Nebraska offensive coordinator Matt Lubick didn't exactly pour cold water on the notion that the Huskers have two quarterbacks in a close competition for the starting job.
During a Zoom session with reporters Thursday, Lubick said junior Adrian Martinez and redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey are both playing at a "very, very high level."
"They both can win for us," Lubick said. "They're both moving the ball. That's going to be a decision between coach (Scott) Frost, Mario (Verduzco) and myself. It's going to come up very soon."
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He said the evaluation is ongoing as Nebraska's opener Oct. 24 at Ohio State approaches.
His comments come on the heels of Frost telling reporters Tuesday that there's no clear pecking order atop the quarterback depth chart.
"The fact it's a hard decision is a good situation," Lubick said.
Martinez has a 9-12 record as the starter the past two seasons, while McCaffrey played in three games last season.
Junior wide receiver Kade Warner said he has continued to see both make plays outside the pocket — they’re both very good athletes — but that maybe the biggest strides have come elsewhere.
“The biggest thing this year they’ve progressed on is being able to stay in the pocket and make those throws that are difficult throws, but they’re making them now,” Warner said. “I think that leap forward has been great to see, especially as a guy catching those footballs it’s been great to see. … Adrian has done a great job increasing his deep ball accuracy as well as being able to play all three levels of the passing game. Luke’s done a great job coming in here and competing, pushing Adrian every single day and saying, ‘Hey, I’m coming. I’m coming and you better keep working.’
“That 1-2 punch that they both have is a great dynamic for our football team. It gives defenses a ton of different good looks, and that’s awesome to see. They can both bring something to the table.”
Sophomore receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who arrived on campus at the same time as McCaffrey in January 2019, said he's seen significant growth in his classmate's game.
"It's just a testament to how much work Luke's put in," Robinson said. "During the offseason, I'm sure he was with his brothers, working. I know he was watching film, doing everything he can just to become a complete quarterback.
"That was something he felt like he needed to probably step up in was the passing game, which, in our scrimmages and just in practice, you can tell he's taken 10 steps in that phase of the game. He's looked really, really good all throughout practices."
10 Huskers to watch this season
Wan'Dale Robinson
As a freshman, Robinson flashed his electrifying playmaking ability and topped 1,000 all-purpose yards. As a sophomore, he’s hoping he’s behind nagging hamstring issues and projects to have a huge role in the Husker offense.
Robinson has been used in a variety of ways on the football field and he’s also quickly become a staple off of it, too. He spoke at NU’s announcement of its $155 million football facility project last fall, he’s featured in a recruiting video recently produced by the school, and he’s regularly brought up by recruits considering Nebraska. He’s already a face of the program.
Luke McCaffrey
McCaffrey might not be in line to start at quarterback, but many are excited to see just how head coach Scott Frost and company decide to use him. Package player? Spot duty? One thing that’s clear: McCaffrey is an explosive player and NU needs as many of those as possible.
McCaffrey, remember, didn’t play quarterback full time until his senior year of high school, which only adds to the intrigue considering now he has additional months to add strength and also to further immerse himself into quarterback play.
Ty Robinson
The big man from Arizona opened eyes with the way he held up against Wisconsin last fall and now hopes to be a full-time player. At 6-foot-6 and about 325 pounds, Robinson might be the most promising young defensive lineman the Huskers have had in years.
Ideally, Robinson would be a defensive end who can rush the passer and also be stout at the point of attack. The Huskers think he has the versatility, though, to play up and down the line as needed.
Omar Manning
NU lacked perimeter playmakers in 2019 and had no physically imposing receivers. Manning is being counted on to solve both problems at 6-4 and 225 pounds. Husker fans have watched his dominating junior college film and wonder what might be in store in Lincoln. Manning will be interesting to watch because it may not take much for him to put himself back on NFL radar screens. Any type of late fall or winter season might be as important for Manning as for any player on the NU roster.
Cam Taylor-Britt
The secondary’s Swiss Army knife played multiple positions as a sophomore and dealt with injuries, leading to some uneven play. He also made a lot of big plays, though, including a pick-six against Iowa. He’ll be among the defense’s leaders and could be a big, physical corner for Travis Fisher this fall. Taylor-Britt has plenty of competition, including the newest addition to the secondary in juco transfer Nadab Joseph. One of the things the staff likes about Taylor-Britt, though, is he never seems to shy away from a challenge.
Cameron Jurgens
Jurgens took his lumps as a redshirt freshman when he was thrown into the fire as Nebraska’s starting center and struggled with the first step of the position: snapping the ball. The Beatrice native, though, settled in as the season went along and ended up showing signs of why the coaching staff is so high on his prospects by the time the season ended. Another year will do him good across the board. He’s bigger and stronger, he’s been healthy for an extended period of time now and he’s got a better understanding of the offense and his extensive responsibilities in the middle of the offensive line. Greg Austin calls it “command presence.” Jurgens has that now, along with a lot of snaps under his belt.
Travis Vokolek
Like many of these entries, there are multiple players who could qualify here. At tight end, Vokolek will draw eyes because he’s the newcomer in the room. The Rutgers transfer sat out the 2019 season because of NCAA transfer rules but drew rave reviews from pretty much everybody that saw him work on the scout team. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, the Missouri native fits the bill in Sean Beckton’s physically imposing position group. The Huskers have had periods of quality play from Jack Stoll, Austin Allen and Kurt Rafdal over the past two years, but nobody has truly emerged as a dangerous weapon in the pass game. Maybe Vokolek will, or perhaps it will be somebody else in the room.
Deontai Williams
Nebraska thought Williams was in for a big season in 2019 before he suffered a season-ending injury less than one quarter into the first game of the season. Williams, though, is healthy now, and head coach Scott Frost and secondary coach Travis Fisher have consistently expressed excitement about what his future holds. Williams was a part-time player in 2018 and made some big plays despite being in the midst of learning NU’s defense. He’s had a long road from being an SEC recruit out of high school, through the junior college ranks and now into his third season already with the Huskers. Can he prove himself to be ready for the next level?
Caleb Tannor
Tannor is part of Frost’s first recruiting class at Nebraska and already is going into his third year in the program. He’s played a lot over his first two seasons but still hasn’t shown the ability to be an every-down Big Ten outside linebacker. Fans and coaches have seen the flashes from Tannor, though. He’s got a new position coach this year in Mike Dawson, who oversaw the NU defensive line in 2018 before spending 2019 with the New York Giants. Will it click for Tannor? At 6-2 and 220 pounds, he’s not perhaps going to be a true run-stuffer, but if he can hold up at the point of attack and get to the quarterback, he would be a major upgrade at the position for the Huskers.
Adrian Martinez
You didn’t think we were going to make it through the whole list without the starting quarterback, did you?
Martinez didn’t play as well as he would have liked in 2019; his completion percentage backtracked to less than 60% and he turned the ball over too often. Martinez, though, is still in prime position to be the Huskers’ starting quarterback for a third straight season.
The Fresno, California, native has shown the ability to make explosive plays through the air and with his legs, especially when he’s healthy. He needs to be more accurate and more decisive in the passing game, but if he takes those steps as a junior — and has more talent around him along with a veteran offensive line — the chance for a big jump forward is there.
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