Nebraska Football Spring Position Preview Series: Offensive Line

With three projected starters added via the transfer portal ranks, Nebraska brings 108 starts to its new-look No. 1 unit ahead of 2026.

Justin Evans is set to return for the Big Red for his final season of college football in 2026, having gathered 38 games worth of experience and 31 starts in his career. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

In just five days, the Huskers will kick off their first practice period of the 2026 year with nearly every player on their new-look team on hand to get things started.

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 offensive line.

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

Elijah Pritchett started nine games for Nebraska in 2025. He was the Huskers' highest-graded player on the entire team in the New Year's Eve bowl loss to Utah. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

After Matt Rhule decided to part ways with long-time offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, a new era of Nebraska football is attempting to be underway. That starts with returning starting left tackle Elijah Pritchett on the offensive side of the ball. Transferring from Alabama to Lincoln ahead of the 2025 season, the 6-foot-6, 325-pounder came with high expectations attached to his name. For reasons unknown to many, the eventual result took longer than initially expected; however, Pritchett began playing as advertised near the end of the year.

Heading into his final season of collegiate football, to this point in his career, he's totaled 42 games of experience and 21 starts. For the Huskers staff, headlined by offensive line coach Geep Wade and running game coordinator Lonnie Teasley, they appear to have an eventual NFL draft pick locked in at arguably the most important position on the entire unit.

The struggles Pritchett showcased, largely mental ones involving issues with committing false start penalties, have waned away, and now the will-be senior is looking to play his best ball yet. That means what many would suggest is the highest-ceiling player on the Huskers' entire roster will enter 2026 looking, feeling, and playing better than ever.

In his first season after moving from left tackle to center, Justin Evans started every game for Nebraska in 2025. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The longest tenured player, at Nebraska, within the unit is returning starting center Justin Evans. After starting his career under the previous coaching staff, the New Jersey native has developed into a reliable piece within the offensive line room. Now, in his final season of college football, he'll look to put the cherry on top of what has become an impressive career.

Having gained 38 games' worth of experience and 31 career starts, the 6-foot-2, 315-pounder is the most experienced member of the Huskers' offensive line heading into 2026. Though he started his playing career earning reps at left guard, in 2025, he transitioned to center and became the only non-senior to start every game for Nebraska within the room. Now, heading into his second full offseason of snapping the ball, Evans will look to be even more dynamic than he was last season.

For the Big Red, which rarely, if ever, saw snap-related issues happen under its center's watch, it's very good news. So too was the fact that they were able to retain him over the offseason. Assuming he exhausts his eligibility after the upcoming fall, Evans will be one of the few players seemingly left in college football to play their entire career at just one school. Props to Evans, but that achievement would be even more impressive if a strong senior season is capped off by earning a shot at the NFL.

The first offensive line addition the Huskers made during the transfer portal window back in January was Brendan Black of Iowa State. Coming to Lincoln after spending the first three seasons of his career in Ames, the soon-to-be senior has totaled 36 games of experience and 30 career starts.

As one of the most battle-tested players on Nebraska's entire roster, Black is about as sure fire of a starter as any player NU added this offseason. Gaining all of his experience at right guard, the 6-foot-4, 320-pounder appears fit to replace former starter Rocco Spindler in 2026. The lengthy, heavy, and experienced offensive lineman will have one year of eligibility remaining before he, like Pritchett and Evans, attempts to move on to the NFL.

For the Huskers, Black offers extensive experience at a position of need, and gives them a veteran, reliable option to work next to Evans on the interior of the line.

One day after NU secured the commitment of Black, they did the same with tackle prospectTree Babalade, formerly of South Carolina. Before signing with Nebraska, the 6-foot-5, 330-pounder played under Teasley for the Gamecocks for several years. Now, the duo is reunited in Lincoln, and Babalade will have two years of eligibility remaining before ending his collegiate career.

In his time on the East Coast, the Maryland native spent three seasons developing in Teasley's room, seeing playing time earlier than many SEC offensive linemen typically do. As a true freshman, Babalade was asked to step into a starting role following an injury to the previous starter and earned the first nine starts of his career. The remaining two seasons saw him earn another six starts, and to this point, he's played in 22 career games with 15 starts.

The lengthy frame that Babalade offers makes him an early candidate to win the Big Red's starting right tackle role in 2026, though he has played both left and right tackle in his career. Because Pritchett is the likely man for the left tackle role, Babalade appears fit to stay on the right side of the line during his time in Lincoln, or at the very least, for next fall.

The third and final transfer portal offensive lineman the Huskers added over the offseason was Paul Mubenga, formerly of LSU. Coming from the SEC, the will-be junior has earned 20 games' worth of experience and 11 starts to date. Primarily viewed as a guard, Mubenga seems to be the likely replacement for long-time starter Henry Lutovsky, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility after the 2025 season came to a close.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Mubenga has the versatility and length to step outside if need be. Though every rep he's earned to date has come at left guard. As a sophomore, Mubenga started six games for the Tigers in 2025 and will look to see his role significantly increased for the Huskers in 2026.

For Nebraska, he appears to complete the starting lineup ahead of next fall, giving Wade and Teasley's room five 300+ pound offensive linemen, all with at least 11 games worth of starting experience heading into the upcoming season. For those who like mass, this group offers it in abundance, and the Huskers head into the offseason with one of the most veteran offensive line units in the conference on its roster.

NU also added three offensive linemen to the room via the high school ranks. The most notable is Claude Mpouma, who ranked as the No. 153 overall prospect in the class. Listed at 6-foot-5, 338-pounds, the Chicago native projects to be a tackle for the Big Red and has drawn a fourth-seventh round NFL draft projection from Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting from 247Sports.

Hayden Ainsworth also signed with Nebraska in December. A three-star prospect in his class, the 6-foot-5, 305-pounder from Mississippi played guard as a prep recruit. His length and frame give him positional versatility, and it would not be surprising if he bumps out to tackle at some point in his collegiate career.

Last but not least, the Huskers secured three-star tackle prospect Rex Waterman of Chandler, AZ. Listed at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, the will-be true freshman is likely a developmental piece in the new-look offensive line room under its new staff. If any of these players will be expected to see the field early, it is undoubtedly Mpouma who would get the nod. However, all three additions were made with intent and will have the ability to develop under new guidance, with a proven track record of helping players grow.

Nebraska offensive linemen (2025), from left, Teddy Prochazka, Rocco Spindler, Justin Evans and Henry Lutovsky. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Projected Depth Chart

LT- 

1. Elijah Pritchett | Senior
2. Gunnar Gottula | Junior

LG-

1. Paul Mubenga | Junior
2. Sam Sledge | Junior

C-

1. Justin Evans | Senior
2. Jake Peters | Sophomore

RG- 

1. Brendan Black | Senior
2. Tyler Knaak | Senior

RT-

1. Tree Babalade | Junior
2. Preston Taumua | Sophomore

Others in the room to watch: Grant Brix | Sophomore, Gibson Pyle | Sophomore, Brock Knutson | Junior, Juju Marks | Redshirt Freshman

Departures in the room

1. Rocco Spindler | NFL Draft
2. Henry Lutovsky | Graduated
3. Turner Corcoran | Graduated
4. Teddy Prochazka | Graduated
5. Jason Maciejczak | Transferred 
6. Houston Ka’aha’aina- Torres | Transferred
7. Brian Tapu | Transferred

Overall, Wade and Teasley's room has undergone some massive overhaul between the 2025 and 2026 seasons, but after the unit surrendered 33 sacks last fall, it may actually be a good thing. For now, there are plenty of players heading into their third and fourth seasons within the Huskers football program, along with three additions that will be expected to make an immediate impact come August.

The most important thing that will need to take place is the development of the players expected to play immediately. This team cannot survive the upcoming schedule, which features three teams that made the College Football Playoff in 2025, without seriously improving upon the line of scrimmage in one offseason.

That, among other reasons, is why Raiola was likely replaced with two positional coaches to help fix the issues up front. And the Big Red should benefit immensely from having a duo of proven, full-time, offensive line assistants at their disposal in 2026. Progress appears to be on track to be made; now it's up to this group to decide whether it can fix the trend of taking one step forward and two steps back. The spring is sure to tell a lot about the direction of this group moving forward, expect it to be potentially the biggest talking point of spring ball over the next couple of weeks.

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