Kanak got the game’s first touchdown, scoring from a yard out with 1:37 left in the first half. The Indians led 6-0 after senior Jack Fields missed the extra point.

Through seven games, Kanak has 40 tackles (16 solo), four for loss and two sacks. Arguably, his best performance came against Texas, where he tallied a season-high 13 tackles and one sack.

Kanak’s breakout in Lincoln didn’t necessarily portend more playing time the rest of the 2022 season. In fact, there were games the linebacker corps struggled and Kanak still remained on the ...

Four of his games scored at 44 or lower. After playing 139 defensive snaps in 2022, Kanak played 596 last year, so the probability of an efficiency drop figures to be higher.

Kanak, a 6-foot-2, 223-pound junior from Hays, KS, started the first nine games of the 2023 season at middle linebacker after moving over from the weak side as a freshman.

Kanak, who was a priority recruit for Venables at Clemson as a high school prospect out of Kansas. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman and finished his season with 24 total tackles.