Friday Five: Water the bamboo and trust the process

From Donovan Raiola’s bamboo metaphor to Jalyn Gramstad’s return, Nebraska’s spring story is about growth — and other stuff, but they talked a lot about growth on Thursday.

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Spring is in full swing — yes, I’m rhyming, sue me — and the Huskers are basically at the halfway mark of their 15 allotted practices.¹ Thursday also meant we heard from another set of coaches and this time it was on the offensive side of the ball. Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and quarterback Jalyn Gramstad were all the men of the hour on Thursday, offering their perspectives on progress, competition and the quiet value of building habits that last longer than a single season.

The Friday Five returns to break down Thursday’s availability once again. As a note, we’ll also hear from coach Matt Rhule on Saturday following practice.

The leadership grows

For all the attention Dylan Raiola garnered when he arrived in Lincoln, his freshman season had its share of turbulence. According to Glenn Thomas, however, that adversity might turn out to be one of Raiola’s biggest assets going forward.

“There were some ups and downs obviously,” Thomas said on Thursday. “Some of the low points, I thought he handled them very well. Same thing is going to happen next year, and he can rely back on those experiences.”

Thomas added that Raiola is in “a different stage in his process” as a leader this spring and praised his “humility to get better and his excitement to get better.” Plus, the time spent adjusting to Dana Holgorsen’s system late last season gave the offense a head start this spring.

“We're so much further ahead than if he had come in in January,” Thomas said. “This has been a really good time to get us on the same page.”

That experience is already paying off in the quarterback room, where Thomas said both Raiola and senior quarterback Jalyn Gramstad have been key in helping younger players settle in.

Young QBs grow too

Behind Raiola and Gramstad are two newcomers already drawing attention for how quickly they’re learning the offense: Marcos Davila, a Purdue transfer, and TJ Lateef, an early enrollee.

“Marcos has a lot of experience, even though he just got here,” Thomas said.

Thomas specifically noted that Davila is a “natural passer” who made some off-schedule plays during Thursday’s practice and has already become a resource for the room. Lateef, on the other hand, is taking a relentless approach to learning.

“He’s super, super proactive to learn,” Thomas said. “He’s spending extra time in the meeting rooms. He’s right behind me in practice literally every play asking questions, going through the motions trying to get those visual reps.”

Gramstad echoed that, highlighting the positives of both young quarterbacks.

“I think they’ve both done a good job of picking it up pretty quick and doing a lot of studying on their own time,” he said. “I think they’re both doing a great job.”

“Water the bamboo.”

I’m going to be honest: o-line coach Donovan Raiola’s spring mantra is fantastic. Water the bamboo.

“It just takes time, right? The physical piece in the weight room,” Raiola said. “The Big Ten is hard. It's a bunch of big, grown men ... Like I said earlier, we have got to keep watering the bamboo.”

The metaphor comes from a book by Greg Bell² and fits Raiola’s vision for a developmental, layered offensive line. The book notes how bamboo farmers will tend to their plants for at least three years before they see any signs of growth. It asks the reader if they have the kind of patience and persistence to achieve what they want, especially when results don’t happen overnight. 

Raiola knows that patience and consistency over time eventually yield explosive growth, even if you don’t see progress every day. That idea resonates deeply when it comes to Nebraska’s mix of veterans and unproven younger linemen.

It’s also just an incredible mantra. 

Battles on the offensive line

With both tackles — Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran — returning from injury, and with center Ben Scott off to the NFL, there’s plenty to sort out up front.

Prochazka is doing everything this spring except contact, while Corcoran is in full rehab mode but staying involved as a leader and mentor for the team. Alabama transfer Elijah Pritchett has turned heads with his size and athleticism, while Gunner Gottula is working back from shoulder surgery.

At center, Raiola emphasized that the job goes well beyond snapping the ball. 

“You need a guy that’s comfortable being vocal, a guy that's gonna prepare, prepare, prepare,” he said. “Usually, the center prepares more than the other guys because they're in charge of so much of everything.”

Sam Sledge has been strong this spring, while Justin Evans and others will also have chances to compete for the role.

Culture and chemistry matter

Beyond schemes and depth charts, there was a consistent theme in Thursday’s interviews: culture is taking hold on this offense. Whether it was Thomas pointing out that Gramstad’s “personality is infectious” or Raiola praising o-lineman Tyler Knaak’s leadership and growth, the message the coaches clearly wanted to convey is that their guys are buying in.

“Tyler’s taken huge steps,” Raiola said. “Such a great asset for the team.”

As for Gramstad, his decision to return for another year at Nebraska was driven by relationships and belief in what’s building.

“Why would I just walk away now? … It was kind of a no-brainer,” he said.

He added that Raiola asked him to come back too.

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Six practices in, Nebraska’s offense still has major questions to answer (of course — it’s only April 4!). But there’s a quiet optimism that progress is being made behind the scenes. That progress isn’t necessarily being made with bold proclamations, but with bamboo metaphors and quarterbacks staying late to ask questions.

Sometimes, as Raiola put it with the bamboo analogy, it’s not about what you see today. It’s about what’s growing underneath the surface.

1. I say basically because halfway is technically at the midway point of the seventh practice and I’m being literal. I can’t help it.

2. Should we have a Counter Read book club and read the book?