Riley Van Poppel had praise for his new position coach, Terry Bradden, during Tuesday’s Nebraska football media availability. “Something he tells us all the time, ‘Energy is contagious,’” said Van Poppel.
If Van Poppel is an example, Bradden is right. Van Poppel answered questions with energy and positivity. The redshirt sophomore defensive tackle said a lot during his 12-minute time at the podium.
Bradden “lights up the room, he puts a smile on your face, and then he gets you ready to go, whether that’s in the film room, and it’s a meeting, or we’re out on the field,” Van Poppel said.
Van Poppel’s demeanor during the interview was reminiscent of Ty Robinson’s, at least for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if, like Robinson, he’s chosen for a single-digit jersey number at some point in his Husker career. That’s just me. For now, Van Poppel wears jersey 44.
He’s among those looking to replace Robinson, Nash Hutmacher and Jimari Butler up front on defense. Robinson and Hutmacher completed their eligibility last season. Butler transferred to LSU. As a result, there are question marks. However, “in our room, we don’t really focus on the outside noise,” said Van Poppel, who redshirted last season after playing in 11 games as a freshman.
“People can say what they want about us, they can doubt us, they can praise us. But we’re not going to let it affect what we do. Yeah, we lost three starters, we lost three guys who produced a lot. But at the end of the day, every team loses people, I think.”
In addition to Van Poppel, those returning up front include sophomore Keona Davis, junior Cameron Lenhardt and senior Elijah Jeudy. Numerous others are involved in the defensive line competition, among them transfers Williams Nwaneri, Jaylen George and Gabe Moore.
“I think the continued development of our defensive line has been good,” defensive coordinator John Butler said, citing it among the positives during spring. It’s a “work in progress. I think there are some guys that have solidified themselves as probably front-line players. But I think we have numbers there that we are trying to kind of stack, so to speak.”
Who they are he didn’t say. “I’m trying my best not to single anybody out,” Butler said when asked specifically about defensive back Andrew Marshall, a transfer from Idaho, later.
That applied to players at every position.
“As much as I love them, no one’s irreplaceable,” Van Poppel said of those who are gone. “Everyone’s different in their own way, and we have a great group coming back this year. People are stepping up to be leaders. We’re got new guys who are coming along great, just learning how to play together and get together. It’s a different room, but I’m loving where we’re at.
“I’m very confident in us. We have depth. We have talent, and we have energy. It’s fun.”
Van Poppel talked about the influence of his parents. His father Todd, a pitcher, was a first-round pick in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft and played 11 seasons in the majors. Riley played baseball, but eventually settled on football. His dad “always said there’s a time where you’re going to have to choose one and stick with it. That’s what you want to do,” said Van Poppel. “I chose football.”
He’s from Argyle, Texas, where “everyone says that’s high school football,” Van Poppel said.
In baseball, he was a first baseman-pitcher. He considered himself “a really good” defensive first baseman. As a hitter, “I was a home run-strikeout kind of guy,” he said.
In addition to his energy, Van Poppel has a sense of humor.
It’s been fun, he said, realizing “I’m in a position where I’m going to have to step forward. I want to be a leader. I want to be one of those guys the team can count on as a person and as a player, that when the lights are the brightest, I can go out there and make a play, put the guys on my back.
“But I don’t say that selfishly. I want the whole team around me.”
His energy never diminished during his time at the podium.
“I can be a leader, as a person, as a player, just going out there, giving it my all for those guys around me,” Van Poppel said.
Bradden would expect no less.
