Nebraska Football: 5 Under-the-Radar Offseason Goals the Cornhuskers Must Accomplish

As transfer portal season rages on, Matt Rhule's Nebraska football program shifts into its next transition phase. Several obvious concerns stand out like how a freshly revamped offensive line will mesh, how well Marcus Satterfield's play-calling syncs, and what players can plug into Tony White's 3-3-5 defense immediately.

Related: 5 January Transfer Portal Targets for the Cornhuskers

But winning recruiting wars and making sure everyone knows the playbook is only part of what creates a proper foundation in modern-day college football. Today, we dig deep into the weeds to examine five goals that can be set for a successful spring all the way through Kickoff 2023.

1. Expand social media presence

One of the biggest misconceptions about a Nebraska football revival is that the Cornhuskers are looking to get into the College Football Playoff immediately. That's obviously not realistic in any sense. What can be done — and is happening as we speak — is returning the Big Red to relevancy before all else.

Nebraska needs to be in the news cycle, and even more importantly, it needs to trend. Not for a scant 15 minutes, either. Feeding this beast requires a lot of fuel, which means every major platform needs a Husker presence. That includes players having their own Twitch and/or YouTube channels, for example.

Some folks who might normally turn up their noses at a live streaming platform like Twitch would at least make an account to chat while Matt Rhule takes on his pupils in a game of "Madden." Chatter among fans in the Big Red Goldfish and across the college football landscape is paramount, as that feeds into Rhule's growing spotlight.

2. Establish good nutrition

A proper diet is crucial for any athlete looking to perform their best once game day rolls around. That's even more complicated once you consider how everyone's physiology is different.

To Colorado head coach Deion Sanders's credit, his mantra of "look good to play good" applies in a few ways. For Rhule to produce a squad unarguably well-fed and mentally healthy as a result, ensuring everyone is getting in their proper amounts of protein, carbs, and fats is non-negotiable.

Nebraska athletics has taken pride in its training table for decades. And in a very garbage-in, garbage-out business, you'd best believe the Big Red will prepare only premium fuel for a soon-to-be raging furnace.

3. Learning how to hate losing more than loving to win

There was a time not especially long ago when a Nebraska loss ruined an entire state's week. The nation's pretzel exports boom with that much salt. But the past several years have everyone involved in a tired and weary state. One where losses were more or less expected. If you could count on the Big Red to do one thing well, it was figuring out how to take another heart-breaking "L."

Thanks to significant roster turnover, Rhule gets a fresh slate with incoming transfers and recruits. But players around for the Scott Frost era not only need to be coached up mentally to feel losing isn't inevitable. The thought should once again be infuriating. There are several reasons "it just means more" in the SEC. One of them is that outside of a couple of programs, not winning is the biggest sin.

If the Big Red wants to climb its way back to the top, losing must become "The L-Word" yet again.

4. Make us forget long snappers exist

Marco Ortiz, Camden Witucki, and Cameron Pieper are all fine young men. But that's the rub about being a quality long snapper. If things are going well, average fans have to consult their programs to know if the long snapper is more than a concept. In a perfect one, they're scrambling to figure out who's in at holder during PATs and field goals since the LongSnap-O-Matic 5000 has been hitting on all cylinders.

It's not a glamorous job, but it can stand between victory and the nasty salt-inducing scenario outlined above. For that reason — and this comes from a place of love — Ortiz, Witucki, Pieper get their missions early, and if all goes to plan, they're the answer to difficult trivia questions. 

Unless they're involved in some amazing trick play to beat Michigan in the final seconds. Come on, I'm not made of stone.

5. Go fishing

All work and no play makes quarterbacks want to transfer. Or something.

The point is, no matter how hard you grind at whatever it is you do, it's essential to take a moment here and there to kick back and fully enjoy life. And best for the Big Red's fate if it's done together.

The type of bonding that happens at a pool party, a day on the lake, or whatever joyful activity is decreed from on high is invaluable. And if you're going to foster a positive environment of brothers, it's never a bad idea to know what the next person's favorite cool beverage is on a hot summer day.

— Written by Brandon Cavanaugh, part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Be sure to follow him on Twitter (@Bcav402). To contact him, click here.