Nebraska Football Transfer Portal Tracker

Matt Rhule said he expects Nebraska to be competitive for the best players in the transfer portal this cycle. After another season of improvement, the Huskers will look to make a splash while also retaining valuable talent.

Matt Rhule is heading into year four as the head coach at Nebraska. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Matt Rhule expects to be a major player in the 2025-26 transfer portal cycle.

Armed with an extension through 2032 and likely additional funding for NIL to chase top talent, Rhule believes Nebraska has everything in place to "get the best players in the country."

"This'll be the first year we can do whatever we...we have the money now," Rhule said during the November bye week. "I can't complain anymore. We got what we need.

"In the previous couple years, I had to make a lot of hard decisions because we didn't have the money everyone else had."

Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic director Troy Dannen, football coach Matt Rhule, and 1890's Matt Davison. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Work on the portal, both retaining talent and preparing for who may enter, began weeks ago.

"The portal doesn't open until January, but we all know that people are calling our guys," Rhule said. "So you have to look at your roster and you have to start looking at who you think's going to be in the portal."

Not just who may transfer, but who is graduating and who may jump at their chance at the NFL are weighing into decisions on who to go after in the portal. Nebraska had 19 seniors on the 2025 roster, and guys like Emmett Johnson put themselves on the national radar to potentially get extended looks from NFL teams.

"I just know from a wear-and-tear standpoint what could have been… if I had taken that one year off of my body in college," former Husker Ammer Abdullah said in November. "I understand now the landscape of the NIL changes things.

"But when it comes to EJ, I definitely think that, looking at this draft class of running backs, looking at the year and the momentum that he has, I definitely think he needs to take advantage of this opportunity."

Emmett Johnson's 2025 campaign is the best by a Nebraska running back in more than a decade. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

During last year's portal cycle, the Huskers hit on transfers like wide receivers Nyziah Hunter and Dane Key, offensive linemen Rocco Spindler and Elijah Pritchett, defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri, and linebacker Marques Watson-Trent.

Very few outgoing players would have made a difference had they stayed in Lincoln. A few that certainly would have been starters, if not at least on the two deep, including defensive linemen Jimari Butler and Princewell Umanmielen, linebacker Mikai Gbayor, and running back Dante Dowdell.

Overall, though, the portal has been a net positive to the Big Red under Rhule.

Keep up with all of the Husker portal movement below.

Outgoing

Name	Position	Years Remaining	New School
Tristan Alvano	Kicker	2
Marcos Davila	Quarterback	3
Jaylen George	Defensive Lineman	1	Tulsa
Roger Gradney	Linebacker	4
Malcolm Hartzog Jr	Defensive Back	1	Arizona
Houston-Kaahaaina Torres	Offensive Lineman	4	Michigan
Jason Maciejczak	Offensive Lineman	2	Wyoming
Maverick Noonan	Defensive Lineman	2	Fresno State
Preston Okafor	Defensive Back	3	Fresno State
Jamarion Parker	Running Back	4
Dylan Raiola	Quarterback	2	Oregon
Rahmir Stewart	Linebacker	2
Brian Tapu	Offensive Line	4
Brice Turner	Cornerback	2
Caden VerMaas	Safety	4
Kenneth Williams	Running Back	2

Incoming

Name	Position	Years Remaining	Previous School
Tree Babalade	Offensive Line	2	South Carolina
Brendan Black	Offensive Line	1	Iowa State
Owen Chambliss	Linebacker	2	San Diego State
Anthony Colandrea	Quarterback	1	UNLV
Victor Evans III	Defensive Back	1	FIU
Dexter Foster	Linebacker	2	Oregon State
Kwazi Gilmer	Wide Receiver	2	UCLA
Will Hawthorne	Linebacker	4	Iowa State
Anthony Jones	Edge Rusher	1	UCLA
Daniel Kaelin	Quarterback	3	Virginia
Dwayne McDougle	Safety	1	San Diego State
Paul Mubenga	Offense Line	2	LSU
Jasin Shiggs	Defensive Back	2	Towson
Jahsear Whittington	Defensive Line	3	Pittsburgh
Jack Wills	Long Snapper	3	Michigan State

2026 Class Signees

Player	Position	Stars*	Hometown
Danny Odem	CB	4	Orlando, FL
Claude Mpouma	OT	4	Chicago, IL
Nalin Scott	WR	3	Powder Springs, GA
Larry Miles	WR	3	Orlando, FL
Luke Sorensen	TE	3	Anaheim, CA
Jamal Rule	RB	3	Charlotte, NC
Hayden Ainsworth	IOL	3	Biloxi, MS
Rex Waterman	OT	3	Chandler, AZ
Jase Reynolds	LB	3	Omaha, NE
Michael Sarikizis	K	3	Melbourne, VIC
Andy Burburija^	DL	3	Crystal Lake, IL

*Stars are based on the 247Sports Composite.
^Played at Iowa Western for two years at the JUCO level.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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