Nebraska's Defensive Position Grades After Transfer Portal Sees Departures, Retention & Additions

The timeline for portal entries has officially passed, as the Huskers staff looks to find out what its roster truly holds after seeing double-digit additions and departures over the past two weeks.

Welcoming in a new defensive coordinator, Rob Aurich, Nebraska is not only expected to oversee a schematic change before the 2026 seaon, but has also added several defenders set to make immediate impacts on the field next fall. With plenty of recruiting wins and losses that have occurred, it is time to take a look at how the defensive depth chart will most likely shake out.

Because of that, here's an in-depth look at every position group on the defensive side of the ball after additions, retention and departures have been seen and made.

Player	Class	Status
Williams Nwaneri	Sophomore	Retained
Riley Van Poppel	Junior	Retained
Cam Lenhardt	Senior	Retained
Kade Pietrzak	Sophomore	Retained
David Hoffken	Sophomore	Retained
Mason Goldman	Junior	Retained
Dylan Parrott	Senior	Retained
Sua Lefotu	Junior	Retained
Gabe Moore	Junior	Retained
Tyson Terry	Freshman	Retained
Malcolm Simpson	Freshman	Retained
Anthony Jones	Senior	Addition
Andy Burburija	Junior	Addition
Jahsear Whittington	Sophomore	Addition
Owen Stoudmire	Senior	Addition
Keona Davis	Junior	Entered Portal
Jaylen George	Senior	Entered Portal
Maverick Noonan	Junior	Entered Portal
Elijah Jeudy	Senior	Graduation

After finishing the regular season ranked 96th out of 136 FBS teams against the run in 2025, Nebraska desperately needed to find impactful transfer portal additions at the heart of their defense during the offseason. With four additions to the defensive line officially signed, the results will play out on the field next fall. Corey Brown is set to take over coaching responsibilities of the group and will enter the 2026 season with plenty of players to work with; however, the development that takes place over the next few months is sure to tell the story of the season once again.

Players like Anthony Jones, Jahsear Whittington, Andy Burburija, and Owen Stoudmire will all sport the scarlet and cream next fall, and come to Lincoln with varying levels of experience (and success) to this point in their careers. Though Jones looks better suited for the edge, the remaining trio appears to be set towards adding much-needed reinforcements to the interior of the line.

Mainstays like Williams Nwaneri, Riley Van Poppel, Cam Lenhardt, and Kade Pietrzak are all set to return in 2026, and though it's nice to see that level of continuity, improvements from those players will need to be made. The Huskers totaled just 22 sacks during the season this fall, whereas under Brown's guidance during that same stretch, his former Miami (OH) squad notched an impressive 44. It goes to show that Nebraska is not chasing three-five more sacks, but closer to a double-digit improvement, or more, in just one offseason.

There's no lack of talent within the room, as the Huskers have largely been a top 40 team in terms of recruiting success since Rhule's arrival in Lincoln. It just needs to come together as those players enter their third and fourth years in college. The time to take the next step was yesterday for this group, but the additions they made do seem to give them some reason for optimism next fall.

A four-man front should also help in clogging running lanes and affecting the quarterback; however, until this group shows what it can do, it is hard to be overly optimistic about their outlook in 2026. A "big-name" addition was attempted on several occasions, but for various reasons outside of my or your control, this staff was never able to rein them in. For the fan base's mental health, I hope players like Burburija and Stoudmire's talents can translate to the Big Ten.

Player	Class	Status
Vincent Shavers	Junior	Retained
Dylan Rogers	Junior	Retained
Dawson Merritt	Sophomore	Retained
Willis McGahee IV	Sophomore	Retained
Jacob Bower	Junior	Retained
Christian Jones	Freshman	Retained
Jordan Ochoa	Sophomore	Retained
Gage Stenger	Junior	Retained
Owen Chambliss	Junior	Addition
Dexter Foster	Junior	Addition
Will Hawthorne	Freshman	Addition
Roger Gradney	Sophomore	Entered Portal
Rahmir Stewart	Junior	Entered Portal
Javin Wright	Senior	Graduation
Dasan McCullough	Senior	Graduation
Marques Watson-Trent	Senior	Graduation

It shouldn't come as a surprise to those in the know, but Nebraska's linebacker haul may very well be the most impressive of the transfer portal cycle. Losing players like Javin Wright, Dasan McCullough, and Marques Watson-Trent left Rob Dvoracek's room with little experience (and depth) moving forward. However, what this staff was able to secure, on paper, replaces that production and then some.

Owen Chambliss and Dexter Foster look to factor into the defensive rotation right away, and while the shift from a 3-3-5 to a 4-2-5 will be made, I would fully expect both of those players to "start" in 2026. Vincent Shavers will also be back for his junior season with the Big Red, and he quickly became one of the biggest players to be retained on Nebraska's entire roster after the news broke. All three of those players have multiple years of eligibility remaining and give the Huskers a plan for the present and future at the position for years to come.

Nebraska was also able to retain Willis McGahee IV, marking a bigger win than many would initially expect. Despite an underwhelming role this fall, as a true freshman, McGahee made as big an impact as any player in his class, and his return after entering the portal gives the Huskers a pass-rushing linebacker with as much chance to cause havoc as arguably any other player on the team.

Where this staff may have missed out on adding size along the defensive line, they made up for it at linebacker. Chambliss, Foster, and Shavers are all over 225 pounds and bring proven production to the room immediately next fall. If Brown's group can improve at creating a push up front, I fully expect a season like 2021 for the Huskers' linebacker core. That fall, the duo Nick Henrich (99) and Luke Reimer (90) combined for 189 tackles in 12 games. Since then, the Huskers have failed to see a season in which two linebackers had more than 50 tackles apiece. I predict that to change in 2026.

Player	Class	Status
Andrew Marshall	Senior	Retained
Donovan Jones	Sophomore	Retained
Rex Guthrie	Sophomore	Retained
Justyn Rhett	Junior	Retained
Caleb Benning	Sophomore	Retained
Jeremiah Charles	Junior	Retained
Blye Hill	Junior	Retained
Amare Sanders	Sophomore	Retained
Larry Tarver	Sophomore	Retained
Kahmir Prescott	Sophomore	Retained
Mario Buford	Junior	Retained
Braylen Prude	Sophomore	Retained
Dwayne McDougle	Senior	Addition
Victor Evans III	Senior	Addition
Jasir Shiggs	Junior	Addition
Malcolm Hartzog	Senior	Entered Portal
Brice Turner	Junior	Entered Portal
Caden VerMaas	Freshman	Entered Portal
Preston Okafor	Sophomore	Entered Portal
Ceyair Wright	Senior	Graduation
DeShon Singleton	Senior	Graduation
Marques Buford	Senior	Graduation
Derek Branch	Senior	Graduation

It is going to be hard for Nebraska to outshine the success of its secondary in pass coverage this fall, but several members of its defensive back rotation are set to return. Players like Andrew Marshall, Donovan Jones, and Rex Guthrie were all retained, which provides continuity for the unit, but several additions were also made, who look to factor in as well.

Dwayne McDougle elected to follow Aurich to Lincoln after totaling 51 tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble in 2025. Joining him are Victor Evans III and Jasir Shiggs, who offer extended experience within the secondary to this point in their careers. All three players appear to be set to factor into the rotation next fall, in hopes of continuing the trajectory the group was on after the 2025 season.

#GBR pic.twitter.com/wjAzTDA2h9
— Dwayne Mcdougle (@DwayneMcdougle) January 6, 2026

Pass coverage was not the issue under John Butler in 2025, but when playing teams like Iowa, Penn State, and Utah- programs with the ability to move the line of scrimmage- it forced Nebraska to load the box in an attempt to stop the run, leaving glaring holes within the secondary for big gains. The mix of players retained and additions made leads me to believe this unit will once again be fine against the pass. However, the defensive ceiling will largely be interpreted by what the defensive line can do in 2026.

If they can collectively take a step in open field tackling, as well, this unit would do well in improving on the things they struggled with this fall. It's hard to shift the blame too much on a unit that surrendered just 141.4 passing yards per game (second nationally), so I do not want to be too harsh. However, Nebraska's defense has noticeable hurdles it needs to overcome in a short amount of time, and the defensive backs, just like every other position, simply need to improve upon their situational football to succeed in 2026.

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