Spring Notes: McQuitty Grateful After Injury

Jaevon McQuitty says that not only is he 100 percent healthy after recovering from a torn ACL in August, he’s also a better person for having persevered through the ordeal.

Not that he’d do it again, mind you.

“It was the worst thing I ever did in my life,” said McQuitty, a redshirted freshman receiver on the Nebraska football team. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. I really wouldn’t. It’s the worst thing.”

Yet, in a sense, he’s grateful.

“It made me grow as a person,” McQuitty said. “I see everything different in my life. I’m kind of happy I got hurt, because I see a lot of things differently.”

He thanked his teammates, roommates and coaches for their words of encouragement and for pushing him through the difficult recovery.

Now, the 6-foot, 195-pound McQuitty is hoping it all pays off on the football field in a new offensive system.

“The offense just frees a lot of guys up,” he said. “A lot of guys can make plays, and it puts people in the right position to do the right things.”

McQuitty works primarily on the outside but also will lineup as a slot receiver.

“It’s really not that hard,” he said, “because once you learn one (position), learning more is easier.”

A native of Columbia, Missouri, McQuitty finished his high school career with 147 catches for 2,649 yards and 31 touchdowns. He came to Lincoln ranked among the top two overall recruits in the state, according to ESPN and 247Sports.com.

Nebraska coach Scott Frost said after Tuesday morning’s practice that McQuitty has “really turned a corner” over the last couple of practices.

“Watching him, he’s starting to get it, starting to understand, starting to play with some pace and detail his work,” Frost said. “I’ve seen more plays out of him that last couple of days so I am excited about his development.”

McQuitty hasn’t played in nearly two years, so he’s especially eager to get on the field Saturday for the Red-White Spring Game, where his mother, father and grandmother will watch him in person.

“I feel amazing,” McQuitty said. “I’ve been feeling good for a while now.”

 

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He’s not interested in discussing what or how previous Nebraska coaches taught tackling.

All linebacker Mohamed Barry knows is he likes the simplistic approach of the current coaching staff.

“Just shoot your shot,” Barry said. “We can’t do all that … we can’t dance with them, man. We just gotta go. Go, accelerate through the tackle and make it.”

Barry compared it to high school. Don’t worry about missing. If you do, a teammate will be there to clean up.

“If you want to do that hot juke, you’re going to get knocked out,” Barry said. “You just have to go after him and don’t slow down.”

The 6-1, 220-pound Barry (pictured above) said he’s loving his gains in the weight room, too. His maximum bench press has increased from 315 pounds to 365 pounds.

 “It feels great, honestly,” Barry said. “I just feel like I’m getting stronger. The main thing for me now is keep what I have in the spring, and when summer workouts come, you can get better, stronger; get to a 400 bench. That’s my goal.”

 

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Fans will finally get to see the newcomers in person on Saturday and make their own judgments, but for now, incumbant teammates can help fill everyone in on who’s been turning heads in practice.

For Barry, running back Greg Bell, a junior college transfer, is one such player.

“He can make multiple moves and he has a third gear,” Barry said. “He’s a fast dude, and we’ve been missing that.”

Bell (pictured above) ran for 2,404 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry over his two seasons at Arizona Western Community College.

As for the quarterbacks, Barry said redshirted freshman Tristan Gebbia has been making good throws, as one would expect from a quarterback recruited for a pro-style offense. But Barry has been equally impressed with Gebbia’s running ability.

Of course, Gebbia has the benefit of wearing a green, no-contact jersey, too.

“I make fun of him, ‘The first time you get hit in college football, you’re going to feel that, though,’ ” Barry said. 

He described true freshman Adrian Martinez, recruited by the new staff, as a hard competitor.

“He’s not acting like a freshman,” Barry said. “Even now, this week, he knocked off the rust and you can see he’s really balling right now.” 

 

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Defensive backs coach Travis Fisher likes the versatility of sophomore Dicaprio Bootle. Primarily a cornerback, Bootle can also move inside as a nickel and even saw some repetitions at safety on Saturday.  

“He tackles very well for a corner,” Fisher said. “He’s pretty smart. We’ve thrown a lot at those guys in the secondary.”

Bootle is one of the leaders on the back end, Fisher said, “but we’ve got to get him playing faster … getting him to have the attitude of no fear, no failure, and get him moving.”

Fisher said sophomore Lamar Jackson (pictured above) is the most improved player of the entire secondary. He also noted Tony Butler is playing cornerback and that safeties Deontai Williams and Aaron Williams have recently seen some snaps at cornerback.

Something still on the work list for the secondary, Fisher said, is the ability to create more turnovers.

“We get our share of PBUs, but PBUs don’t win ball games,” Fisher said, referring to pass breakups. “We need turnovers. We need picks.”

 

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Sophomore running back Jaylin Bradley seriously considered playing at Central Florida because the Knights ran a no-huddle offense very similar to what Bradley played at Bellevue West High School.  He spoke with Scott Frost in December of his senior season of high school and received a visit from quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco.

“They were really up there as one of my top picks,” Bradley said.

Needless to say, Bradley (pictured above) was all smiles when he learned Frost would be his new coach at Nebraska. In fact, had he chosen UCF to begin with, Bradley said he’d have transferred and followed Frost to Lincoln.

“It was all in God’s plan," he said.

Bradley said his biggest issue after Frost’s arrival was getting back in shape to run a no-huddle system in which he excelled as a player.

It’s almost identical to what he played in high school; except now, Bradley also lines up in the ‘Duck-R’ spot to run routes.

“He’s a longer, bigger kid,” Nebraska running backs coach Ryan Held said of Bradley. “He’s got good hands. He’s picking it up. He’s engaged. He’s fluid, he’s smooth. I think Jaylin has a bright future. I like where he’s at, to be honest with you.”

Bradley said he likes catching the football and running routes because it puts him one-on-one with defenders and allows him to be shifty, which he feels is one of his strengths.

“I like this offense a lot better than last year’s,” he said.

Bradley has noticed physical changes, especially with his speed, a part of his game he asked new strength and conditioning coach Zach Duval to specifically help him improve. By the third practice of spring ball, he could tell he was faster.

“I feel like I’m pulling away from people a lot more,” Bradley said.

 

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After every practice, Frost huddles the team and offers his personal thoughts on what he’d just seen, with a blend of constructive criticism and helpful praise – some more than the other, depending on the day.

Almost always, Frost’s short speech stresses team togetherness. Tuesday, he again repeated one of his favorite phrases – take care of your brother to your left and your brother to your right at all times, on the field and off the field.

Always support your teammate. Always.

Held reiterates that standard with his running backs, too.

“I want a group that’s unselfish, so if a running back scores a touchdown, they’re the first guys down there celebrating when he comes off the field,” Held said. “We’re not over there, ‘Oh, wow, he scored a touchdown and I’m not going to get one.’ I don’t want that in my room.”

Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.