Portal Additions Show Nebraska Is Serious About Changes at Linebacker

Nebraska’s latest portal haul grabbed attention at quarterback, but the more significant shift may be happening at linebacker. New faces and a new defensive approach could reshape the middle of the Huskers’ defense.

Nebraska is counting on productivity from Owen Chambliss similar to what he displayed at San Diego State. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Nebraska finally had a big day in the transfer portal on Tuesday when the Huskers landed a handful of players, including an offensive tackle (Tree Babalade), a linebacker who was a high school target (Will Hawthorne), its latest portal quarterback (Anthony Colandrea), another San Diego State defender (Dwayne McDougle) and a linebacker from Oregon State (Dexter Foster).

That haul joined Brendan Black and Owen Chambliss, who committed on Monday, giving the Huskers nearly as many portal additions as high school signees in this cycle.

The conversation is naturally going to center on Colandrea and, because they’re now forever linked, Kenny Minchey. The fan base will watch and compare the two as evidence of what Nebraska had planned entering a critical transfer portal window.

But the bigger story may be the continued overhaul of Nebraska’s linebacker room. The Huskers have added three new faces, all of whom profile as more traditional linebackers rather than edge hybrids.

Nebraska’s linebackers are set to undergo a transition regardless. The Huskers ran a 3-3-5 over the past three seasons, with the JACK position functioning as a hybrid between an edge defender and a coverage player.

What Nebraska appears to be moving toward now places another lineman on the field and asks two linebackers to cover significant space, supported by five defenders behind them.

Chambliss, who played for new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, arrives with proven production. In 2025, he totaled 109 tackles, recorded one interception, and forced a fumble.

Foster comes from Oregon State, where he started seven games before an injury cut his season short. He has two seasons of experience and has shown flashes, though he remains relatively green.

Hawthorne was a 2025 recruit Nebraska was keen on during high school, but the Huskers ultimately couldn’t pry him away from Iowa State. When Matt Campbell departed, and Iowa State’s roster hit the portal, Hawthorne revisited Nebraska and committed — choosing Lincoln over following several former teammates to Penn State with Campbell.

Vincent Shavers is expected to return, and Nebraska is hopeful it can unlock Dawson Merritt and Christian Jones, two four-star signees from the 2025 cycle who experienced uneven starts to their careers.

Nebraska linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. had 61 tackles, including 7.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack, for the Huskers in 2025. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska’s need at linebacker was evident all season. Shavers flashed at times — his forced fumble may have turned the Cincinnati game, and his tracking of a screen to Justice Haynes against Michigan was one of the team’s best individual defensive plays — but the Huskers lacked consistency in the middle.

Gaps were missed. Run fits broke down. Tackling suffered. While those issues involved all 11 defenders, teams increasingly found success on the ground as the season wore on, often because second-level defenders failed to finish plays even when the defensive line won at the point of attack.

Whether Nebraska can return to the level of defense it showed during Matt Rhule’s first two seasons remains uncertain. But the additions at linebacker at least provide a tangible reason to believe progress is possible.

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