Natalie Potts Confirms Return to Nebraska Following Redshirt Season

A former Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten honorable mention player is set to return to the hardwood for the Huskers for the 2026-27 season.

Natalie Potts, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore forward, shared on social media Tuesday, confirming that she would return to the Nebraska women's basketball program with a post to her personal Instagram. Potts has spent three seasons in Lincoln with the Huskers after earning two Missouri High School Player of the Year honors during her prep career.

"Next gameday outfit... [a] Husker uniform," Potts posted to Instagram Tuesday.

Husker hoops fans have had to remain patient with Potts over the past two seasons, as the All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2024 has yet to play for the Big Red since suffering a devastating knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 season. Potts' injury against North Alabama would force her to undergo surgery in December of 2024, as the forward was placed on a medical redshirt immediately and missed the remainder of her sophomore campaign.

Despite being able to participate in Nebraska's game-day shootaround activities during her third season in Lincoln, Potts' recovery proved to be too much to force a return for her junior season, despite having aimed for a return midway through the 2025-26 season. Instead, Potts was awarded a redshirt for the season, as the Huskers made the announcement on Jan. 29.

“I am making slow but steady progress, and I appreciate the thoughts and encouragement of Husker fans everywhere,” Potts said in a release in late January. “I love my teammates and coaches and will give them my full support as we push for the postseason. I really want to be out there fighting to win with them, but I am just not in position to do that yet.”

Natalie Potts (22) smiles after a foul sends her to the free throw line for an and-one. — Natalie Potts (22) smiles after a foul sends her to the free throw line for an and-one in her freshman season in 2024. | Amarillo Mullen

“Natalie is working diligently and progressing with her rehabilitation,” Nebraska coach Amy Williams said in the January press release. “At this time, we believe that it is in the best interest of her long-term health to give her more time to continue to progress and gain confidence with her return to full participation.”

Potts was an unanimous choice for the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2023-24, earning the honor from the conference coaches while also being awarded an honorable-mention All-Big Ten nod by the league's media. The forward started all 35 games of her true freshman season, helping Nebraska advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Potts was off to a blazing start again in the 2024-25 season, averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through four full games of her sophomore season.

Nebraska basketball forward Natalie Potts (22) fights to score against Southeastern Louisiana in 2024. | Nebraska Athletics

Potts was a key recruit in Amy Williams' 2023 class, as the forward averaged 18.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as a senior at Incarnate Word Academy. She capped her prep career with a 32-0 record, claiming the school's third straight Class 6 state championship. She was also named the Missouri MaxPreps and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021 and 2023. She finished her prep career with over 2,100 points and 1,000 rebounds.

"I couldn’t be more proud of the way she’s approaching her rehab and working hard every day to get back out there as soon as she possibly can," coach Williams said of Potts during her Sports Nightly appearance in October.

Potts joins Nebraska's sharpshooting guard Logan Nissley as a returner for the 2026-27 season after Nissley posted her return to the program on social media last week. Fellow forward Amiah Hargrove also posted about her confirmed return on Monday, as Nebraska has only one player reportedly entering the transfer portal in forward Jessica Petrie. Potts' and Hargroves' return sets up the Huskers with several options at forward, including Petra Bozan.

Natalie Potts hits an open-court lay-up. | Amarillo Mullen

While the recovery period may have been a long journey for Potts, Williams hinted that the forward may have added more elements to her game that the redshirt sophomore only hinted at showing during her initial start of the 2024-25 season.

"After being named freshman of the year, [she] just went to work where some people kind of let their foot off the gas," Williams said during Potts' recovery in December. "She hated that people would play off of her. She was just shooting 70-something percent from the three-point line before she went down."

"The way she worked to become a better three-point shooter in that off-season - well, that's what we're watching her do right now in her rehab. She's a way better ball handler than she's ever been. She's picking up new skills that I think are going to broaden her game," Williams said in December.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Natalie Potts (22) works around Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kate Martin (20) during the second half at Target Center. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Nebraska also has incoming four-star freshman Ashlyn Koupal and Ava Miles from the 2026 recruitment class, providing an immediate spark of young talent for the Big Red to join Potts and the returning Huskers. Koupal is a top-rated prospect as the No. 11 recruit in the country, while Miles is a top-75 recruit.

The women's college basketball transfer portal officially opens on April 6 and closes on April 20.