Justin Evans anchoring a Husker offensive line full of new swagger

CHICAGO — After 31 career starts with the Huskers, the veteran center is approaching his senior season as a general for the big boys up front, and looks as comfortable as ever.

There are plenty of reasons why Justin Evans is feeling confident about this year’s offensive line. After all, the group is under the direction of Geep Wade, and Evans is enjoying fall camp with three new teammates that bring experience, production and leadership to the room.

Although Evans, and Elijah Pritchett are the only returning starters from last year’s squad, Brendan Black, Paul Mubenga and Tree Babalade are veterans too. Black started 30 games at guard over the past three seasons with Iowa State. Mubenga started 11 games at guard over the past two seasons with LSU. Not to mention Babalade started 15 games at tackle over the past three years with South Carolina.

Evans finds it encouraging that they’re all eager to learn the system, and bring back the standard.

“Throughout this offseason we have put in a ton of work in the weight room, just becoming a bigger, faster and smarter unit,” Evans said. “Understanding what it takes to win, and it’s going to come from us at the end of the day.”

Everything starts up front, and Evans considers himself the quarterback of the offensive line. He understands there’s a ton of responsibility that comes with playing center, and his coaches trust him enough to lead by example.

“As a center you have to be smart, expect what’s coming , and at the end of the day the guards and the tackles are looking at you for the answers,” he said. “I’m smart enough to adjust a call, or even lean on the quarterback.”

As each day of practice becomes more intense, Evans makes sure that his teammates get the most out of it. They’re all working on proper hand placement, footwork and lower body strength. It’s no mystery that the Big Ten will field some of the nation’s best defensive lines this season, so the Huskers have to keep conditioning, and building depth.

However, there are challenges when new teammates are trying to gel together. Which is why Evans is being patient with the process, knowing that his teammates are going through a transition and have to adjust on the fly.

“When you bring in new guys, it’s always going to be a process, because you don’t know their personalities, playing styles and what kind of coaching they’re used to,” the New Jersey native said. “I can say the guys that we took in, they’ve been able to adapt to the program tremendously, and they’re probably the best group that I’ve been around.”

Regardless, Evans realizes they still have a long way to go in order to bring back the glory days, but the potential is there to make some serious noise this fall. Last year Nebraska tied for 112th nationally in sacks allowed, which was a testament of poor protection. The Huskers will have to have better execution to improve those numbers, and it helps that Anthony Colandrea and the other quarterbacks on the roster are more mobile than Dylan Raiola.

It all comes down to the fundamentals in the trenches to Evans, which includes a good push up front, and no penalties such as holding, false starts and face masks. It’s easier said than done though, and repetition helps the unit operate smoother. Still, Evans expects the o-line to open up holes for the running backs, give the quarterbacks enough time to throw in the pocket, execute on short-yardage situations and score touchdowns in the red zone.

Evans does his research too, and knows all about the pipeline from the 1990’s, and the Huskers having multiple Outland Trophy winners throughout the years. So if he can help bring back of glimpse of that success in his final year in the scarlet and cream, the 2026 season should be a treat for all parties involved.

“Just to leave a legacy behind of helping Nebraska turn the program around is a win for me.”