Returning Husker players say they're willing to give embattled former Raiders coach a chance.
Bill Callahan isn't Bo Pelini.
But three Nebraska football players, responding to reports that Callahan will be named the Huskers' head coach today, say they're willing to give the former Oakland Raiders coach a chance.
"If he's the coach, I'm going to stick behind him and see what's the plan," said sophomore cornerback Fabian Washington, who made an unsolicited call to the JournalStar. "We're not going to write off the coach without getting to know him."
Of course, Washington said he'd rather see Pelini, the team's interim head coach, take over permanently for FrankSolich, who was fired Nov. 29.
At the very least, he'd like to see Pelini remain on staff as defensive coordinator.
"I hope so, but c'mon ... I seriously doubt it," Washington said. "But I really hope so."
Callahan, who was fired by the Raiders on Dec. 31 following a 4-12 season, has been in Lincoln since Wednesday interviewing with athletic director Steve Pederson and chancellor Harvey Perlman. He becomes the 27th head coach in Nebraska history.
"I'd like to get to know him and see how he is," freshman receiver Ronnie Smith said. "It's good for recruiting, bringing a big name in. It just seemed like (recruiting)was going to go down the drain."
Smith, like Washington, said his first choice would've been Pelini, but that he wouldn't object to Callahan's hiring.
"Yeah, I mean, I really have no choice but to give him a chance," said Smith, a receiver from Carson, Calif.
"I think he likes to pass. I've been hearing that. Me being a receiver, I like that part of it, but I really don't know too much about it."
Junior defensive end Benard Thomas - the player who made headlines when he personally questioned Pederson during the press conference that announced Solich's firing -said he had no choice but to give Callahan a chance.
"Let him take care of the offense and let Bo take care of the defense," Thomas said. "If the defensive coaching staff is broken up, things are going to be a real mess, and it's going to take a long time for Nebraska to come back. Nobody really understands this, except for the players who are there right now.
"I guess the scariest thing is going to have to play against Bo if he goes somewhere else. He's going to bring every ounce of fight out of everybody he's coaching."
Thomas, who also called the Journal Star, said players were hearing about Callahan's hiring via Internet and media reports, and not from Pederson, who told players they would be the first to know about their new coach.
"That's just another time we were lied to," Thomas said. "We were told the players would know first before anybody else knows."
Smith said he'd been following the coaching search every day on the Internet.
"It was getting really crazy," he said. "I got a call saying Houston Nutt was the coach. I was like, 'Oh my God.' I was hearing so many names, I was like, 'Just forget it, just name someone, whoever they name.' "
Washington questioned how seriously Pelini and quarterbacks coach Turner Gill, both of whom interviewed for the head position Wednesday, were considered.
"Why didn't Coach Gill or Coach Pelini get a chance?" he said."(Pederson)gave them an interview just to make things look right, just to make it look like he gave them a chance. How far along the line were they? Were they going to be a last resort?"
In Callahan, the Huskers have a coach who led the Raiders to the Super Bowl a year ago, when Oakland boasted the NFL's top offensive unit.
"I know he's a good offensive mind," Washington said. "He knows a lot about offense. I guess that would be good for our team, him knowing a lot about offense."
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@;journalstar.com.
But three Nebraska football players, responding to reports that Callahan will be named the Huskers' head coach today, say they're willing to give the former Oakland Raiders coach a chance.
"If he's the coach, I'm going to stick behind him and see what's the plan," said sophomore cornerback Fabian Washington, who made an unsolicited call to the JournalStar. "We're not going to write off the coach without getting to know him."
Of course, Washington said he'd rather see Pelini, the team's interim head coach, take over permanently for FrankSolich, who was fired Nov. 29.
At the very least, he'd like to see Pelini remain on staff as defensive coordinator.
"I hope so, but c'mon ... I seriously doubt it," Washington said. "But I really hope so."
Callahan, who was fired by the Raiders on Dec. 31 following a 4-12 season, has been in Lincoln since Wednesday interviewing with athletic director Steve Pederson and chancellor Harvey Perlman. He becomes the 27th head coach in Nebraska history.
"I'd like to get to know him and see how he is," freshman receiver Ronnie Smith said. "It's good for recruiting, bringing a big name in. It just seemed like (recruiting)was going to go down the drain."
Smith, like Washington, said his first choice would've been Pelini, but that he wouldn't object to Callahan's hiring.
"Yeah, I mean, I really have no choice but to give him a chance," said Smith, a receiver from Carson, Calif.
"I think he likes to pass. I've been hearing that. Me being a receiver, I like that part of it, but I really don't know too much about it."
Junior defensive end Benard Thomas - the player who made headlines when he personally questioned Pederson during the press conference that announced Solich's firing -said he had no choice but to give Callahan a chance.
"Let him take care of the offense and let Bo take care of the defense," Thomas said. "If the defensive coaching staff is broken up, things are going to be a real mess, and it's going to take a long time for Nebraska to come back. Nobody really understands this, except for the players who are there right now.
"I guess the scariest thing is going to have to play against Bo if he goes somewhere else. He's going to bring every ounce of fight out of everybody he's coaching."
Thomas, who also called the Journal Star, said players were hearing about Callahan's hiring via Internet and media reports, and not from Pederson, who told players they would be the first to know about their new coach.
"That's just another time we were lied to," Thomas said. "We were told the players would know first before anybody else knows."
Smith said he'd been following the coaching search every day on the Internet.
"It was getting really crazy," he said. "I got a call saying Houston Nutt was the coach. I was like, 'Oh my God.' I was hearing so many names, I was like, 'Just forget it, just name someone, whoever they name.' "
Washington questioned how seriously Pelini and quarterbacks coach Turner Gill, both of whom interviewed for the head position Wednesday, were considered.
"Why didn't Coach Gill or Coach Pelini get a chance?" he said."(Pederson)gave them an interview just to make things look right, just to make it look like he gave them a chance. How far along the line were they? Were they going to be a last resort?"
In Callahan, the Huskers have a coach who led the Raiders to the Super Bowl a year ago, when Oakland boasted the NFL's top offensive unit.
"I know he's a good offensive mind," Washington said. "He knows a lot about offense. I guess that would be good for our team, him knowing a lot about offense."
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@;journalstar.com.
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