Nebraska Football Spring Position Preview Series: Defensive Tackle

In four short days, Nebraska football's 2026 spring practice period officially begins, and the Huskers are set to have nearly every player on next year's roster on hand to prepare for the season ahead.

After making 16 transfer portal additions and seeing another 11 high school recruits sign over the offseason, NU's roster has welcomed nearly 30 scholarship players onto next year's team. With every unit seeing change, it's time to go position-by-position to take a look at who's gone, still here, and new to each room. Up next are the defensive tackles.

Previously Covered: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, Offensive Line

After hiring a new defensive line coach, Corey Brown, from Miami (OH) over the offseason, the Big Red are expecting to see some positive change ahead of 2026. That starts with the development of players retained from last year's roster, and none is more important than rising junior Riley Van Poppel. Heading into his fourth season in the Nebraska football program, the 6-foot-5, 295-pound interior defender is the returning production leader in the group and will be expected to take another step forward as an upperclassman.

In 2025, Van Poppel recorded 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while seeing action in all 13 games. He also recorded the first three starts of his career while becoming a new-look mainstay along the line of scrimmage. Gaining valuable game reps as a sophomore, he will now be asked to do the same or more in 2026, of course, hoping to turn out a more productive season than the one prior.

Already a vocal leader within the group, Van Poppel's development, or lack thereof, could play a major role in NU's ability to improve as a defensive unit next fall. Though he won't be asked to perform alone, he's quickly become one of the longest tenured players within his position group, and that comes with the need to step into a trusted and productive role. If able to do that, it would immediately bolster a room in serious need and help Brown find more success than his predecessor, who was asked to move on from the program after just one year.

Though yet to play in college, the Huskers have a duo of redshirt freshmen expected to play significant roles this upcoming season in Tyson Terry and Malcolm Simpson. Listed at 6-foot-2, 310 pounds, Terry was a former in-state prospect who won four straight Nebraska state championships in wrestling, along with recording over 300 career tackles on the football field.

Simpson, 6-foot-3, 285 pounds, was a highly regarded defensive lineman coming out of the high school ranks and was slotted as the No. 9 player at his position in the 2025 class. Originally from Texas, the will-be redshirt freshman earned first-team all-state recognition as a senior before he signed with the Big Red.

Both players suffered injuries that hampered their ability to see the field in 2025, but they look to be available this spring. Their size, respectively, is what stands out the most, as the Huskers lacked mass on the line of scrimmage last fall. Though young, both prospects appear to be in line to battle for playing time in their second year on campus, and would be welcomed additions to a room that needs both depth and production this upcoming season.

🏠 #GOBIGRED pic.twitter.com/9pO0YeFc0U
— Owen Stoudmire (@Owen_Stoudmire) January 17, 2026

Nebraska also managed to add two transfer portal defensive tackles over the offseason, but arguably the most impactful ahead of 2026 is expected to be Owen Stoudmire. Coming to Lincoln after spending five seasons at Boston College, the 6-foot-1, 290-pound interior defender will have one year of eligibility remaining before he tries his luck at the NFL.

To this point in his career, Stoudmire has totaled 47 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He's also seen the field in 35 collegiate games while earning five starts. The veteran defender was on his way to ending his college career after the 2025 season before he suffered a season-ending injury that allowed him to redshirt. Now, in his final year of college football, the Ohio native will look to make it his most productive one yet.

He immediately adds size and experience to the Huskers' defensive tackle room and is projected to be a starter next fall. If healthy, he has the potential to be one of the most impactful defensive transfer portal additions of the offseason, even if his statistical performance won't reflect it.

Joining Stoudmire in the transfer portal class was a former four-star recruit. Jahsear Whittington, formerly of Pitt, signed with the Big Red and will have three years of eligibility remaining to make an impact on the field. Listed at 6-foot, 270 pounds, the interior defender is a bit undersized, but addressing his weight will likely be a point of emphasis for this staff ahead of the upcoming season.

Whittington, a Pennsylvania native, was a priority target for Nebraska in the 2024 recruiting class. He ultimately decided to stay home at an in-state school, but the Huskers managed to rekindle the relationship after he elected to find a new school. In two seasons with the Panthers, the will-be sophomore saw action in 16 games, and will look to use the lessons he learned in the ACC to help him succeed early on at NU.

Whether he is a day one starter or a rotational piece, it does appear more than likely that he will indeed have a role for the Huskers in his first year on campus. As stated before, the Big Red needs as much help as they can get along the line of scrimmage ahead of 2026, and an able-bodied Whittington makes a lot of sense to throw into the mix.

Within the 2026 recruiting class, Nebraska managed to secure a late addition to next year's team. Dylan Berymon was regarded as a four-star recruit and was the top-ranked uncommitted prospect in the cycle before calling Lincoln home. Because he made his decision after the semester began, he will not be available for spring ball, but could see playing time in his first season if able to prove himself in fall camp.

It marked a big win for the Huskers at the time, as Berymon was originally committed to Texas and had several of the top teams in the country after him following his decommitment. Still, NU was able to close him out, and the interior defender projects to be a long-time impact player on the Blackshirts defense for years to come.

He will be on the outside looking in regarding playing time as a true freshman, but the lack of proven production within the room undoubtedly gives him a chance. Berymon was the second-highest-ranked recruit Nebraska signed within the class, so don't be surprised if he does see the field early on in 2026.

Projected Depth Chart

DT-

Owen Stoudmire | Senior
Jahsear Whittington | Sophomore
Tyson Terry | Redshirt Freshman

DT-

Riley Van Poppel | Junior
Gabe Moore | Junior
Malcolm Simpson | Redshirt Freshman

Departures in the room

Keona Davis | Transferred
Elijah Jeudy | Graduated
Jaylen George | Transferred
Maverick Noonan | Transferred

Of those who were able to return and are no longer on the team, Keona Davis is the most notable. In 2025, he started in 12 games while seeing the field in all 13 of them. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound will-be junior has transferred to Miami and will have two years of eligibility remaining for the National Championship Runner-Up Hurricanes. Davis led all defensive linemen in tackles with 32 last season and added 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup to his stats as well.

Elijah Jeudy's eligibility expired, and the Huskers will have to replace a 6-foot-3, 300-pound interior defender who also started 12 games for the Big Red last fall. His final year of college football saw him total 18 tackles and 1.0 sacks on the year.

Overall, Brown's room has a lot of work ahead of it for improvements to be made, and the departures the unit saw do not make that challenge any easier. Losing Jeudy was expected, though Davis was not, and now the interior of the defense will need to execute better with its most productive member no longer on the team.

The additions that were made are expected to make an immediate impact in 2026, though the definition of impact is still largely unknown. Stoudmire is the most experienced and adds noteworthy size to the teeth of the Blackshirts' defense, but behind him is a large group of underclassmen who have yet to see the field in a meaningful role, and in most cases at all, in their respective careers.

The development of a player like Van Poppel is absolutely critical to make things work, and his ability to take the next step could prove to be one of the deciding factors of the Huskers' entire 2026 campaign. There's plenty of talent to work with in the room; it just needs to be unlocked. If able to do so, Nebraska can take the next step as a program. If not, a bowl game may be the best-case scenario for next year's team.

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