A Transfer Portal To-Do List for Nebraska Football

In a little over six weeks, players and teams will begin making their moves. Jeremy Pernell takes a position-by-position look at the possibilities for the Huskers.

Will the Huskers be able to keep both TJ Lateef and Dylan Raiola in the fold in 2026? | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska is sitting at 7-3 coming out of its final bye week. The Huskers close out the regular season with a night game on the road this weekend against Penn State on the Nittany Lions' Senior Day and with their annual Black Friday rivalry against Iowa in Lincoln.

Nebraska has a chance to match its highest regular-season win total since 2016 and would be a bowl win away from its first 10-win season since 2012.

This is an ascending program that might be a successful offseason portal class away from a playoff run in 2026. On Nov. 10, during his Monday press conference, Matt Rhule addressed his optimism with Nebraska's roster budget moving forward. "This will be the first year where we have the money now. I can't complain anymore, right? We've got what we need. So this is the first time we're a have."

“We can now go get anybody we want. At the same time we have the ability to keep our guys now," Rhule continued. "Guys don't have to be embarrassed about, 'Hey, Coach, these guys are offering me this.' So we can now be the best of the best. So I want to put the best players in the country in this room and not have to worry about, 'Hey, can I afford to do it now?' Some people might still have more than us but we have a lot. So it's kind of a unique thing.”

It's a different tone from the one he used last month when he dismissed any interest in the Penn State opening. This leads me to believe he was given some assurances during negotiations for the contract extension he signed Oct. 30.

The upcoming portal window is Jan. 2-16, although there is already movement and offers being made — including from Nebraska, who offered Oklahoma State cornerback Carrington Pierce on Nov. 12.

The upcoming coaching carousel will make for an interesting portal cycle. Openings at prominent programs like LSU, Florida, Penn State, Auburn, Arkansas and eventually Florida State and Wisconsin, could lead to more talented players being receptive to changing addresses. That doesn't include the chain reaction that will follow when coaches leave their current schools to fill these and other openings.

I think Nebraska will be very active in the portal and anticipate north of fifteen players being added this offseason. Like everyone else, the Huskers will also lose their share of players. Some will sting more than others. Without knowing who those players will be, let's take a tentative look at each position group to see if there will be competition brought in to bolster the roster.

Quarterback

Keeping talent at the QB spot had been a challenge long before the transfer portal changed the landscape. Nebraska will have a tough time keeping both Dylan Raiola and TJ Lateef. Several teams tried to poach Raiola last offseason and despite his injury, the Huskers will need to fend off teams again in coming weeks.

Lateef will also be a very popular player this offseason. Nebraska is prepared to give him a very competitive offer, but he'll be turning down more money if he decides to stay in Lincoln next season. Lateef came to Nebraska knowing Raiola would be starter through at least 2026. Does he continue to embrace that timeline or jump at an opportunity elsewhere? If he leaves, the team will need to find someone to fill his spot much the same way the Huskers did last offseason when they added Marcos Davila from Purdue a week after Daniel Kaelin left for Virginia.

Running Back

Even before Emmett Johnson put together a season worthy of All-American recognition, the Huskers were going to need to target another back to pair with him next season. With Johnson playing his way into being a Day 2 draft pick, the RB spot might be the most important portal position this offseason.

During his Oct. 2 "House Rhules" podcast, Matt Rhule had a nearly hour-long in-depth conversation with On3's Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman. Among several interesting topics, Rhule commented several times about the importance of a "dominant" running back. Johnson has been Nebraska's most indispensable player this year and the Huskers will come to the table with a huge offer to retain him. Even so, it's a coin flip that Johnson returns for his senior season. If that's the case, I think you'll see two new additions to the room.

Oregon running back Makhi Hughes could be a target for the Huskers. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the event they need to find a new RB1, I think the Huskers will go after the top available players in the portal. The staff can sell Johnson's involvement in the offense and overall production to prospective suitors.

I'm intrigued by Oregon's Makhi Hughes, who transferred from Tulane this past offseason. He is redshirting after his role in a deep, crowded Ducks backfield was limited to start the season. Hughes was first-team All-AAC in 2023 and 2024 prior to joining Oregon and was a preseason second-team All-American.

Wide Receiver

The Huskers lose Dane Key, but if the room is otherwise untouched by the portal this offseason, they'll return a strong young core group of receivers. You could see Quinn Clark or Cortez Mills replace Key in the starting lineup next season, but I think they will try and find another top-line guy to pair with Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney.

Tight End

You have to like the emergence of Luke Lindenmeyer and the staff still loves the untapped potential of Carter Nelson. But there's not much behind those two after Heinrich Haarberg graduates. Mac Markway will be coming off of his second severe knee injury and outside of solid blocking from Cayden Echternach, you don't have much in the way of a receiving threat outside Lindenmeyer and Nelson.

I wouldn't be surprised if Janiran Bonner — who will be coming back from a right ACL injury — moves to an H-back role next season. Nebraska also has a commitment from Anaheim (Calif.) Servite standout Luke Sorensen, but I still expect them to add someone to the room through the portal.

Offensive line

Nebraska is set to graduate starting guards Rocco Spindler and Henry Lutovsky. They also lose part-time starting tackles Turner Corcoran and Teddy Prochazka.

Assuming Elijah Pritchett returns next season, the O-line will be set at center (Justin Evans) and at one tackle spot (I still contend Pritchett is best suited for the right side). I also believe Gunnar Gottula is better suited to play guard, but either way, there's little doubt the Huskers need to target a top-level offensive tackle this offseason — again — especially if they want to continue building the offense around a pocket passer with limited mobility like Dylan Raiola. It's paramount they find an elite bookend.

They probably want to find another interior player too unless they're confident they can find two new starters between a group consisting of Preston Taumua, Grant Brix, Jason Maciejczak, Tyler Knaak, Gibson Pyle and potentially Gottula.

Defensive line

I remain optimistic about this group as a whole. Williams Nwaneri, Keona Davis, Riley Van Poppel and Kade Pietrzak are an outstanding young quartet who will continue to get better. The team has Cam Lenhardt for another season and I expect redshirting freshmen Malcolm Simpson and Tyson Terry to make noise next season.

At the same time, this position group could use at least two more big bodies. Nebraska doesn't have a D-lineman committed in their 2026 recruiting class and have made a pair of junior college offers recently. Bottom line, you can bet this will be a major point of emphasis through the portal.

Getting more big bodies for the defensive line is likely to be a portal priority for the Huskers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Do last offseason additions Gabe Moore and Jaylen George even come back? Moore has gotten reps lately but he continues to struggle with the same right knee that he injured at Mississippi State. George has been on a milk carton during conference play.

I've asked the question before, but where does John Butler go with this defense? I still maintain he'd be better off moving to a more traditional 40 front and playing a big nickel behind it. It's more geared toward what he's coached in the NFL and would maintain the versatility in the backend that he and Matt Rhule like with having five defensive backs on the field.

Either way, the Huskers need to allocate big money toward finding at least one difference-maker on the interior. They really missed Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher this season.

Linebacker

This is a pretty thin position group that I think needs to be addressed in the portal. Assuming the system stays intact, the Huskers need at least one JACK to join the program. They lose Dasan McCullough and I expect Willis McGahee to leave. Jordan Ochoa still has a ways to go and Maverick Noonan's development has been stunted by the injury he sustained last season. Dylan Rogers is playing out of necessity right now.

Losing Javin Wright will hurt, but I really like the prospect of pairing Vincent Shavers and Dawson Merritt at linebacker next season. I think Pierce Mooberry has a bright future and if the game slows down for Christian Jones, so does he. I think the Huskers will want to continue to get more athletic and want to bring in guys for competition and to push for jobs.

Defensive back

In August when I was previewing the secondary, I wrote, "The secondary is at an interesting mesh point. There are several multi-year starters being pushed by youngsters who are now entering their second and third years in the program. It's a large, competitive room that has seen a lot of jostling this spring and summer to try and establish roles this fall."

We saw redshirt freshman Rex Guthrie take over at safety in place of team captain and 29-game starter Marques Buford in the fifth game of the season. With the upcoming losses of standout corner-turned-nickel Ceyair Wright and rover DeShon Singleton, the reshaping will continue next season with attrition expected beyond just the graduating seniors.

Longtime nickel Malcolm Hartzog is redshirting and expected to return next year, but his spot is far from secure. Outside of Andrew Marshall at corner and presumably Guthrie at one of the safety spots, little is settled.

A high-end cornerback to play opposite Andrew Marshall could be on the Huskers' shopping list. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Donovan Jones has stepped into Ceyair Wright's cornerback spot as Wright moved to nickel to replace Hartzog, but I think Jones is a better fit at safety. Does he stay at corner? At various points during the past few offseasons, a number of coaches have praised the development of Amare Sanders and Jeremiah Charles, but their defensive reps have been few and far between this season. Can Blye Hill get healthy and take back a job that was briefly his during his first offseason with the program in 2024?

The Huskers are set to bring in consensus four-star Danny Odem, who will look to establish a role immediately in this secondary. Can he win a corner job as a true freshman?

I think Nebraska needs to look for another high-end starter to play opposite Marshall in the portal and fill in the safety spots around them.

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