It seems like no one can really agree on what to call the position.
So, since senior Dane Todd is the elder statesman of the group, the definition might as well defer to him.
``The H-back is the U-man in most situations,'' Todd said.
Confused yet?
When Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan brought the West Coast offense to Lincoln, along with it came a new glossary of terminology. The playbook was jammed full of enough Xs, Ys and Zs to fill an eye chart.
The latest development in the offense is the expanded role of the H-back - a combination of the fullback and tight end position designed to give the Cornhuskers a numbers advantage through motion.
``Whenever we want to get some real movement and give the defense a different look,'' Todd said, ``make them shift out of blitzes and into different coverages.''
Tight Ends Coach Shawn Watson oversees the H-back spot and culled prospects from both the tight end and fullback positions. He said this spring Todd will be joined by junior tight end J.B. Phillips and sophomore tight ends Clayton Sievers and Hunter Teafatiller in trying out for the position.
``They're doing a nice job with it,'' Watson said. ``It just gives us more possibilities with an adjustment or a move.''
The H-back seems to be more than just window-dressing for defenses or another way to get a lead blocker at the point of attack. The Husker offense has room for plays designed to get the ball into the hands of whoever lines up in the H-back spot on flat routes or checkdown routes.
Fullbacks catching passes were previously unheard of in past years at NU, but Todd showed able hands last season, snagging eight passes for 75 yards.
More NFL teams are using the H-back role as well. Chris Cooley of the Washington Redskins and former Tennessee Titan Frank Wycheck are considered standards for the relatively new spot.
Maryland's Vernon Davis often lined up in the H-back role last season and is considered one of the top overall prospects in this year's upcoming NFL Draft.
Phillips pointed out the number of tight ends on the NU roster gives coaches enough bodies to move around. Eight tight ends are participating in spring practice, including senior Matt Herian, who figures to get the starting nod if is able to adequately recover from a broken leg that has sidelined him since October 2004.
The position calls for a bigger adjustment for the tight ends, who now must get used to starting plays from the backfield instead of on the line of scrimmage.
``We have to teach them they're playing from a different alignment,'' Watson said. ``It may not sound like a big deal, but it is. All their routes - what were six yards now are three yards deeper in the backfield. It's a little different space.''
Todd sees progress from the tight ends joining him in the backfield, saying he has been helping them in picking up the different footwork and angles that a fullback is already used to.
However, the true improvement will come with more repetitions in an unfamiliar spot.
``Until you get back there and see how a play looks five yards deep instead of up on the line, it's a big difference,'' Todd said.
After all, that's what part of being the elder statesman is all about.
``It's new for J.B., Clay and Hunter,'' he said, ``but for me it's an old hat.''
is a member of the 
