Nebraska Cornhuskers: Mike Caputo Is Found Money

Much the way Matt Slauson seemingly popped up out of nowhere, Milliard North alum Mike Caputo is making noise as a walk-on center. Despite all of the feel good stories we’re hearing about the offensive line, he’s definitely an important addition to the mix.

We’ve been hearing how good and deep the offensive line is all spring. Bo Pelini called it as good an offensive line as he’s been around in a while. And yes, it’s been at least seven years since the Huskers have gone into a season looking this good on the o-line. But when you do a quick head count you come up with 9 scholarship players (Mike Huff, Mike Smith, Jacob Hickman, Keith Williams, Matt Slauson, Jaivorio Burkes, D.J. Jones, Lydon Murtha, and Marcel Jones) and Caputo making up the top two units. Behind that group is Barrett Cruz and a few walk-ons (unless you want to count the suspended Andy Christensen). It should be enough guys to get through a season, but not by a huge margin.

Yes, you’ve got up to four new scholarship recruits (Baker Steinkuhler, Brandon Thompson, David Grant, and Ricky Henry) coming in the fall, but you’d really like to see that group redshirt. With three seniors making up the current two-deep, you’ll also need most of those recruits to pan out just to maintain the depth on the roster for next year.

So while he may not have been hailed as a savior quite the way that Slauson was, he’ll likely become an important two-deep player or starter in the years to come. You’ve also got to love that he grew up in the state and therefore probably brings the kind of passion that only an in-state kid can provide. In the wake of some of the bad news we hear in the offseason, it's good to hear some good news in the trenches.