2014 Seniors Continue Strong Graduation Rate

Randy York’s N-Sider

Schools that graduate every senior before they play their final bowl game would be headline news most anywhere else. Not at Nebraska, where seventh-year head coach Bo Pelini has made a college diploma the holy grail of the entire academic/athletic/life-enriching college experience. Nebraska’s 2014 senior class is reflective of the academic commitment of Pelini’s previous senior classes. Among Pelini’s first six senior classes, 122 of the 132 players have earned their degrees. That number is expected to improve to 136 of 146 following the 2014-15 school year.

Nebraska boasts 14 seniors this season and four have already earned their degrees. Nine more Huskers are set to graduate next month, meaning each of Nebraska’s 13 seniors on the active roster will have their degree before NU plays in a bowl game. The 14th and final member of the 2014 senior class is Tyler Evans, a wide receiver from Waverly, Neb., who was forced to give up football due to injuries. Despite not being on the active roster, Evans will make it 14-for-14 as he is set to graduate in May with an impressive dual degree in psychology and biological sciences.

Ameer Abdullah connects with Husker basketball fans after Nebraska beat SEC power Georgia in 2014 Gator Bowl.

Abdullah Exemplifies Ultimate Priority: Academics

Ameer Abdullah, the 2014 Heisman Trophy candidate, best exemplifies the priority to put sheepskin ahead of NFL dreams, and four of his fellow captains were among those who kept their eyes focused on credit hours instead of career stats. Think about Abdullah’s remarkable frame of academic reference en route to his becoming Nebraska’s all-time leader in all-purpose yardage. With eight older siblings in his Alabama household having earned their own college degrees, Abdullah was not about to break that important link in the family chain. The I-back majoring in history will receive his degree in December, joining fellow captains Kenny Bell, a wide receiver majoring in ethnic studies and cornerback Josh Mitchell, majoring in communication studies. All three will participate in the same commencement inside Pinnacle Bank Arena next month. Nebraska’s other two senior captains have already graduated – safety Corey Cooper (ethnic studies) last May and offensive guard Jake Cotton (history) last August.

Leadership can be an inspiring experience, and Nebraska’s group of five senior captains is tight enough to be a case study to measure the value of sharing a vision and holding each other accountable for pursuing that vision. The bottom line would have something to do with teammates becoming the collective mindset. That’s what happens when five senior leaders converge in Lincoln from five states – Alabama, Colorado, California, Illinois and Nebraska. Abdullah lived in suburban Birmingham, Ala., and combined his athleticism with a relentless spirit in the weight room, enabling him to emerge as a stronger, faster, hungrier running back on a team of high-level recruits.

Colorado native Kenny Bell, son of a former Denver Bronco player, rewrote Johnny Rodgers' major receiving records.

Bell: NU’s All-Time Leader in Receptions, Yards

Bell was a Nebraska Scout Team MVP as a true freshman. He used his year on the scout team as motivation to become a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore. This fall, he became Nebraska’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. He has also pushed himself to be one of the Big Ten’s premier perimeter blockers.

Illinois native Corey Cooper (6) and California native Josh Mitchell (5) took different paths to become 2014 captains.

Mitchell, Cooper: Different Paths to Captains

A California native, Mitchell was one of the longest shots ever to make captain at Nebraska because, quite frankly, he arrived in Lincoln with a certain swag that did not endear him to a certain coach who happens to have a two-letter first name. Mitchell reshaped his attitude, rewired his mind and reinvented himself after he was left off the travel squad for a bowl game. He matured, developed and got better, trading in his bad karma to become “a real leader in our program and a real bell cow in how we do things,” Pelini said. If and when Nebraska adds a new category called Best Extreme Makeover at its postseason awards banquet, Mitchell wins.

Illinois native Cooper strikes a balance in his strengths, earning academic All-Big Ten honors as a redshirt freshman and first-team All-Big Ten as a junior. He was one of only four defenders to start 13 games. Cooper was the Huskers’ leading tackler last year with 91. A Chicago Tribune first-team all-state player in high school, he is a product that has lived up to the promotion.

One of four NU seniors who already has earned his diploma, offensive guard/captain Jake Cotton can lighten up, too.

Cotton Pulled an April Fools Prank on Bo

Nebraska native Jake Cotton is a voice of reason and constant encouragement as a captain. His dad, Barney, is a Husker coach. His older brother, Ben, was a starting tight end. His younger brother, Sam, is a tight end and a fan favorite among big screen HuskerVision watchers. Jake loves blocking for Ameer, his humble fellow senior captain. Last week, in an interview with the Big Ten Network, Jake told a story about an April Fools joke he pulled off on his dad’s boss four years ago. A high school senior making a cross-town visit to Nebraska’s campus, Jake told Bo he didn’t want the pressure to play on the same team that his dad coached and his brother played. When Pelini asked what other schools had that Nebraska didn’t, Jake told him the other coaches weren’t as gullible. A perplexed Pelini had a “weird look” so Jake delivered the punch line: “April Fools!” he said. “Bo took it in stride, but said he would find some sort of payback."

Linebacker Zaire Anderson, who earned his diploma last August in child, youth and family studies, has made the most of his experience after two stellar seasons at Riverside (Calif.) Community College. A Philadelphia native, Anderson became the first Pennsylvania native to sign a letter of intent with Nebraska since 1999. Despite missing the 2012 season with a medical hardship (knee), Anderson has been a productive performer who finds time to volunteer with hospital visits and other outreach events that inspire kids. Long snapper Paul Kelly is the fourth Husker playing this season as a graduate. Kelly earned his degree from Miami before transferring to Nebraska in late August to play his senior season as a Husker.

Walk-on linebacker starter Trevor Roach received Life Skills' Hero's Award from Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst.

In-State Walk-Ons Finish Dream; Turner Eyes 2015

Nine of the Huskers’ 14 seniors will graduate in December. One is starting offensive guard Mike Moudy, an English major who entertained offers from Stanford, Kansas State and Kansas. When Husker All-America right guard Spencer Long suffered a season-ending injury in 2013, Moudy was Long’s replacement, and he has kept that job. Two more December UNL graduates are walk-ons who became starters in their final season at Nebraska - center Mark Pelini (mathematics/history) and linebacker Trevor Roach (finance/management). A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Pelini is the head coach’s nephew. Roach’s resume is impressive, but injuries have kept him on the sidelines, including the entire 2013 season. Now that he’s healthy, Roach ranks fourth on the team in tackles.

Nebraska has three more seniors who will graduate in December – cornerback/special teams contributor Joey Felici, a second-generation walk-on majoring in business administration/management from Omaha, Neb.; Derek Foster, a walk-on cornerback from Elm Creek, Neb., majoring in nutrition, exercise and health science; and Austin Williams, a walk-on linebacker from Omaha majoring in finance. All three are in-state walk-ons who are fulfilling a childhood dream by playing for the Huskers, and will play in the bowl game as graduates. Jamal Turner, a wide receiver from Arlington, Texas, was a member of the 2014 senior class and will return next season after earning a medical hardship this fall.

2014 Seniors to be Honored Saturday

No.	Name	Pos.	Hometown
8	Ameer Abdullah	IB	Homewood, Ala.
13	Zaire Anderson *	LB	Philadelphia, Pa.
80	Kenny Bell	WR	Boulder, Colo.
6	Corey Cooper *	S	Maywood, Ill.
68	Jake Cotton *	OL	Lincoln, Neb.
88	Tyler Evans	WR	Waverly, Neb.
31	Joey Felici	CB	Omaha, Neb.
30	Derek Foster	CB	Elm Creek, Neb.
61	Paul Kelly *	LS	Davie, Fla.
5	Josh Mitchell	CB	Corona, Calif.
74	Mike Moudy	OL	Castle Rock, Colo.
56	Mark Pelini	C	Youngstown, Ohio
43	Trevor Roach	LB	Elkhorn, Neb.
24	Austin Williams	LB	Omaha, Neb.

*student-athlete has already earned his degree

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