LINCOLN, Neb. — The offense itself is nothing revolutionary.
Mark Whipple’s scheme, with its seeds planted four decades ago on the small college fields of New England, has kept him pointed upward on the coaching ladder to reach his position, Friday on his 65th birthday, as the highest paid coordinator ever at Nebraska.
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But he’s not changed the game or inspired a well-known legion of copycats.
The beauty in Whipple’s offense lies in its versatility, its ability to adapt — to shift smoothly from two running backs to four wide receivers, for instance, or mold to capitalize on the strengths of multiple quarterbacks with varying skill sets.
It explains the furious work this spring by Whipple and Nebraska offensive coaches to install and practice enough of the intricacies within this system to “build a library,” he said, for each of the Huskers to reference and study in the four months before preseason camp begins.
Frankly, Nebraska was fortunate to have him as a rash of injuries hit the Huskers’ group of tight ends this spring. Under another coordinator, the situation might have sparked panic or led to an unproductive month.
His presence, perhaps more than Scott Frost expected when he hired Whipple in December after his three years at Pitt, offers a lifeboat to a Nebraska offense somewhat in need of rescue. For Whipple, the 12th practice of spring, set for Friday, simply brings another morning to put off the collection of a social security check. It’s old habit for the coach. His comfort amid potential distress in directing a scheme that’s new to Nebraska has already impacted the Huskers.
“It feels like he’s got an answer to everything,” receiver Oliver Martin said this week.
Said tight end AJ Rollins of the offense: “It’s like an experiment, to be honest. But he knows what he’s doing.”
None of the changes figure to take without improved blocking. Nebraska’s play in the trenches remains a top concern ahead of next fall. But if first-year offensive line coach Donovan Raiola finds a group to effectively protect the quarterback, the adaptability of Whipple’s offense might be most evident by the usage of the Nebraska tight ends.
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According to tight ends coach Sean Beckton, his players work more often as the “first option” on pass plays in Whipple’s offense than in the system directed by Frost and former OC Matt Lubick.
As the Huskers prepared to open spring camp in late February, an increased reliance on the tight ends made sense. Sixth-year senior Travis Vokolek was set to miss live work in March and April while recovering from an injury, but the group featured veterans Chris Hickman, Chancellor Brewington and former four-star signee Thomas Fidone among a young core.
The tight ends rated as Nebraska’s most stable position group on the offensive side.
Five weeks later, they’re on shaky ground.
While Vokolek has stayed on track, Brewington, Hickman and Fidone went down with injuries in the spring. Hickman wore a sling last week while watching pro day in Lincoln. Frost declined to provide details on their status. The greatest concern surrounds Fidone, who suffered a knee injury last spring that required surgery and kept him out of action as a true freshman until November.
Enter Whipple, the “guru,” according to redshirt freshman tight end Nate Boerkircher.
Boerkircher is a walk-on from Aurora, Neb., and the same high school that produced Austin Allen, the Huskers’ NFL Draft hopeful who set school records in 2021 for a tight end with 38 receptions for 602 yards. With a foundation that Allen helped establish, Boerkircher, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, emerged this spring in the absence of the injured Huskers.
Frost offered praise last week for Boerkircher, limited to three games in 2021 to preserve his redshirt. Beckton was equally complimentary Wednesday after the Huskers’ morning practice.
“First guy I’m really proud of is Nate Boerkircher,” Beckton said. “He’s become a run blocker. And I don’t think he’s had a drop all spring.”
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Boerkircher credits the Whipple system. “It’s been great to dive into his style of playbook.”
Rollins and James Carnie, also both redshirt freshmen, have shown positive movement, Beckton said, with the increased practice reps. In fact, Wednesday marked Rollins’ best work at Nebraska, the coach said. He showed up early and asked Beckton for guidance.
“That’s what it’s going to take for him to continue to progress,” Beckton said.
Whipple said he’s introducing four or five new concepts in each practice. No difference exists to the coordinator in March if he’s working with an experienced group of tight ends or a cast of freshmen.
“The next guy’s gotta be ready,” Whipple said.
“We know we’re going to get guys hurt. We have enough players here, with the walk-ons, that a lot of guys are getting reps. So they’re getting better. And that builds your depth. That’s really helping. I’ve told those guys, ‘You’re really lucky to be here.’”
The injured tight ends put in effort at practice, too. Beckton makes sure they’ve got a script. He wants them to coach. For Vokolek, who’s made it back in uniform this month for some non-contact drills, it’s a natural position. He’s 23, and his father, D.J. Vokolek, joined Frost’s staff as a quality control coach recently after five years at Northern Iowa.
Beckton said he visits with his injured tight ends regularly in the training room. He calls them at night to emphasize mental focus and to ensure that they’re watching film.
“I try to keep them engaged,” Beckton said. “My job as a coach and a mentor is to keep those guys involved.”
Meanwhile, Boerkircher, Rollins and Carnie embrace the opportunity to get a taste of the change afoot.
Rollins’ take on the tight ends’ role in the Whipple offense? “We’re kind of running wide-receiver routes.”
“I’m learning at a super high rate,” he said. “I feel myself getting better.”
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Carnie said he’s improved most in his blocking. He has dealt this week with a minor knee injury.
Boerkircher, who entered the program in 2020 — one year before Fidone, Rollins and Carnie — has quickly assumed a leadership role.
“I’ve tried to get out of the young guy mentality,” he said.
Coaches have noticed. The nature of Whipple’s offense encourages such adaptability.
“It’s an honor to have coach Whip here,” Carnie said.
And a stroke of good fortune. For his birthday, maybe the remaining healthy Huskers on offense can stay that way.
(Photo of Mark Whipple: Scott Bruhn / Nebraska Communications)
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