After facing heart complications before the start of fall camp in 2024, Javin Wright is ready to get back on the field for his seventh year as a Husker.
The senior linebacker began his career with the Huskers in 2019 and has battled through the COVID-19 pandemic, injuries and other adversities, and he hasn’t let any of it stop him.
“The joy, it’s just like a burning passion inside of me that I feel every time I go out there, just because it got taken away from me several times,” Wright said. “So I go out there with a different sense of joy. I can’t really explain it just because it’s deep in my heart. So I have a lot of love for this game, and I think that’s shown through my perseverance, through all the stuff that I’ve been through. But this year it’s big for me, just because things that I want to do, the things I want to prove, the statements that I want to prove all happen this year.”
Wright is heading into his seventh year in Lincoln, making him the “old head” on a team full of underclassmen.
“I’ve had almost two college careers under my belt, going onto seven years,” Wright said. “So yeah, sometimes it does like feel [I’ve been here that long], because these young kids come in and they kind of date me with some stuff that they say, but other than that, I’m still young; that’s what I feel like.”
Wright, the son of former Husker Toby Wright, redshirted his first season in Lincoln and appeared in one game. A preseason injury sidelined him for the entire 2020 season, then he played in two games as a redshirt freshman in 2021.
Wright played his way into the rotation in 2022, appearing in 11 games including his first career start and totaling eight tackles. The 2023 season is the only one during his career in which he played in every game, logging another start and recording 51 tackles, two pass breakups, two interceptions, 1.5 tackles for loss including half a sack and one forced fumble.
During his sixth-year senior campaign, Wright totaled one start, which came in week five against Purdue, while playing in nine games over the course of the season. He racked up 34 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup.
Linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek believes that Wright will make a big difference this season.
“He’s been here for a long time, so he’s a guy that’s experienced, he knows what he’s doing, he knows what to expect, he’s a smart football player,” Dvoracek said. “When you’ve got guys like that, and his size, I think that helps.”
Head coach Matt Rhule said that he’s impressed with Wright’s attitude after all that he’s faced throughout his time playing for Nebraska.
“Javin’s playing on borrowed time,” Rhule said. “He had it taken from him. He’s playing for the joy and passion of playing, so that’s infectious to those guys.”
With his veteran experience and athletic abilities, Wright’s return to the team will be critical to the team’s success on the defensive side of the ball. Dvoracek has a lot of confidence in Wright going into the season.
“Being a veteran guy helps a lot,” Dvoracek said. “He’s obviously been here for a long time, so I think it gives you that ability to have some experience, being an older player, knowing the system pretty well, and obviously he’s a big, athletic young man. Him being able to do a lot of different things really helps. So when you have guys like that at that position, that can cover and can pressure and can play off the ball, can play out in space, it adds versatility to the defense.”
As a veteran player, Wright is getting the opportunity to mentor some of his younger teammates. He’s been showing them the importance of playing the game and not letting outside noise take over during camp.
“Just being able to slow down your mind, learn football, and that’s all you need to do,” Wright said. “To cut out all distractions, that’s how you win in this game, so focusing on what you need to focus on, being early, don’t get into any trouble, and keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s football.”
Heading into his final season, Wright said he wanted to fully immerse himself in football, and camp has been a great opportunity to do just that. He spent his summer diving deep into football, and he’s seeing the benefits of that so far in practice.
“Being in camp, you want to be the first one in, last one out, and just increasing your football IQ, getting recovery, it kind of forces you to do that. I’m just doing it naturally and I’m seeing improvements in my game, so it’s been fun.”
