Nebraska
Donovan Jones Urges Huskers to use Bowl Prep to Set the Tone for Nebraska’s Future
Nebraska football has entered a three-week runway of bowl preparation, and for one of the youngest rosters in the country, it’s a critical window for growth.
Every rep matters, and this month offers the team a chance to reset and respond after a discouraging close to the regular season.
For redshirt freshman cornerback Donovan Jones, it’s a second go-around with bowl prep, but the stakes feel different now. A year removed from using this same stretch to make his own jump, Jones enters December 2025 with starting experience and a much deeper understanding of what these practices can mean for younger players. Meeting with the media earlier this week, he broke down the progress he’s made in his expanded role and outlined what still needs to improve heading into 2026.
With that in mind, here’s everything the up-and-coming cornerback had to say during his time at the mic.
For Jones, bowl preparation has already proven to be more than just extra practice time. After redshirting in 2024, the weeks between the regular season and the bowl game became a turning point in his development, offering a volume of reps that simply weren’t available once the season was underway. With a single game to prepare for and a sharper focus on individual growth, that stretch provided Jones a runway to refine his skills and build confidence across multiple roles in the secondary.
“I’ve told a couple of the younger corners, I was playing both safety and corner during the bowl prep, just getting a whole bunch of reps. And that’s where I made my little jump. And then obviously when I got put in the bowl game, it showed,” Jones said. The versatility he gained during that stretch allowed him to transition more comfortably when his number was called. And 12 months later, Jones has already started 10 games in his collegiate career.
Now, on the other side of that experience, the Omaha native understands the value of the process better than most. Rather than viewing bowl prep as additional work, he sees it as an extension of the season itself and one that younger players can take advantage of, if willing. With a starting role already secured this fall, Jones is approaching this go-around with purpose, hoping the same formula that sparked his initial jump can serve as a springboard towards even more growth in 2026.
While looking forward to his team’s next test, Jones didn’t shy away from addressing Nebraska’s late-season struggles, pointing directly to a lack of physicality as the defining issue in the losses to Penn State and Iowa. For the Huskers, the breakdown wasn’t necessarily schematic. The soon-to-be sophomore said it was about tone. When Nebraska failed to control the line of scrimmage, the results quickly followed.
“We were just getting beat physically. That’s just not how we can be at Nebraska,” Jones said. “We need to be the one beating on people. We need to be the most violent team in the country. We didn’t do that those last two games, and it showed.” The blunt assessment reflects a growing maturity within the underclassmen and a player learning what the standard must look like on a weekly basis.
That mindset has carried into bowl preparation, where physicality has become a focal point rather than an afterthought. From Jones’ words, practices have emphasized a sustained effort from everyone on the field. For a defense trying to find its identity under new leadership, the lessons from November now serve as fuel, reinforcing what Nebraska must become if it expects to take the next step in 2026.
As Nebraska prepares to face Utah, Jones views the bowl game as a measuring stick for how much the team will grow over the next month. With a physical opponent on deck and a national stage awaiting in Las Vegas, the opportunity to respond comes now. For the Blackshirts able to return next fall, it’s a chance to apply the lessons learned late in the season and show tangible growth before turning the page.
For Jones specifically, bowl prep represents another milestone in his development. A year ago, extra reps helped kickstart his rise. Now, with a full season of starting experience behind him, he’s entering this stretch with clearer expectations of what it takes to play at a high level in the Big Ten. The focus is no longer on earning opportunities, but maximizing them.
That progression mirrors Nebraska’s trajectory as a program. With a young roster, new leadership across the staff, and an offseason ahead filled with competition, moments like these carry added weight. How the Huskers finish will help shape the foundation for 2026. And for players like Jones, the bowl game serves as both a test and a preview of what’s to come.
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Nebraska
Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari wanted in Lincoln, accused of assaulting pregnant woman
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari is wanted in Lancaster County on suspicion of assaulting a pregnant woman in May.
An arrest warrant was filed for Ferrari on Thursday. He faces three felony charges which include first-degree false imprisonment and assault by strangling a pregnant woman.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman from California contacted police in Lincoln on May 8 just after midnight. She told officers her daughter called for help and pointed them to Ferrari’s apartment.
Police arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. A pregnant woman came out after several minutes of knocking with no answer. Officers said the woman was visibly upset.
She told officers that Ferrari tried taking her phone away after an argument, but she wouldn’t let him take it. The arrest affidavit shows Ferrari then dragged her off a bed by her feet.
Police think Ferrari then got on top of her and strangled her, likely until she was unconscious. The woman told police that she felt as though her throat “collapsed” and that she was “breathing through a straw.”
Once regaining consciousness, police said the woman tried hiding in a closet and contacting her mother on another device. But Ferrari followed her, pushed her onto a bed and sat on her until she apologized, according to the affidavit.
She apologized in order to be released, police said. The woman then tried to leave the apartment, but police said Ferrari dragged her by the arm back inside. She found her phone and contacted her mother, yelling “help!”, prosecutors wrote.
Ferrari grabbed the phone and hung up, according to the affidavit. The woman’s mother tried calling several more times before calling police.
Authorities transported the woman to Bryan West for treatment. Officers said she sustained injuries consistent with strangulation, including bruising around her neck and other abrasions.
Last weekend, Ferrari was arrested in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police. He was cited after a trooper chased a Corvette in the North Platte area.
Lincoln County authorities told KOLN that Ferrari is out on bond. His current whereabouts are unclear.
Court records show that the woman has filed for a protection order against Ferrari. A hearing has been set for July 7 to give him an opportunity to show the court why one should not be issued.
Previously, Ferrari was booked in Lancaster County, Nebraska for an outstanding warrant in January of this year, but those charges were dismissed later that week.
Ferrari parted ways with the Huskers in April of this year.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
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