Carriker Ready to Lead Nebraska Back to Glory

By Timothy Williams  |   Monday, April 03, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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It was late December and the Alamo Bowl was over. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had just come from behind to win in dramatic fashion. The team was still celebrating, and then somebody asked a troubling question, "Is Adam Carriker going to leave early?" Hearts all across Husker Nation skipped a beat, and anxious Husker fans tiptoed around the subject for a day or two. After a junior season that saw the defensive end collect a team-leading 9˝ sacks and lead the Nebraska defense to a significant improvement over the 2004 season, what were Carriker's goals for the future?

Fortunately, fan fears were quickly laid to rest. The junior from Kennewick, Washington intimated that he had never seriously considered going pro. He would return for his senior year as a Husker, and his only goal for 2006 was to lead the Cornhuskers to a berth in the Big 12 Championship game.

Carriker apparently wasted no time at all in preparing for his senior season, hitting the weight room hard during winter conditioning. Somehow, he managed to add even more muscle to his already massive 6'6" frame and officially entered spring practice at 295 pounds. He also improved his speed to the point that he is now able to run sprints with the linebackers instead of the other defensive linemen. That's right, almost three hundred pounds and giving the linebackers a run for their money. Opposing Big 12 quarterbacks should take note now, the big red truck that just hit you? That was Adam Carriker.

In 2006, the sky is the limit for Carriker. His on the field performance speaks for itself, and the younger players on the team will undoubtedly look to him for leadership. Carriker, who played quarterback in high school, is not afraid of taking the defense on his shoulders, or the whole team for that matter. Speaking at the Nebraska Cornhuskers pre-spring press conference, Carriker commented on his expectations for the team in 2006, "Obviously we play a tougher schedule, but we can be very good. We have a lot of returning people, and we're familiar with the system. There's really no reason we shouldn't expect to be playing in the Big 12 title game next year."

There really is no reason why football fans shouldn't expect to hear Adam Carriker's name called on NFL draft day. There is also, no reason not to expect to hear his name called in the first round.

Just don't expect it until 2007.
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