Five Players Who Won't Be with Nebrasketball in 2026-27 Season

Nebrasketball's dream season came to a close on Thursday, and with it, the careers of several Huskers.

After a 28-7 campaign and a run to the Sweet 16, the Huskers turn to the offseason and the future. Here are five players who won't be back in 2026-27, and a few who have major decisions to make.

Sam Hoiberg

The first and only player in the Fred Hoiberg era to begin his career in Lincoln and stay for the entirety of it, Sam Hoiberg made monumental strides every year in the program.

After redshirting as a true freshman, he got a chance to crack the rotation with a season-ending injury to Emmanuel Bandoumel. Hoiberg was key in helping the Huskers get to a .500 record for the first time under his dad.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg reacts after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores in a second-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Now a regular in the rotation, Hoiberg posted a team-best 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and was second on the team in steals as Nebraska made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade. He would make 15 starts the next season, with his consistency on defense and taking care of the ball offensively proving valuable.

As a senior, Hoiberg's scoring took a jump. He averaged 9.3 points per game this season, while being one of the nation's best in assist-to-turnover ratio and on the defensive end. He was named to the Big Ten's All-Defensive Team for his efforts.

Hoiberg notched 157 assists on the year, good for eighth place on the program's single-season list. His 70 steals are sixth-best in a single season. For his career, Hoiberg ranks seventh for steals (162) and 10th for games played (125).

Rienk Mast

From the Netherlands, Rienk Mast began his collegiate career at Bradley. In three seasons of play, he totaled 1,001 points and 657 rebounds. He earned first-team All-MVC honors before electing to transfer to Nebraska.

Mast made an immediate impact in his first season in Lincoln, making 32 starts and averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game as the Big Red made it back to the Big Dance. He was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches, but was playing on a bad knee that required surgery after the season.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast reacts during the first half against the Troy Trojans during a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

That surgery kept him out for the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign.

Back and healthy for this season, Mast notched the third trible-double in program history in November. He was second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, while also pulling down the most rebounds and dishing out more than 100 assists on the year.

Jamarques Lawrence

Jamarques Lawrence joins Sam Hoiberg as the first Fred Hoiberg players to begin and end their careers in Lincoln. For Lawrence, though, a detour took place in the middle.

As a freshman, Lawrence immediately made the rotation for 28 games, making 12 starts. That increased to 23 starts the next year at point guard, but he flourished in the final stretch off the bench, averaging 9.5 points per game while shooting 55% from the field and 52% from 3-point range.

Nebraska's Jamarques Lawrence reacts after a basket during a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After helping Nebraska back to the NCAA Tournament, Lawrence transferred to Rhode Island. He started all 31 games and averaged 9.9 points, 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Back in Lincoln for his senior campaign, Lawrence averaged 9.1 points and a career-high 3.6 assists per game. He was instrumental in the 20-0 start, including a last-second game-winner at Illinois.

Jared Garcia

Jared Garcia began his career at Charlotte, where he spent two seasons with the 49ers and was a teammate of former NU All-Big Ten guard Brice Williams. Across two seasons, he saw action in 40 games.

In one year at Salt Lake Community College, he averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while helping SLCC to a 29-5 record and a berth in the national tournament.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Jared Garcia shoots the ball during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Back at the Division I level, Garcia spent two seasons at Tulsa. After starting all 31 games and averaging 9.4 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game, his final season there was hindered by an injury that kept him out until mid-January.

In Lincoln, Garcia's playing time took a dip. Despite appearing in 28 games, he averaged just 8.2 minutes per game. Still, his impact showed up in key moments, including a late-game tip-in to help the Huskers beat the Illini in Champaign.

Kendall Blue

Kendall Blue spent his first three seasons of college at St. Thomas (Minn.). The Tommies were new to Division I, but Blue spent no time making his mark. He totaled over 1,000 career points and started 89 of 100 career games for the Tommies, which recorded consecutive 20-win seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

In Lincoln, Blue struggled to crack the rotation. He saw the floor in just 19 games. His most-extensive playing time came against FIU, where he saw 11 minutes of action. He scored a season-high four points against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Pryce Sandfort

Pryce Sandfort has one year of eligibility remaining, but he also has the biggest decision to make on the team.

Sandfort is drawing NBA draft buzz. In a February ESPN big board ranking of the top 100 prospects, he was listed at No. 47. Since then, he has only shown off more abilities that franchises will want at the next level.

He'll test the draft waters and see what teams have to say, but he's likely still in that second round territory. Those draft picks do not come with a guaranteed salary scale. That means potentially signing for the minimum, which is $1,272,870 this year.

Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort celebrates a 3-point basket in front of Vanderbilt's Chandler Bing during a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite that potential, sources indicate that Sandfort will make more than that by returning to Nebraska for his senior season.

The team's leading scorer at 18.1 points per game, Sandfort destroyed the school record for single-season made three-pointers. He finished with 129 makes, surpassing the previous record of 89 by Cary Cochran in 2001-02. Sandfort earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches.

In the NCAA Tournament, Sandfort shot 57.1% from deep, making 16 three-pointers across three games.

Braden Frager

After redshirting his first year, Braden Frager burst onto the scene this season. In the season-opener against West Georgia, he had 22 points. That was the first of six 20-point outings he would put together on the season.

The Big Ten's Sixth Man of the Year, Frager dealth with an ankle injury that kept him out for multiple games. He wasn't back to full strength for several games after that.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager reacts against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

But in the NCAA Tournament, he was back to his old self. He scored 13 points in the first-ever Nebrasketball Tournament victory. He followed that up with 15 points, including the game-winning layup, two days later.

In the Sweet 16 against Iowa, he made five three-pointers and was instrumental in keeping Nebraska out in front for most of the game.

After a monster freshman campaign, Frager is likely to command deeper NIL funding.

Quentin Rhymes

Despite the success of Frager, with redshirting and then playing a prominent role in year two, Fred Hoiberg does not have a strong history of keeping young players for multiple years, especially if they didn't see the floor right away. Quentin Rhymes just redshirted his true freshman season.

Rhymes was the No. 108 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite ranking and the No. 5 player in the state of Arizona, while On3 had him ranked No. 118 nationally and the sixth-ranked prospect in the state in 2025. He averaged 22.4 points per game as a senior, to go with 7.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.