Maybe none of this is actually all that surprising in the grand scheme of things.
As soon as Adrian Martinez gave his verbal commitment to Nebraska, in the heart of a cold December superheated by Scott Frost’s hire and the extended recruiting hot streak that followed, program observers, coaches and fans alike remarked at the teenager’s real chance at winning the starting job in his first season.
A true freshman is starting a season opener at Nebraska for the first time in program history. He will do so on Saturday night against Akron at a frothing Memorial Stadium with direct guidance from last quarterback to win a national championship here.