Hardly anyone would have been shocked if Teddy Prochazka chose to walk away in the fall of 2024 after suffering a third ACL tear in four years during fall camp—an injury that required yet another surgery and cost him another season. But as he said on Tuesday, his mindset was clear: it was time to return to rehab and focus on preparing for 2025.
Teddy Prochazka walked to the podium Tuesday with a wide smile already across his face. And why not? For most of fall camp, he was part of a five-man rotation of offensive tackles, each listed with the familiar -OR- designation on the depth chart. But when the season opened in Kansas City, he wasn’t sharing the spot anymore—he was named the starter at right tackle.
And he didn’t just start. He finished. On a night when Nebraska’s offense ran 78 plays, Prochazka lined up at right tackle for every single one of them. His presence alone was enough to bring a smile to even the most hardened observers in the press box. After all, how many players endure three ACL rehabs before age 25 and still find a way back onto the field? And at a position, as teammate Henry Lutovsky once pointed out, where the less your name is called, the better.
Prochazka acknowledged as much when he spoke about the journey—a phrase often overused, but in his case, entirely fitting.
“It’s been a long road to get back to where I am now,” he said. “The recovery process is always still there. I feel more sore after games, but being able to get through that game and attack it as much as I could was a great feeling—and something I look forward to each week.”
He was quick to credit Nebraska’s athletic training staff, a group frequently lauded by both veterans and newcomers.
“I have a lot of belief in myself and this staff here,” he said. “The protocol they put me on, the rehab—I went through it my freshman year. I told my dad, ‘there’s no place in the country I’d rather be hurt than here, with this staff and these resources.’”
Prochazka also praised fellow tackle Tyler Knaak, who pushed him throughout camp in their battle for the starting role.
“Tyler has really pushed me,” he said. “My game and his game both developed so much over camp. We’d pick one thing to work on each day, run and pass. Watching film together, we both matured a lot. It’s been a great journey.”
There are still 11 games ahead, but watching Prochazka speak—relaxed, confident, smiling—you get the sense he’s ready for whatever comes. For now, he’s right where he wants to be: practicing at full speed, strapping on the pads, and preparing for Nebraska’s home opener as the Huskers’ starting right tackle.
One thing Prochazka didn’t anticipate this fall was a starring role in the Huskers Media video unveiling the alternate black jerseys. Before wrapping up his Q&A, a reporter asked if that really was him behind the wheel in the film.
“That was me, thank you,” he said with a grin. “Ceyair’s (Wright) Hollywood agents were calling my phone and all that. (Laughter) No, we were headed out to practice during camp, and Coach Rhule called me over. I thought, ‘Oh gosh, what did I do?’ He goes, ‘You drive a truck, right?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah…’ And he says, ‘All right, we’ve got an alternate uniform video coming out, and we’re gonna have you drive a truck.’ I just said, ‘Okay.’”
The only problem? Wardrobe.
“They told me to get farmer clothes,” Prochazka said. “And I’m from Elkhorn—I went to Elkhorn South—so I don’t exactly have farmer clothes lying around. But I did what I could.”
It turned out a gray hoodie and a red trucker hat fit the bill. He headed to the shoot, was handed the keys to an old Ford Ranger, and drove a few laps while the cameras rolled. The smile on his face as he recounted the story suggested he enjoyed it even more than he let on.
After filming wrapped, he couldn’t resist letting his friends in on the secret—sort of.
“I texted all my buddies back home and said, ‘Guys, get ready!’” Prochazka said. “They’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I told them, ‘I can’t say, just be on the lookout—your guy might be in Hollywood very soon.’”
But before any Hollywood dreams, there’s the matter of the rest of the 2025 season. For someone who’s worked this hard just to return, the spotlight can wait—his focus is on finishing what he started on the field.
And if you missed his cameo the first time around? The video’s right here. Go Big Red.
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