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Jeremiah Jones moving from wide receiver to defensive line
- Thread starter HuskrNew
- Start date
And the most important thing….coaching. Maybe Rhule found some dudes? We shall see.
In 1994 our starting DE's were Donte Jones and Dwayne Harris. Jones was 235. Harris was 225. Quickness and strength and conditioning matters. Coaching matters. Desire matters. Instincts and having a high football IQ matters.
Every time I hear comparisons to someone from a generation or two in the past I kind of roll my eyes … not at you … but at the comparison.
William “The Refrigerator “ Perry was a freak at Clemson. Today he’d be an average DT.
Perry was 330 lbs. Even today that would be a huge defensive lineman. Plus, he was considered a freak because he was so explosive and quick for a man that big.
Look at the size/weight of the average starting linemen from the 90s and compare them to today. Pretty much the same or close to it.
The differences, small as they are, are mostly due to diet, and refining workout towards that diet, so maybe 5-10 pounds
Disagree.
The 1997 OLine averaged 283lbs over the 5 starters. The 5 projected starters this year average 325lbs. That is 42lbs 15% larger.
Weight training, nutrition and development ALL are much more advanced than one generation ago.
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30 years are more than one generation. Name one high school that have training they have today they had then. And of course, that trickles back to even younger players, and of course learned practices on how to do so also applies.
This years O line is our biggest line ever, and all it takes is asking the players when all these things started in their lives.
I can remember back then and before when that big tackle from MSU played, Tony Manzerick?, it was being asked at the time how big the human frame could be and handle football, as they knew then theyd reached its limits.
It's no wonder one of are world leading components of todays football is our world class recovery program.
But I would take a preferred approach, like taking like for like, IOW, champs vs champs, where Indys O line averaged 313 pounds.
There's a reason why players skip bowl games, and many stories of here players need to make weight.
That Indy O line is typical of todays Sundays players, whereas our players are closer to Phillies heaviest line ever.
So still a 310-315 average next level.
The original 1994 Pipeline (from left to right, Rob Zatechka, Joel Wilks, Aaron Graham, Brenden Stai, and Zach Wiegert) averaged 295 pounds, but had athleticism through the roof, as did the 1995 version (Chris Dishman, Aaron Taylor, Graham, Steve Ott and Eric Anderson), which averaged a svelte 290 while punching opponents in the mouth and giving up no sacks all season. Notre Dame’s 2024 o-line averaged 305.4 pounds per man. Ohio State’s checked in at 314.4. Last season’s starting Husker o-line averaged 313.0 pounds per man, essentially the same as the 2022 Michigan national runner-up team. The difference, obviously, was athletic ability, and quality of running backs.
Tad Stryker: Remedy for Thin Margins
The “Thin Margins” narrative of Nebraska football has become the identity of the program. It’s time for a new identity. That narrative, which is undeniably true
www.si.com
I actually asked google AI this question. Here are the answers I got.
During the 1990s, the historical average weight of an NCAA Division I starting offensive lineman was approximately 290 to 300 pounds (standing roughly 6-foot-4)
The average weight for an NCAA Division 1 FBS offensive line starter in 2025 was approximately 311.4 pounds (at an average height of roughly 6 feet 4.6 inches).
So, somewhere between 11-21lbs difference, according to google AI. We can argue whether that represents a significant difference.
I think my point still stands. Jones and Harris were effective rush ends at their weight in the 90s. Randy Gregory was a very effective rush end in 2013. He was only 240lbs. It is possible that Jeremiah Jones could be an effective rush end in a 4 down linemen scheme at his weight.
