Nebraska
Big Ten Preseason Poll: Nebraska Picked in the Middle; Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon Favorites
Expectations for the Nebraska Cornhuskers are smack dab in the middle of the Big Ten Conference.
The 15th annual Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Football Poll has the Huskers picked No. 8 in the league. Just ahead of the Big Red are Michigan (5), Indiana (6), and Iowa (7).
Penn State is the preseason favorite, garnering 11 of the 25 first-place votes. Ohio State is second after picking up 10 first-place votes. Oregon is third with a pair of first-place votes. Illinois rounds out the top four.
The full preseason ranking is below.
- Penn State (11)
- Ohio State (10)
- Oregon (2)
- Illinois
- Michigan (1)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- USC
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Rutgers
- UCLA
- Maryland
- Northwestern
- Purdue
Penn State is the fifth different team to be picked as the Big Ten favorite since the poll began, joining Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Ohio State. This is the first time the Buckeyes or Wolverines are not the preseason favorite since 2014.
Cleveland.com also announced preseason coach, defensive player, and offensive player of the year honors.
Penn State’s James Franklin edged out Illinois’ Bret Bielema by a single vote for preseason Big Ten Coach of the Year. Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Michigan’s Sherrone Moore, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning also received votes.
Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is the preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He received 21 of the 25 first-place votes, running away with the poll. Other players to earn first-place votes include Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara, Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
Ohio State made it a sweep of the player awards with Jeremiah Smith picked as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Smith was awarded 24 first-place votes, with the only other such vote going to Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
No Huskers received votes for either offensive or defensive player of the year.
Big Ten Media Days kick off this week in Las Vegas. All 18 teams will be featured, beginning Tuesday.
Media Days Central. Media Days Central. dark. Next
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Nebraska
Nebraska Game and Parks 250-mile challenge offers prizes for getting outdoors
Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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Nebraska
OSU Softball: Cowgirls’ Super Regional Opener Against Nebraska Postponed for Weather
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Nebraska
Nebraska lands Georgia OL KD Jones for 2027 class
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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