistants fired last month, Austin declined to comment on current affairs at Nebraska. Frost continues the hunt for an offensive coordinator and has yet to announce hires to coach the line, quarterbacks or running backs. Mickey Joseph was added to the staff last week as associate head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Austin also declined to elaborate on issues outside of his control from his time at Nebraska or to speculate on the decisions ahead for linemen such as center Cam Jurgens, who’s considering a jump to the NFL.

Nebraska’s offensive line was maligned in 2021 for its struggles in protecting the quarterback. Adrian Martinez and Logan Smothers were sacked 29 times, a figure that ranked 10th in the Big Ten. The Huskers rushed for 180.2 yards per game, sixth in the league. Seven running backs — none of whom reached 500 rushing yards for the season — accounted for 61 percent of the rushing production.

Rahmir Jonson’s 495 yards ranked second to the QB Martinez.

Austin expressed his confidence in the offensive line at Nebraska to grow into a strong group. The Huskers used three linemen for the majority of 2021 in their first seasons as full-time starters – plus true freshman Teddy Prochazka, who entered the lineup in October at left tackle for two games before suffering a season-ending injury.

“When you’re playing young guys, you’re going to have young guy problems,” Austin said. “This was not a season when you had a whole bunch of tolerance for younger guys. And that’s what we had. That’s a fact.”

Austin commented specifically on several of the Nebraska starters.

On Turner Corcoran, the Huskers’ top signee in the 2020 class who started nine games at left tackle and two on the right side, Austin said a summer injury impacted his progress beyond just the missed practice in August.

“It really set him back,” Austin said. “It hurt in a couple ways. It hurt his ability to grow his body, particularly his lower half. And then there’s the reps that you miss and the opportunity to connect with the guy next to you and get those reps that you need as you prepare for a season.”

Frost and the next group of offensive coaches must decide if Corcoran is best positioned at tackle, or if a shift inside could suit him well. Austin described Corcoran as a “natural leader” with the instincts and football intelligence to play all five spots on the line.

“There’s not a more competitive, self-conscious, conscientious player in that room and on that roster than Turner Corcoran,” Austin said. “You talk about a guy who works his ass off, wants to get better every day. I would put his film-watching up against anybody in the building.”

Bryce Benhart, another former elite recruit, was benched midway through his third season at Nebraska. He returned to the lineup at right tackle after the Prochazka injury.

“The thing about Bryce, it’s about consistency,” Austin said. “I told him straight up, out of 10 plays, I need you to be a nine-play guy. It’s that five-play guy that we can’t have, that six-play, because now we’re leaving three to four plays out there to chance.

“You really want to see that jump next year in Bryce.”

Prochazka, in his first season, seemed to make that jump.

“Teddy is an exception,” Austin said. “He’s a damn good player. The sky’s the limit for that kid.”

Jurgens, a third-year starter, overcame snapping issues that plagued him during the two previous seasons. He consistently performed as Nebraska’s top lineman in 2021. Big Ten coaches selected him as a third-team all-conference pick.

“There were some bumps that the whole state of Nebraska had to endure,” Austin said of Jurgens. “One day, it’ll all pay off. I don’t know if it’s sooner rather than later. Kudos to him, because he trusted in the leadership here. He trusted the leadership had his best interest in mind.”

Austin said Frost deserves credit for seeing the potential as a center in Jurgens, who began his time at Nebraska in 2018 as a tight end. Jurgens’ athleticism and ability to get to the second level in blocking puts him on par with NFL centers with whom Austin has worked, he said.

“He’s a kid with a bright future and (is) still learning the position,” the coach said. “I don’t think he can make the wrong decision. For him, it’s just a matter of, ‘What do you feel like in your heart?’”

If Jurgens leaves, Nouredin Nouili could play center.

“He’s a Swiss Army knife,” Austin said.

Nouili, an exchange student from Germany who attended Norris High School near Lincoln and began his collegiate career at Colorado State, started the final seven games at left guard. He was awarded a scholarship in November, a reward for consistency that improved a great deal in his first two seasons with Huskers.

Austin also praised Ethan Piper, who lost his job at left guard in September to Trent Hixson, then Nouili, and freshman Henry Lutovsky.

“It screams to me, you’ve got the right people in the building,” Austin said. “And above and beyond anything, that’s to me what I wanted to get across. You’ve got some really good people in the building. This thing starts with good people.”

Including the fourth-year sophomore Jurgens, Matt Sichterman, who started at right guard, and fellow fifth-year junior Broc Bando, Nebraska counts 13 offensive linemen on scholarship.

The Huskers are already looking in the transfer portal for reinforcements.

As for Austin’s replacement, the wait may be over soon. Donovan Raiola, the Chicago Bears assistant offensive line coach, has emerged as the leading candidate. Raiola, 38, played at Wisconsin and is the brother of former Nebraska All-America center Dominic Raiola. He talked to Frost last week. Frost is also zeroing in on candidates for the offensive coordinator spot.

Austin plans to coach in 2022. He and his wife, Kelley, are expecting their fourth child.

“I’m excited about the future. And I’m excited about the future of Nebraska,” Austin said. “I want (the Nebraska) kids to experience success. I want those guys to come in, work their ass off and see the fruits of their labor.

“I hurt for them, because I know how much work they put in.”

(Photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kmlnbG9naXxzfJFqZmpqX2WEcLHXoqtmoZ6psrPCyJ6uZp%2BimrRurdSsq6KmXaOyo77ArKKaq12bvLO5xKtkqJ6Wmru0tdWeZKWhnpp6pLvAnJ9mrJGhuLR5x66qpJ2iqHqttc2epJ6mXZa7pXnWoZitq12jsrnAjg%3D%3D