Nebraska Football Spring Position Preview Series: Edge

Saturday officially marks the first practice period for the Nebraska football team of the 2026 calendar year, and the Huskers are set to have all but three players from next year's roster on hand when it begins.

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 is the new-look edge position group.

Previously Covered: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Tackle

After an offseason worth of change, NU has added a new position to its defense, and though players of the past have played similar roles, Roy Manning's group will put a twist on it in 2026. With several players from the defensive line and linebacker rooms in the group, the unit appears to be led by soon-to-be sophomore Williams Nwaneri.

Heading into his second year in the Nebraska football program, the former five-star recruit is arguably the highest-ceiling player on the Huskers' entire roster, and he will now be asked to showcase that in a very big way this upcoming fall. After playing in all 13 games for the Big Red while also earning the first nine starts of his collegiate career, Nwaneri is the returning sack leader for Rob Aurich's defense ahead of the 2026 season.

In total, the 6-foot-7, 265-pound athlete gathered 27 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. His athleticism and physical gifts were put on full display early on in his career, and he will look to build upon his best season to date by being even more productive as a sophomore.

Though the position group in general has a large question mark surrounding it, there's little doubt Nwaneri will be at the forefront of the unit's plans. Instead of wondering if he will start, the conversation largely shifts to who will join him on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage next fall. With that in mind, the Huskers' defense will rely on him to further develop into the player he appeared to be coming out of high school, and 2026 is sure to be a telling year on whether he can live up to the hype.

After joining the Nebraska football program in Matt Rhule's inaugural recruiting class, Cameron Lenhardt has quickly become a senior and one of the most experienced players on the entire team. Because of that, in addition to what he has shown in flashes throughout his career, his final season will be one in which he is expected to make a big impact on the field.

As a true freshman in 2023, the 6-foot-3, 270-pounder earned Honorable-Mention Freshman All-American recognition and entered the 2024 season with as much promise as arguably any player on the team. Though the next two seasons were somewhat of an underwhelming experience, the talent is undoubtedly there. Now, with Manning leading his developmental charge, he'll look to tap back into the things that made Lenhardt as successful as he was in his first season on campus, and doing so could be the key to noticeable improvements on the line of scrimmage next fall.

In total, the New York native has seen action in 36 collegiate games while earning starts in 13 of those contests. As a trusted veteran within the group, Lenhardt will have one final year of eligibility before ending his college football career.

Currently, he appears to be in contention to earn a starting role, though the position will have some major competition in it ahead of Nebraska's first game in September later this year. For now, we'll go ahead and pencil him in as a day one starter. Regardless, he's sure to factor into the rotation as much as nearly any player within the room.

Soon-to-be sophomore edge Kade Pietrzak is one of the most exciting prospects on the Huskers' entire defense heading into the upcoming fall. As a true freshman in 2025, the North Dakota native exceeded expectations to say the least. That's not to say that no one envisioned he would make an impact, but more of an indictment on his capabilities as an underclassman that he displayed in his first year on campus.

Now, in year two, the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder will look to improve upon his production even more than he did last season. After seeing action in all 13 games, Pietrzak managed to earn his first start of his career and ranked third on the team in both sacks and TFLs.

In total, he gathered an impressive amount of production in his first season, including 17 tackles, 7.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, one pass breakup, and a safety. By all accounts, he surpassed what was expected of him in 2025, and because of that, heads into his sophomore year with arguably as much momentum as any other player within the room.

The Big Red also managed to retain former linebacker Willis McGahee IV, who will make the move to edge ahead of his third season on campus. As a true freshman in 2024, the Miami native had about as big an impact as any defender within his class, barring Vincent Shavers Jr. That season, he played in 12 games for the Huskers, while totaling 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and one pass breakup. He also tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.

Heading into 2025, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker was expected to factor into the rotation, to say the least. However, for one reason or another, McGahee IV only saw the field in five games while preserving his redshirt. Now, with three years of eligibility remaining and an offseason that saw his return to Lincoln, after he withdrew his name from the transfer portal, the once-promising prospect will look to make an impact as a pass rusher coming off the edge.

To this point in his career, that is where he has proved to be the most productive, and it bodes well for Manning's group. Though a major question mark in a room seemingly full of unknowns, the sophomore will likely have a say in the rotation, at least on third-and-long situations. If he can reliably provide pressure off the edge, the Huskers will be the beneficiary of a more-than-capable athlete they were able to convince to come back. Until that is shown, he appears to be preparing for a rotation role at best.

BREAKING: UCLA transfer DL Anthony Jones has committed to Nebraska🌽https://t.co/8LUeYAcCC7 pic.twitter.com/aidCEHCWDO
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 8, 2026

NU also made the addition of a lone transfer portal edge rusher over the offseason in Anthony Jones. Coming to Lincoln from UCLA, the will-be senior is expected to have a say in the rotation as early as game one. Listed at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, the Las Vegas native has played in 37 career games while earning 14 starts.

He's experienced, capable, and has been productive in flashes to this point in his career. However, Nebraska will look to be his fifth stop in college football, and that provides concerns of its own. Jones has played at Oregon (2022), Indiana (2023), Michigan State (2024), and UCLA (2025) before joining the Big Red, and has totaled 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in his career.

In his fifth year of college football, Jones appears to be an addition that was made with the intent to start. Though with edge being a new position within Aurich's defense, it is hard to say his role is at this time. Spring is sure to provide a lot of insight into what it may be, so expect his presence to be discussed heavily over the coming months.

Projected Depth Chart

EDGE-

Williams Nwaneri | Sophomore or Anthony Jones | Senior
Nwaneri or Jones
Willis McGahee IV | Sophomore

EDGE-

Cameron Lenhardt | Senior or Kade Pietrzak | Sophomore
Lenhardt or Pietrzak
Dylan Rogers | Junior

Others in the room to watch: Mac Markway | Junior, David Hoffken | Sophomore, Jordan Ochoa | Sophomore

Unlike the other position groups covered to date, edge did not see any departures over the offseason in large part because it did not exist last fall. And partially because of that, there are several players who have not been discussed who could earn playing time to varying degrees.

Players who stick out apart from the top group include former linebacker Dylan Rogers, who earned his first start of his career against UCLA in 2025. Jordan Ochoa was also a former linebacker who made the transition to edge and was highly regarded before the start of last season. David Hoffken is listed at 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, and if this staff is able to develop him over the offseason, he would easily be the most physically imposing player within the room.

Finally, the biggest question mark is former tight end Mac Markway, who will join the unit this fall. In 2024, the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder played in 12 games for LSU while earning his first start of his career. Injuries have defined his time at Nebraska, and he's yet to see the field, but Markway has shown he's a capable athlete and one this staff likely has plans for before his time in college football comes to a close.

Overall, Manning's group is likely the biggest question mark heading into the spring. The room itself offers a lot of promise with some of the best defensive linemen on Nebraska's entire roster featured within it, but with the position group being new, no one is truly sure what to fully expect.

Players like Nwaneri, Lenhardt, Jones, and Pietrzak look to hold the early lead for playing time, but there are plenty of younger players behind them that offer different skills that could come in handy in certain situations. For now, the group of four talked about at length seems to be the most reliable option, but with every one of the athletes in the group taking on a new role, it is hard to project the impact each will make.

There's plenty of reason for optimism, but until forced to buy into it, many will remain in wait-and-see mode, and that is perfectly fine. For the Huskers to improve in the areas they struggled in last fall, Manning's group will have to step up in a very big way. Talent is not the issue; being disruptive is. So, this unit will need to prove that early on to create momentum in 2026.

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