All Huskers

Nebraska Loses Another Offensive Lineman to Transfer Portal

The New Zealand native did not play in a game during his redshirt season at Nebraska.
Austin Jacobsen|
Brian Tapu
Brian Tapu | Nebraska Athletics

In this story:

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Following a redshirt campaign in his first year in Lincoln, Brian Tapu is moving on from Nebraska football.

Tapu, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound freshman offensive lineman from South Auckland, New Zealand, entered the transfer portal Friday. After not appearing in a game in 2025, he joined fellow Husker O-linemen Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak in leaving via the portal, with Maciejczak already announcing his intention to join Wyoming.

Tapu played only one season of high school football after moving from New Zealand to Utah. He was coached at Salt Lake City West High School by former Husker All-America offensive lineman Toniu Fonoti.

Tapu was a force for West High as a senior in 2024, helping the Panthers average nearly 35 points, 325 passing yards and 285 rushing yards per game. He was a multi-sport athlete, playing basketball and netball in his home country before converting to American football.

Rivals rated Tapu as a three-star prospect out of high school, and he was one of the top 10 recruits in in Utah during the 2025 recruiting cycle. He was listed as one of the top 65 offensive tackle prospects in the country when he committed to Nebraska over offers from Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas and others.

After Nebraska's 2025 regular-season finale against Iowa, the coach who recruited Tapu, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, was replaced by Geep Wade from Georgia Tech. The Huskers have since begun retooling the offensive line through the portal, adding Iowa State's Brendan Black and South Carolina's Tree Babalade.

Brian Tapu
Brian Tapu | Nebraska Athletics

With Wade leading the offensive line, Nebraska football expects to simplify its teachings to give the Huskers better execution up front.

"The biggest thing for me right now, I want them to simplify things," Wade said during a December press conference. "I want them to come off the football, I want them to play without thinking. I want them to play violent, I want them to play fast, I want them to have fun. And that's something I'm big into and that's something kind of the way I've coached. Try to simplify things. It's offensive line. I want this group to have a mentality in who they represent: You represent Nebraska."

"I tell these guys, 'When you put that helmet on, that's got to mean something to you. This isn't just Average Joe. This is Nebraska.' I want that to mean something and I want them to play hard," Wade said. "I want them to play hard."

Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade during a December 2025 practice for the Las Vegas Bowl.
Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade | Nebraska Athletics

As Tapu looks for a new school to call home, the Huskers continue their pursuit of talent via the portal, which opened on Jan. 2 and closes on Jan. 16.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Published | Modified
Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

Share on XFollow Austin2Jacobsen
Home/Football