'It's a Super Competitive Gym': Cale Jacobsen Details Nebraska Basketball's Offseason

The road back to the NCAA Tournament is already underway in Lincoln.

For Nebraska men's basketball, that means bringing eight newcomers up to speed while competing at a high level throughout summer workouts. For rising senior guard Cale Jacobsen, who's entering his fifth season with the Big Red, it also means stepping into a larger leadership role.

After helping Nebraska to the best season in program history in 2025-26, Jacobsen is looking to bring that same level of urgency into the 2026-27 campaign. Here's everything he had to say during his media availability Thursday afternoon.

Nebraska guard Cale Jacobsen looks to dish the ball to a teammate against USC Upstate. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Accepting Your Role

Jacobsen has embraced a variety of roles throughout his collegiate career, making him one of the team's most experienced voices when it comes to buying into whatever is asked of him every year. From his comments, he believes this year's roster will have to do the same.

With competition for playing time still ironing itself out, Jacobsen said the next step will be for each player to settle into a role and embrace it over the coming months.

“Right now, it’s just a super competitive gym,” Jacobsen said. “And everybody’s fighting for those spots. But as we start to narrow things down, we’ll have to start to buy into the roles from 1-15. That’s super important. It’s what allowed us to be successful last year.”

Cale Jacobsen and Jamarques Lawrenc — Jamarques Lawrence and Cale Jacobsen celebrate following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska and Vanderbilt. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

From Rookie to Vet

Jacobsen enters his fifth and final season in Lincoln this fall after appearing in 79 games, including three starts. During that stretch, he's helped Nebraska win 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

Now, the former walk-on is expected to take on a more vocal role after proving himself over the past four years. While it's still an adjustment being viewed as one of the veterans on the team, he's embracing what it means.

“We lost a lot of leadership and a lot of older guys, but there’s a next group of us that are going into year four and five who have to fill in and step into that role,” Jacobsen said. “It’s been cool; it’s been fun. And I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues to grow.”

Fred Hoiberg celebrates after his Huskers beat Vanderbilt in a second-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Blending New Additions with a Returning Core

The Huskers had five players exhaust their eligibility after the 2025-26 season, while four others entered the transfer portal. Even so, NU retained several key contributors from last year's Sweet 16 team. With their replacements now on campus, Jacobsen said the group has maintained many of the same qualities that made last year's squad so successful.

“We’re a super fun group with a lot of good dudes,” he said. “As we continue to play more live, you start to see why the coaching staff really liked a lot of these guys. They’re super talented, and all do a lot of good things, but ultimately, everybody's pretty unselfish again, and it's been fun.”

Nebraska added length, shooting, and rebounding through the transfer portal this offseason. From Jacobsen's perspective, it's already easy to see why Fred Hoiberg and his staff targeted the newcomers they did. It won't be long before fans get to see it with their own eyes as well.

Pryce Sandfort shoots a three point shot against Northwestern . — Pryce Sandfort shoots a three point shot against Northwestern. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An Emphasis on Shooting

Pryce Sandfort turned himself into an All-Big Ten First-Team selection a year ago, largely on the strength of his shooting, particularly from beyond the arc. Needing to replace four starters from the 2025-26 season, Hoiberg's staff attempted to surround the Iowa transfer with fellow shooters ahead of his senior year.

In Jacobsen's eyes, NU did just that.

“Our offense can be hard to stop when the ball goes in,” said Jacobsen. “That’s kind of the big thing. If we can get shots up, we think we have a pretty good chance. So, turnovers and then giving up offensive rebounds, that hurts our offense, so we want as many bullets as we can to take shots at the rim.”

Headin’ West this fall. ✊ pic.twitter.com/XTm506jsaA
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) May 14, 2026

The Huskers open their upcoming season with an exhibition matchup against BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Friday, October 16. The 2025-26 season opened with Nebraska taking down the Cougars in an exhibition at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 90-89.

NU has 14 more weeks to prepare before the unofficial start of the season. Until then, expect the Big Red to continue staying competitive, identify their roles, and strive to make another deep NCAA Tournament run.

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