It's only natural to wonder just how quickly Nebraska's defense will adapt. And, in a broader sense, it's also natural to wonder about Devaney's role in the program. For example, you wonder how much input and influence he had in the offseason hire/fire decisions.

"I have zero say in that," he says. "That's one guy (Riley) making that call."

Devaney quickly adds, "Now, does Riles bounce stuff off me and other people in the building? Absolutely. That's part of my job, to give my opinion. But at the end of the day, we're just waiting for Mike to say, 'We're making a change' or 'We're not making a change.' My job is to be prepared for whatever the decision is."

He says it's his job to have a "ready list" of candidates for every assistant coaching position. His lists go five deep at every spot.

"You have to be ready if there's a change," he says. "You can't sit around and say, 'Oh, gosh, we have to come up with some names.' You have to be ready to move."

Yes, he says, Diaco was on his list. But Bob Elliott, the new safeties coach, was solely Diaco's idea, Devaney says.

At the moment, Devaney says, his job is "90 percent recruiting-oriented."