Former All-SoCon Freshman to Leave Nebraska, Enter the Transfer Portal

Georgia native Jaylen George made the decision to enter the transfer portal on Friday morning.

A junior, George's entry was listed on his recruiting profile via the Rivals transfer portal hub on their site. He will have one more year of eligibility remaining.

George came to Nebraska with the potential to make an immediate impact on a young defensive line room. However, after seeing how 2025 played out, the 6-foot-3, 285-pound linemen were never able to see an extended runway of playing time.

A former three-star recruit, George started his collegiate career playing for FCS East Tennessee State before transferring to Nebraska prior to this fall. In his first three seasons, George did well in becoming one of the better FCS defensive linemen in the country.

After redshirting in 2022, the Georgia native went on to start his final 23 games for the Buccaneers while helping them become one of the top defenses against the run in the FCS. Before joining the Huskers, his resume was impressive, as he gathered 54 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks.

Matt Rhule has now officially made three staff changes, with the latest seeing defensive line coach Terry Bradden on his way out. https://t.co/hc9yBWaeeZ
— 𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚛𝙼𝚊𝚡 (@Huskermax) December 9, 2025

Prior to the end of the regular season, Nebraska made the decision to let go of first-year defensive line coach Terry Bradden. Though Bradden did not have much to do with George's recruitment, the two had likely built up a relationship in their time. While the Huskers have yet to name a replacement for the 2026 season, Nebraska will likely attempt to compete for several high-dollar defensive linemen in this cycle after witnessing how hard it is to compete against top teams without that level of production.

George is the second Husker defensive lineman to enter the portal as of Jan. 2. The other includes Nebraska legacy Maverick Noonan, who played in the Las Vegas Bowl despite announcing his intent to find a new school back on Dec. 22.

Of the 11 transfer portal entries Nebraska has seen to this point, six of those players are on the defensive side of the ball. Others, such as linebacker Roger Gradney, and a trio of defensive backs, including Preston Okafor, Malcolm Hartzog, and Caden VerMaas, have also made the decision to find new homes.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule before the Huskers' 2025 season opener against Cincinnati. — Matt Rhule is entering his fourth season as head coach of Nebraska with a 19-19 record in his time. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

While the news was not necessarily a blindside, Nebraska will need to shore up the defensive line quickly to compete next fall. The Huskers' schedule for 2026 includes all three Big Ten schools that made the College Football Playoff this season, and stopping the run will need to be priority one against those programs.

In recent weeks, several coaches, along with athletic director Troy Dannen, have made comments suggesting Nebraska will be highly competitive from an NIL and revenue-sharing standpoint, and with the portal officially opening on Friday, they will now need to back that up in a very real way.

Entering the fourth year of Rhule's contract, he has signed an extension, making his dismissal not likely regardless of how the 2026 season plays out. However, the Huskers do risk trust in the staff from a fan base that has been attempting to keep the program afloat without many signs of good faith in the win-loss column for far too long.

I'm not suggesting the end is near, but I am saying there will need to be noticeable jumps made in competitiveness over the coming months. Securing a bowl game for the second straight season is progress, but losing three consecutive games by 20+ points is not.

Currently, the Nebraska staff stays focused on the now. They're at the precipice of a two-week window to expedite the progress that needs to be made, and adding impactful additions on both lines of scrimmage would go a long way towards signaling their investment in better days ahead.

For George, his time as a Husker likely didn't go how either side had imagined, but the current window marks the opportunity for Nebraska to get it right this time around. No longer will the Huskers be handicapped monetarily; now it's time to prove they're able to get the job done.

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