Nebrasketball Transfer Portal Tracker: Additions, Departures & Updated Roster for 2026-27

The Nebrasketball offseason is officially here.

With Thursday's loss to Iowa in the Sweet 16, Nebraska men's basketball closed the greatest season in program history with a 28-7 record. Numerous records fell over the past several months, but, most importantly, the Huskers notched their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Now, coach Fred Hoiberg and Co. look to run it back in 2026-27. The Huskers are coming off back-to-back-to-back 20-plus win seasons. Hoiberg also signed an extension this year to take him through the 2031-32 season.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager and head coach Fred Hoiberg celebrate after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The ever-changing nature of collegiate rosters makes right now an important time for the program. Five Huskers have exhausted their eligibility: Kendall Blue, Jared Garcia, Sam Hoiberg, Jamarques Lawrence, and Rienk Mast. Two other seniors are seeking waivers to return next season: Connor Essegian and Ugnius Jaruševičius.

The Huskers are set to return All-Big Ten sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager. Sandfort, though, is expected to test the NBA draft waters, but is more likely to return to Lincoln with a healthy NIL increase. Starter Berke Büyüktuncel and regular rotation player Cale Jacobsen are also expected back.

Nebraska has a number of underclassmen who could step into bigger roles next year. That includes forward Leo Curtis and guard Quentin Rhymes. The Huskers are adding a pair of four-star forwards from the high school level in Jacob Lanier and Colin Rice.

Pryce Sandfort earned All-Big Ten honors in his first season with Nebraska. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Whether by addition or subtraction, the transfer portal will be big again for Hoiberg. The portal opens on April 7 and runs through April 21. Outside of a coaching change or becoming a graduate transfer, those 15 days are the only time a player can enter the portal.

Below are the full lists of players that have exhausted their eligibility, are expected to return, are being added from high school, and both transfers in and out of the program.

Exhausted Eligibility
Transfers Out
Transfers In
Expected Returners
High School Signees
The 2025-26 Season
Hoiberg's History in Lincoln

Exhausted Eligibility

Name	Position	Height	Weight
Kendall Blue	Guard	6-6	200 lbs
Jared Garcia	Forward	6-8	235 lbs
Sam Hoiberg	Guard	6-0	180 lbs
Jamarques Lawrence	Guard	6-3	185 lbs
Rienk Mast	Forward	6-10	250 lbs

Transfers Out

No departing transfers yet.

Transfers In

No incoming transfers yet.

Expected Returners

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Years Remaining
Justin Bolis	Forward	6-8	225 lbs	2
Henry Burt	Forward	6-7	235 lbs	1
Berke Büyüktuncel	Forward	6-10	244 lbs	1
Will Cooper	Forward	6-6	215 lbs	3
Leo Curtis	Forward	7-2	245 lbs	3
Connor Essegian	Guard	6-4	205 lbs	1
Braden Frager	Forward	6-7	215 lbs	3
Cale Jacobsen	Guard	6-4	195 lbs	1
Ugnius Jaruševičius	Forward	6-11	245 lbs	1
Quentin Rhymes	Guard	6-6	192 lbs	4
Pryce Sandfort	Forward	6-7	210 lbs	1

High School Signees

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Stars (247)	High School	Hometown
Jacob Lanier	Forward	6-5	180 lbs	4	Parkview Magnet	Little Rock, AR
Colin Rice	Forward	6-7	180 lbs	4	Waukee Northwest	Waukee, IA

The 2025-26 Season

Only two from the 2024-25 group were back, in Berke Büyüktuncel and Sam Hoiberg. Sixth man Connor Essegian was also back. Rienk Mast, after missing the 2024-25 campaign with a long rehab stint, returned to action.

Cale Jacobsen, who took center stage with his efforts at the College Basketball Crown, looked primed for another step in his junior season. Braden Frager redshirted as a true freshman and entered the year looking to find his spot in the rotation.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Cale Jacobsen during a practice session ahead of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Those returners were joined by a pair of transfers: Pryce Sandfort and Jamarques Lawrence. Sandfort flipped allegiances from Iowa. Lawrence, who spent his first two seasons in Lincoln, returned after a one-year hiatus to Rhode Island.

Although other transfers, like Kendall Blue, Ugnius Jarusevicius, and Jared Garcia, also joined the team, it was those guys above that formed the main nucleus.

The Huskers opened up 8-0, notching neutral-site wins over Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas State. However, Essegian was lost in the seventh game with a season-ending injury.

Then came the "prove-it" week. In home games against Creighton and Wisconsin and a road trip to No. 13 Illinois, the perfect season continued. Nebrasketball went perfect, rolling to a 20-0 start and No. 5 ranking in the AP poll.

Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence prepares to make his move against Creighton. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

But "prove-it" week was nothing compared to late January and into February.

Nebraska lost back-to-back games at No. 3 Michigan State and then at home with No. 9 Illinois. The Huskers weren't at full strength, dealing with injuries and illness to multiple players. That continued the next week with a loss to No. 13 Purdue, before a mid-February loss at Iowa.

Despite going 6-5 after the 20-0 start, Nebraska still finished the Big Ten Conference slate at 15-5, good for second in the league. The Huskers earned a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, but a rematch with Purdue was all Boilermakers, 74-58.

At 26-6, Nebraska entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4-seed in the South Region, opening with Troy in Oklahoma City. With red overrunning the city and the arena, the Huskers dominated the Trojans, 76-47, for the program's first-ever March Madness victory.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrate after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Two days later, against the No. 5-seed Vanderbilt, Nebraska held a lead for most of the game. But the Commodores fought back and made the closing seconds a back-and-forth heavyweight fight. In the end, it was Frager's layup with 2.2 seconds remaining that put the Huskers into the Sweet 16.

In Houston, Nebraska led for more than 32 minutes of game time, but went ice cold over the final five minutes. That's when Iowa took advantage with a 9-0 run, and a play with only four Huskers on the court, to eliminate the Big Red one game shy of the Elite Eight.

Hoiberg's History in Lincoln

The last three years could not be more different than the first three years of the Hoiberg era in Lincoln.

Hoiberg inherited a program that went 19-17 and made the second round of the NIT the year before, but only two players returned: Dachon Burke Jr. and Thorir Thorbjarnarson.

Despite a flurry of transfer additions and a 4-0 trip to Italy in August, the team struggled during the season. Hoiberg's inaugural season in Lincoln finished at 7-25, capped off by a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament just as the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg talks to guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

More roster turnover the next year brought a similar result, going 7-20. That roster featured players like Teddy Allen, Dalano Banton, Derrick Walker, Lat Mayen, and Trey McGowens. Late in the year, Hoiberg agreed to a restructured contract with then-athletics director Trev Alberts.

McGowens and Walker returned the next season, bolstered by the additions of Bryce McGowens, Keisei Tominaga, Alonzo Verge Jr., and CJ Wilcher. Another disappointing result followed, going 10-22, but the Huskers put together a three-game winning streak going into the Big Ten Tournament with some life.

The transfer trio of Emmanuel Bandoumel, Juwan Gary, and Sam Griesel had the 2022-23 team looking to make a turn. They started that season 6-3, including wins over Florida State, Boston College, and at Creighton. But injuries and the Big Ten slate had the season looking to be on the brink again, as the Huskers entered February 10-13. Then, Tominaga took over and helped the Big Red with 6-of-8 to get NU to a 16-16 final record.

More impact transfers made their way to Lincoln, including Josiah Allick, Rienk Mast, and Brice Williams. Those additions, plus returners like Sam Hoiberg taking a step in development, turned a 7-0 start into 12-2 and then 22-9 before the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, falling to Texas A&M in the first round to finish 23-11.

Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga drives to the basket during the first round game between Texas A&M and Nebraska in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 22, 2024. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Berke Büyüktuncel and Connor Essegian became Huskers, but the absence of Mast and several important departures left the Big Red searching for its identity much of the season. Eventually, the scoring from Williams became the identity on offense. That helped the Huskers get to 17-9, but a five-game losing streak to end the regular season kept them from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

In a twist of fate that gave the program a boost into the offseason, Nebraska accepted an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Crown. The Huskers went 4-0, winning the event. That sparked some momentum into 2025-26, and the greatest season in program history.

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