Quick hits from Corey Campbell, Rob Dvoracek and Donovan Raiola

It was a day of speeches on the sixth floor of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Wednesday.

Three members Matt Rhulen’s first staff at Lincoln’s strength and conditioning coach Corey Campbelland linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola met the local media for the first time in 2023.

Both Campbell and Dvoracek are new to the program, having followed Rhule from the Carolina Panthers. Campbell was the Panthers’ assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2021-22 and was also with Rhule at Baylor. Dvoracek served as an assistant coach in 2021 and defensive back in 2022 at Carolina.

Raiola is not a new face. He was the only assistant Rhule retained from Scott Frost’s staff.

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Here are the quick hits for the podium:

>> The players have responded well to Campbell’s new ways of doing things. He said the players have been “willing to coach.”

>> Campbell wants his players to be “one percent better every day.” Attention to detail and effort are huge pillars Campbell looks for in his weight room.

>> Campbell is a former football player at Georgia who remembers his work in the weight room as a tool that helped him do what many didn’t think he could do to make the team. That’s why he is passionate about being a strength and conditioning coach.

>> Campbell said if he doesn’t have buy-in from the players, they won’t follow through or believe the tough things he’s asking of them. That’s why it’s important to build relationships with players.

>> How has the strength and conditioning field changed while he was a player? Tons, Campbell said. The progress made in the field has been great. When he played, he didn’t have equipment like the Catapult, which tracks how much work the body is doing.

>> campbell doesn’t take credit for the idea of ​​having the team practice in the snow, which happened recently. But he wanted to do it.

>> Campbell said Matt Hobbs, assistant director of Football Strength & Conditioning, has a keen eye for improving player movement and helping injured athletes rehabilitate and return to the field as soon as possible.

>> Football is a violent game and requires tough demands, Campbell said. This is why Rhule is very interested in athlete recovery and the different ways in which it is achieved. Campbell said Rhule always brings new ideas he sees and hears and asks if it will work for Campbell and his program.

>> Is it easy to spot leaders when you watch players go through his drills? “Leadership is a process,” Campbell said. He will be able to identify the real leaders of the team only later.

>> What were his first conversations with Rhule like? Raiola said he was grateful for the opportunity and liked the conversations he had with Rhule about the O-line philosophy.

>> A couple of years ago the Chicago Bears O-line coach was let go. Raiola was an assistant on the line, and that period of life helped him go through staying.

>> Ben Scott is a potential starter at center. The transfer from Arizona State “has a lot of experience playing at a high level.” Ethan Piper and Turner Corcoran there were others who could participate in the middle if necessary.

>> As the year went on, the O-line got better with every game, Raiola said. “As you watched the season go by, they got better and better and better.”

>> Raiola believes the fact that this is his second season at Nebraska will continue to help “They hear the same voice.”

>> What do the four O-line commitments in the position have in common? “Sense,” Raiola said. “Watch the film and you’ll see how hard they play.”

>> Nouredin Nouili has been ruled out of the 2022 season due to a failed drug test. Nouili ​​is now back and Raiola is “excited to see the improvement”.

>> with Teddy Prochazka in the spring, as he rehabs last year’s season-ending injury, who will Raiola look for at left tackle? – We are currently working on it, the coach said.

>> Prochazka has been at every meeting and is engaged when he is injured. “Teddy is one of the best teammates I’ve seen,” Raiola said.

>> What has Raiola learned from recruiting transfer portals? Raiola kept his answer short and sweet: “Do a lot of research.”

>> What made Dvoracek want to come to Nebraska? First, he has a great relationship with Rhule. He also loves Nebraska traditions.

>> Dvoracek suffered a career-ending injury in his final game of his sophomore year at Temple. Rhule suggested coaching while at Temple, and that’s how his career began.

>> Dvoracek has had some great conversations Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich. Right now, the goal is to build relationships with the players. The football discussion will come later.

>> How would Dvoracek describe it Tony Whitedefense? “Chaos,” he said. Defense can look many different ways, he said.

>> What did Dvoracek do with his time in the NFL? Everyone was willing to listen and learn, he said. It’s not always what it seems, because everyone is a high-paid prima donna.