Owen Chambliss will be the first to tell you he’s far from the loudest guy in the room.
When I asked him how difficult it was to come to a new program and not just try to earn a starting job, but also earn the level of trust from teammates in a short time necessary to become a leader, this is what he said – “Yeah, especially for me, I’m more of a soft-spoken guy, so it’s definitely challenging.”
However, it wasn’t so challenging that he shied away at all adding, “But I think outside of the work, understanding the defense to a high level is something that really helps me become a leader, and just being a veteran, having played a lot of snaps, is something that you know really helped me.”
Coach Matt Rhule would agree on two things – 1) Chambliss definitely has a a deep knowledge of the defense, and 2) a big voice isn’t necessary to be top leader.
“Your best players aren’t always your leaders. Sometimes people have natural ability to say things and listen to them when they need to be led.
We had a deal the other day where the tackles were talking about a blitz, and there’s a potential for a check, so they’re going to run the blitz…and I was standing with them, and they were talking about it, and they were like, ‘Well, if Owen says this, you know, then that. If not, we’ll do this. They’re like, ‘But Owen, make that check.’ And he does that. Owen’s a great leader.
And so, to me, I’ve never heard Owen speak in front of a team. I don’t hear him calling the guys up and breaking them down. But I do know, and he hasn’t told me this, but I do know from the other guys, he’s the guy saying, ‘Hey, let’s meet. Let’s talk about this. Hey, let’s attack this,‘ and that to me is the most valuable thing for them.”
Chambliss began his career at Utah, playing in four games while redshirting in 2023, before transferring to San Diego State. After playing in seven games in 2024, he broke out for the Azetcs his 2025 sophomore season leading the team in all tackle stats with 62 solo jobs, and 48 assists for a total of 110. He also had 9.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Then came Nebraska’s hire of his SDSU Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich. Shortly after, Chambliss made the decision to follow Aurich to Lincoln. And along with his chops as a leader, he quickly let everyone know his quiet demeanor didn’t mean he lacked for self-confidence.
“I think I’m one of the smartest players in college football,” Chambliss said. “And I think that was something that was on display completely last season.”
Well, then.
But as fall practice progresses, it has become obvious his self-assessment is a widely-held perception among coaches and teammates. Take Aurich, for example:
“Owen has never been the wildest person from a leadership perspective, but he’s the number one person you look at for how you go about your business and execute. And I think our guys look at Owen and they see a guy that they trust to make every check, go through go through the defensive process for us, and they look at him as an example of kind of what we’re looking for.”
And teammates, even ones who may be competing with him for playing time simply light up when asked about Chambliss. Take fellow transfer, former Oregon State Beaver Dexter Foster:
“I can say a lot about Owen, like he’s a linebacker freak. I’ve never seen nobody like him. He’s in here day in, day out… and it’s just – his knowledge on the game is just outstanding. I’ve never seen anything like it. Just having him and V9 (LB Vincent Shavers) both in my corner, we’re able to push each other because we know what we all want.”
And what about Vincent Shavers? He is also a junior with serious experience under his belt after playing in all 26 games of his young career with 14 starts, 12 in 2025. Making his first appearance in front of the podium, he showed himself soft-spoken as well, but with a smile and personality, which had others in the room, including myself, smiling as well. And, if possible, he lit up even more when asked about Chambliss:
“I love Owen. He’s a leader. And he’s smart, very smart. Like I’m talking about SMART smart (eyes popping)…calling the play out before it even happens. You’ll just be in the game, he’s calling out whatever and then that play comes. So, I feel like me and him are going to click very well.”
As fall cap progresses, one doesn’t need the confirmation of a Husker depth chart to figure out Chambliss will be on the field when the Blackshirts trot out there for their first snap against Ohio – and that he’ll be the one calling out the plays and adjustments with his new team. And his new team will be laser focused on what he’s telling them.
There won’t be any fire and brimstone speeches from Chambliss to his unit in the locker room or on the sidelines and that’s just fine with Rhule. What there will be, or rather, who there will be is a linebacker whom others will be watching and whose instincts, precision and yes, violence, they will want to emulate.
And if that all comes to pass, for Matt Rhule that will be more than enough.
“He’s one of those guys that, if there’s eight reps in a period, or 10 reps in a period, or four reps in a period?
He’s going to ask for more. He wants to go good on good. He just loves to play football.
He’s a guy that, you know, if I’m away, he’ll text me a question about – hey, I’m watching this NFL training camp and they’re doing this. I mean, he just loves football, and players respect him and appreciate him. So we’re really not looking for guys to give a ton of speeches.“
