The most obvious change has been the switch to a 3-4 defensive alignment from a 4-3, which Nebraska had used since Diaco was playing football at Iowa.
Most players are having to learn a new set of responsibilities on top of getting used to a new coordinator, so growing pains would be understandable.
There are, however, a few reasons this defense could be very good more quickly than expected.
A Star in the Making?
One of those reasons is junior outside linebacker Luke Gifford.
Gifford came into the Nebraska football program as a lightly-recruited safety weighing just 195 pounds.