Nebraska Freshman Defensive Back to Enter the Transfer Portal

The first transfer portal news out of Nebraska is here.

Freshman Caden VerMass will enter the transfer portal when it opens next month. VerMaas made the announcement Wednesday morning on social media.

"I'm writing to let everyone know I've decided to enter the transfer portal," VerMaas said. "This wasn't an easy decision, but after a lot of thought, I feel it's the right move for my future."

VerMaas has four years of eligibility remaining.

VerMaas played in just two games during his true freshman season in Lincoln, seeing action during blowouts against Akron and Houston Christian. The Nebraska native did not crack the lineup again the rest of the season, buried behind a deep secondary unit.

Out of Millard North High School, VerMaas finished his high school career with 93 tackles, five interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He also totaled better than 3,600 all-purpose yards and 46 career touchdowns.

A willing return man, VerMaas was also buried behind stars Jacory Barney Jr. and Kenneth Williams.

In the 2025 class, VerMaas was rated as a three-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 62 safety in the country and No. 7 prospect out of Nebraska.

VerMaas's other offer out of high school was from Iowa State.

The transfer portal window is Jan. 2-16. There is no longer a spring window after that.

Secondary Depth

The Husker secondary is one of the deepest positions on the roster.

On the final depth chart of the regular season, Nebraska had just three seniors among the 11 spots for rover, cornerback, safety, and nickel. Those spots also included two freshmen at safety, another at cornerback, a sophomore corner, a sophomore rover, and a junior nickel.

Not listed on the depth chart to end the year was starting nickel Malcolm Hartzog Jr. The senior suffered an injury early in the year and elected to shut his season down and have surgery. He's expected to redshirt and return next season.

Other Underclassmen

The 2025 class included two other secondary players: four-star cornerback Bryson Webber and three-star safety Tanner Terch. Those two also only saw action against Akron and Houston Christian.

Several players from the 2024 class have yet to get significant time in the secondary, either. That class includes safety Braylen Prude, cornerback Mario Buford, safety Kahmir Prescott, cornerback Amare Sanders, cornerback Larry Tarver Jr., and cornerback Donovan Jones.

Add up all of those underclassmen still fighting for spots and the others that have already made the depth chart, and you have a recipe for some players to be buried and in search of greener pastures with a more immediate path to playing time.

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

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