Nebraska defensive end Avery Moss -- who started three games this season and played extensively in others as a redshirt freshman -- won't play for the Huskers in 2014 and might never again because of an off-field incident.
Moss is banned from the Nebraska campus through at least Dec. 31, 2014, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Moss can appeal the ruling in December, and if that appeal is denied, a four-year campus ban will be imposed. Moss said he hasn't decided what he will do.
Moss pleaded no contest Monday to a count of public indecency for exposing himself in a residence-hall convenience store. The World-Herald reports a police report of the incident says Moss exposed himself to a 22-year-old student worker at the store in mid-December, 2012. He originally was banned from parts of the campus, including residence halls. But he returned to a residence hall in December, 2013, which led to the campus-wide ban. Moss told the World-Herald he misunderstood when he could return to the residence halls.
Moss (6-foot-2, 270 pounds) was second on the team with 4.5 sacks this season. He made eight tackles for loss, 36 overall tackles and an interception (which he returned for a touchdown in a close win over Northwestern).
Moss likely would've gone into next season as the starter opposite All-American candidate Randy Gregory. Moss spent most of this season as a backup to Gregory and Jason Ankrah, who was a senior.
Moss, from the Phoenix area, is an excellent athlete -- he received recruiting attention from some mid-major basketball programs in high school -- who has a relatively high ceiling as a pass rusher. His ability to hold up against the run was a question heading into the 2013 season, but that concern was alleviated somewhat by his steady play.
His departure likely means sophomore-to-be Greg McMullen (6-3, 285), who had 16 tackles and a sack this season, will head into spring drills as the starter opposite Gregory. Another candidate to start at the position is junior college transfer Joe Keels (6-4, 280), who already is enrolled and will go through spring practice. Keels -- considered one of the nation's 20 best JC recruits -- originally committed to Wisconsin before flipping to Nebraska.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
