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

With the window for entering the transfer portal now closed (except for players from College Football Playoff teams), it's time to take a closer look at the moves Nebraska has made.

Needing to replace six starters on offense, the Huskers made deliberate moves to address the issues most glaring for Dana Holgorsen's group heading into 2026. Nebraska ranked 80th in the FBS in total offense last fall, giving the Huskers much to improve upon.

Although the portal entry window closed Friday night and most of the top prospects are taken, Nebraska can still add players who have yet to find new homes. With that in mind, here’s how each offensive position group is shaping up after recent departures, returns and additions.

Player	Class	Status
TJ Lateef	Sophomore	Retained
Anthony Colandrea	Senior	Addition
Daniel Kaelin	Sophmore	Addition
Tanner Vibabul	Freshman	Addition (High School)
Dylan Raiola	Junior	Entered Portal
Marcos Davila	Sophmore	Entered Portal
Jalyn Gramstad	Senior	Graduation

Despite being down to one scholarship quarterback shortly after the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2, coach Glenn Thomas' position group appears to have rebounded in a big way. The losses of former starter Dylan Raiola and third-stringer Marcos Davila created perhaps the biggest question mark on the entire roster.

However, it didn't stop this staff from actively pursuing valuable additions in an attempt to create competition heading into next fall. In fact, they did just that. Anthony Colandrea comes in seeming to be in a great position to win the starting job. Though TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin may very well offer a scare during that competition.

The Huskers secured a commitment from Tanner Vibabul as well. A three-star prospect in the 2026 class, the will-be freshman looks to join the program after graduating from high school this spring.

Taking into context the outlook of the room when the portal opened, Nebraska did about as good a job as any program in the country at creating depth (and true competition) at football's most important position heading into spring ball. Lateef and the two portal additions have all played meaningful snaps at the Power Four level, and considering the players that will be put around them, gives me confidence that whichever direction the starting role goes, the Huskers can find success moving the ball.

It is not often that a school in the Big Ten can say that moving forward, let alone a program like Nebraska. Though Colandrea may be on the inside track towards being named the starter for 2026, he's sure to have to battle it out with two young players who have shown, at the very least, they'll put up a fight.

These rankings are subjective and are ultimately based on projection versus actual on-field results. But roughly three months away from the start of spring practices, the Huskers quarterback room is far from my biggest worry on the offensive side of the ball.

Player	Class	Status
Mekhi Nelson	Sophomore	Retained
Isaiah Mozee	Sophomore	Retained
Kwinten Ives	Junior	Retained
Kenneth Williams	Junior	Entered Portal
Jamarion Parker	Freshman	Entered Portal
Emmett Johnson	Senior	Declared for NFL

Here comes a controversial topic within the fan base, and for good reason at that. After the 2025 season came to a close, Nebraska lost the most statistically impressive player on their entire roster and has yet to seemingly try to replace him. Emmett Johnson is off to the draft, and the Huskers are left with promising but unproven young players to take over his role.

As of now, Mekhi Nelson seems to be in line to take over the "starting" job, but it appears the Huskers will take a committee approach to the group next fall. EJ Barthel does get some credit for helping see Johnson become an All-American back, but now the question very quickly turns to whether he can do it again. He won't necessarily be asked to produce another Big Ten Running Back of the Year in 2026, but he will need to help a group of young players develop quickly over the coming months.

It does, somewhat, surprise me that Nebraska's staff did not elect to try their hand at securing a ready-made back. Regardless, it does seem they've chosen to spend their revenue-sharing budget on creating better running lanes for the players already within the room to run through. The Huskers added noticeable size to their offensive line over the past couple of weeks and seem to be banking on the fact that a mixture of development will take place, added with a more physically imposing blocking scheme from Geep Wade's group.

Success on the ground was exciting to see early on in the Las Vegas Bowl, and I do fully believe it can be continued further into meaningful games in 2026 as well. The jury is still very much out on this room, but if the Huskers staff, and more importantly, EJ Barthel, is confident about the group, there's little reason for a journalist to feel any different.

Player	Class	Status
Luke Lindenmeyer	Senior	Retained
Carter Nelson	Junior	Retained
Mac Markway	Sophmore	Retained
Cayden Echternach	Junior	Retained
Eric Ingwerson	Sophomore	Retained
Danny King	Sophomore	Retained
Heinrich Haarberg	Senior	Graduation

Nebraska's only loss to the tight end room was Heinrich Haarberg via graduation, and potentially a shot at the NFL. That alone is a win. It wasn't necessarily a position of need, assuming retention of players like Luke Lindenmeyer and Carter Nelson would be made. Of course, they were able to secure that.

Looking forward to 2026, the Huskers are set to return an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten player within the room in Lindenmeyer, and the former No. 3 overall tight end prospect (247Sports) in the 2024 class in Nelson. Talent is there; now it just needs to be utilized correctly.

It is a unique case in grading this room, due to it being the only offensive position in which Nebraska did not have any additions or departures via the transfer portal to this point. And personally, I'm giving this room the benefit of the doubt, assuming the Huskers' offense retools its scheme to feature these players in more prominent roles next fall.

Sometimes, the biggest wins are keeping the players you already have, and for Marcus Satterfield's group, it is my opinion that that is very much the case. Lindenmeyer has one more year of eligibility remaining before he presumably tries his luck at the NFL, and for players like Nelson and Cayden Echternach, they'll head into 2026 with another year of strength and conditioning and game reps in their favor.

Player	Class	Status
Nyziah Hunter	Junior	Retained
Jacory Barney Jr.	Junior	Retained
Cortez Mills	Sophomore	Retained
Quinn Clark	Sophomore	Retained
Keelan Smith	Sophomore	Retained
Janiran Bonner	Junior	Retained
Jeremiah Jones	Freshman	Retained
Kwazi Gilmer	Junior	Addition
Dane Key	Senior	Graduation

The sneakiest "addition" Nebraska will have made to its wide receiver room before 2026 is the return of Janiran Bonner. After suffering a season-ending injury in the Huskers' opener this fall, Bonner will be back in the fold for next year, and that gives Dakiel Shorts' group a big win that seemingly nobody is talking about just yet. Following the injury, Holgorsen made comments about how vital Bonner's role within the offense would have been in 2025, and I fully expect that to happen next season, assuming he's healthy when September comes around.

The true addition of Kwazi Gilmer out of the transfer portal was a flashy move; however, what he will presumably provide to the offense in 2026 may not just be from a statistical standpoint. The Huskers will enter next season with three receivers who have led their team in receptions at some point in their careers, and the combination of Gilmer, Jacory Barney, and Nyziah Hunter looks to be one of the strongest starting groups on the entire roster next fall.

After them come players like Quinn Clark, Cortez Mills, Keelan Smith, and Jeremiah Jones. The retention of those four underclassmen signals another big win for Shorts' group and creates continuity across the depth within the room. Several of those players will be asked to step into larger roles next fall, and assuming pass protection takes a step forward in 2026, pass catchers may be able to make a bigger impact on the game more consistently.

There's no shortage of talent within the group, but maximizing their skillsets has proved elusive for some time now. If the Huskers are able to challenge defenses more vertically, that is truly where the offense can take the next step. Until they do so, I will not prematurely declare them the most impactful position group on the offense in 2026, but if things come together as Nebraska's staff wants them to, it will be hard to point to another unit on that side of the ball that has more potential going into next season.

Player	Class	Status
Elijah Pritchett	Senior	Retained
Justin Evans	Senior	Retained
Gunnar Gottula	Junior	Retained
Tyler Knaak	Senior	Retained
Sam Sledge	Junior	Retained
Grant Brix	Sophomore	Retained
Gibson Pyle	Sophomore	Retained
Preston Taumua	Sophomore	Retained
Jake Peters	Sophomore	Retained
Brock Knutson	Junior	Retained
Jacob Brandl	Junior	Retained
Juju Marks	Freshman	Retained
Brendan Black	Senior	Addition
Paul Mubenga	Junior	Addition
Tree Babalade	Junior	Addition
Jason Maciejczak	Junior	Entered Portal
Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres	Freshman	Entered Portal
Henry Lutovsky	Senior	Graduation
Rocco Spindler	Senior	Graduation
Turner Corcoran	Senior	Graduation
Teddy Prochazka	Senior	Graduation

The offensive line shakeup between one season and the next is the highest level of turnover that has occurred in recent memory. Between losing three starters and replacing its position coach, the Huskers' offensive line was in a bit of a sink-or-swim mode. To Geep Wade and Lonnie Teasley's credit, the unit looks to have retooled very effectively, signaling the group is closer to swimming than the former, but it remains to be seen on the field.

Former starters Rocco Spindler, Henry Lutovsky, and Turner Corcoran's eligibility has been exhausted, and Nebraska needed to find replacements ahead of 2026, one way or another. The additions of Brendan Black, Tree Babalade, and Paul Mubenga all address positions of need, and the Huskers seem to be moving in a positive direction early on under new guidance.

BREAKING: Iowa State transfer OL Brendan Black has Committed to Nebraska, his agent tells @On3Sports

Black was a 3 year starter for the Cycloneshttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/NlYhLQKm84
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 5, 2026

Heading into the portal window, it was clear that Wade's group was position needing reinforcements. To the staff's credit, at least on paper, Nebraska's trio of additions added starting experience, proven production, and noteworthy size to their ranks. The Huskers' projected starting unit, in Elijah Pritchett, Justin Evans, and the three portal adds, all weigh over 300 pounds, and several of them have the ability to return to Lincoln in 2027 as well.

As far as depth goes, players like Gunna Gottula, Sam Sledge, Tyler Knaak, and more are beginning to enter their third and fourth seasons in college football, and I fully expect that several of them will begin to be featured in bigger roles. If the development of the new staff takes hold, the Huskers could look to have an even deeper rotation for next fall. Losing several long-time starters within the unit is never easy, but after giving up 33 sacks in 13 games during the 2025 season, fresh faces may be exactly what this group needs to put their best foot forward for 2026 and beyond.

Like this fall, trench play will ultimately create the ceiling this offense has. If it improves, so too shall Holgorsen's unit as a whole, and with all the playmakers Nebraska will have at its disposal in 2026, it would be a disservice to see it not fully maximize yet again. The coaches are in place, and now the players appear to be too. With that in mind, steps should be taken forward during the season to come, and regardless of how big that step(s) is, it is my opinion that the product put on the field next fall will be a welcome surprise to a fan base in need of seeing tangible progress under Rhule's watch.

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