Raiola Rundown: The OT competition, Corcoran’s return and more

Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola met with the media today to talk about his unit.

While the three interior positions seem set — LG Henry Lutovsky, C Justin Evans, RG Rocco Spindler — it’s the edges where competition is raging. At left tackle, Alabama transfer Elijah Pritchett is trying to hold off Gunnar Gottula. At right tackle, Teddy Prochazka is battling Tyler Knaak.

As head coach Matt Rhule said last weekend, don’t be surprised if one of the left tackles flips over to the right side if that’s what makes the best five-man line.

“Pritchett is doing a really nice job. Gunnar is doing a really nice job,” Rhule said last Saturday. “If they’re the two best tackles, we’ll slide one over to right. So it’s really a four-way tackle battle with some other guys fighting to get in too, obviously.”

Earlier this week Inside Nebraska saw Turner Corcoran as a full participant at Tuesday’s practice. Corcoran sustained a season-ending hamstring injury in the Illinois game last year, and it kept him from competing in spring ball and the first two weeks of fall camp.

Now that he’s back, Corcoran, an experienced and versatile lineman with 35 career starts under his belt, provides a valuable depth piece for nearly all five position.

On with the Raiola Rundown:

Raiola sees his offensive line room as the “best since we’ve been here”

As an offensive line coach you’re always preparing for the worst, Raiola said. Football is a violent game of course, and injuries are a part of it. That’s why building quality depth is so important.

And Raiola, entering his fourth year in the program, believes this year’s offensive line room is the deepest he’s had since arriving in Lincoln. That’s what he feels after watching younger guys like third-year sophomores Sam Sledge and Jason Maciejczak and redshirt freshman Gibson Pyle.

“I think going into training camp, the whole overall unit has been the best since we’ve been here,” Raiola said. “I was talking to Coach (Aaron) Coeling, my assistant, the other day, and we haven’t seen too many units that we’ve been around that’s been this deep, from the top group to the last guy on the roster.”

How does Raiola size up the offensive tackle competition?

Raiola echoed his head coach from last weekend when asked about the competition at offensive tackle: it’s not close to being settled.

“It’s still wide open,” Raiola replied when asked what he’s seen from the offensive tackles. ” … At the end of the day, we’re going to play the guy that’s going to execute and play with our technique and play with the effort that’s required for us to be a championship-level team.”

Dylan Raiola has impressed his coaches with his protection calls — what has his uncle seen?

There’s no shortage of examples where Rhule has openly raved about Dylan Raiola’s ability to diagnose a defensive front and set the correct protection. That makes sense if you ask his uncle. After all, Dylan is the son of a former NFL center and Rimington Award winner.

“He’s a very cerebral kid. Obviously growing up with a dad as a center, that was what he was taught growing up,” Donovan said. “And then just the communication between him and the offensive linemen, and the comfort level that they have on and off the field, has really grown.”

Raiola is proud of Turner Corcoran for sticking with it and not giving up

It’s been a long rehab process for the 6-6, 310-pound Corcoran, who had to have surgery on his injured hamstring earlier this year.

It would’ve been easy to quit and call it at career, Raiola said, but that’s not how Corcoran is wired. He still wants to help his brothers in the O-line room in any way he can.

“You face adversity in life, you can do one or two things. You can fight, or you can act like — I’m not gonna say the word — but you just keep … he attacked it every day,” Raiola said. “And for him to be back this soon is a credit to him and his mentality and how he approaches everything.”

Corcoran wasn’t expected back this soon, so the work and dedication he’s put in return to the field before the season has impressed Raiola. Still, the work is just beginning for Corcoran.

“He still looks like Turner Corcoran, how he’s looked in the past, so just getting him back in shape and getting the rhythm back and all that stuff,” Raiola said.

Raiola said Corcoran has been getting reps at both tackle positions since he’s been back.

What Raiola wants to see from Elijah Pritchett

Rhule has said in the past it can be hard for transfers to adjust to his program, and Raiola’s demanding standards for everyone in his room. Some players can adjust easily while it takes time for others.

It’s taken time for Pritchett. Raiola said focus is the biggest factor with the Alabama transfer.

“Just focusing on the stuff that we talk about and stuff that we teach,” Raiola said. “It’s always a process. This is year four for some of those guys in that room, right? It’s a process, learning new techniques, a new system, a different offense, different calls. So just continuing to attack the process. Continue building the discipline that’s needed to be a consistent offensive lineman for 60 plus minutes.”