After a quiet offseason of work since transferring into the Nebraska football program, redshirt freshman defensive end Williams Nwaneri has put himself in a position to make a big impact for the Huskers in 2025 after playing sparingly last season.
The 6-foot-7, 265-pound lineman was listed alongside Blackshirt Cameron Lenhardt at the top of the first depth chart of the season at defensive end, with the two sharing an “OR” designation. With Nebraska, the once highly-regarded prospect has found a fresh start.
“I feel like it’s helped me a lot, because I would say my last season at Missouri, I kind of may have put a little too much pressure on myself,” Nwaneri said. “Over-thinking in certain areas, and just coming in and just playing freely and just being myself has just helped. At the end of the day, it’s just ball, so going out their having as much fun as you can.”
Nwaneri hails from the Kansas City area and attended Lee’s Summit North High School. He was chosen as the top player in the Missouri and considered a five-star recruit coming out of high school. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 6 player in the country, with Rivals considering him the No. 1 defensive end and the No. 8 overall recruit.
Nwaneri chose to stay close to him out of high school, committing to Missouri, but he only played in four games with the Tigers, maintaining his redshirt. He recorded two tackles and one sack.
Nwaneri’s blue-chip status brought with it high expectations and plenty of pressure. He said that this affected him during his time with the Tigers.
“That’s what it was,” Nwaneri said. “I kind of just had to learn, learn how to, I guess, handle different amounts of pressure and whatever. I just had to know at the end of the day, it’s just ball. So you just go out there and play a game, have fun, and a lot of other things will just handle themselves.”
Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant defensive line coach and current Nebraska defensive line coach Terry Bradden now has the opportunity to develop young players like Nwaneri.
“One he’s buying in, and then two, he has a high ceiling,” Bradden said. “I’m always going to speak positive no matter what through the challenges. He has a high ceiling. Me, as a coach, as a coaching staff, I have to get him, and get everything at him, to get to that ceiling.”
The redshirt freshman said he feels that he’s improved over the course of camp and throughout his time at Nebraska.
“The biggest change I see is probably my mental,” Nwaneri said. “Coming in, I’ve gained more confidence, I would say, in my play. Just with the coaching and just with more reps, it’s just gained my confidence in a way.”
When Nwaneri entered his name into the transfer portal, he had a connection to the Nebraska football team through senior assistant Jamar Mozee.
“First of all, coming here, entering the portal when I had good relationships on the staff with my former high school head coach being Jamar Mozee, that made the decision to come here even that much easier,” Nwaneri said. “But then when I talked to Coach Rhule, he told me he just wanted me to come in, just be myself, just play my game. I feel like that’s what I came in and I’ve been doing, and I feel like it’s been working out pretty good for me.”
While in high school, Nwaneri helped lead Lee’s Summit North to a championship game under Mozee’s guidance. Now, the two are reunited in Lincoln.
“Mozee’s almost like a second father to me,” Nwaneri said. “Throughout my recruiting process, he guided me through it. I went on most of my visits with him. He’s just almost like a mentor for me, a guy that I can always lean on, and I know he’s always got my best interest at heart.”
Nebraska’s opening game will serve as a homecoming for Nwaneri and many other Huskers when Nebraska takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats at Arrowhead stadium in Kansas City, on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.
