Promising Left Guard to Leave Nebraska, Enter the Transfer Portal

South Dakota native Jason Maciejczak made the decision to enter the transfer portal on Friday morning.

A sophomore, Maciejczak's entry was listed on his recruiting profile via the Rivals transfer portal hub on their site.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise as Maciejczak has played in 20 games for the Huskers since joining the program in 2023. Although his career started off very promising, as his redshirt freshman season saw him play in nine games, after transfer portal additions were made over the offseason prior to 2025, Maciejczak saw his role decrease this fall.

The addition of Rocco Spindler and the reemergence of Henry Lutovsky at both guard positions made playing time for the sophomore harder to come by. However, his 2024 campaign saw him play in a bigger role after injuries paved the way for him to see the field more often.

University of North Dakota, thank you! Can’t thank you guys enough for the relationships we’ve built and people we’ve met!With that being said I am extremely blessed for the opportunity play in the Big 10 and very excited to announce I am committing to the University of Nebraska! pic.twitter.com/kVt4Tf4Diu
— Jason Maciejczak (@Maciejczak6) December 19, 2022

The South Dakota native played his prep career at powerhouse T.F. Riggs in Pierre, where he won a state championship before calling Lincoln home. As a recruit, Maciejczak was one of the highest-rated players out of his home state, forcing the Huskers into a recruiting battle with several other midwestern schools.

In fact, Nebraska was able to flip Maciejczak's commitment from FCS North Dakota late in the 2023 cycle, signaling an at-the-time big win for the Huskers and former offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. With his former position coach's departure from the program, the news doesn't come entirely out of left field. However, Maciejczak had been moving his way back up the depth chart in recent weeks.

#Huskers depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl vs. No. 15 Utah pic.twitter.com/nMyZirl6J8
— Kaleb Henry (@iKalebHenry) December 19, 2025

Prior to the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl the Huskers played on New Year's Eve, Maciejczak was listed on the two-deep at left guard. He spent the entire season at the position while seeing the majority of his reps come in a special team's role this fall.

Nebraska got reliable play out of starting left guard Henry Lutovsky in every game this season, making Maciejczak's route to seeing the field in 2025 less apparent. Lutovsky started in every game for the Huskers this fall before exhausting his collegiate eligibility after the bowl game.

The transfer portal is officially open. Keep up with all the Husker movement here ⤵️ https://t.co/lFiu3dpkwf
— Kaleb Henry (@iKalebHenry) January 2, 2026

With Maciejczak's decision to find a new home, Nebraska is now up to 11 portal entries on the opening day of the window, which spans from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16. To this point, he is the only offensive lineman with remaining eligibility to leave the program.

Other portal entries on the offensive side of the ball include a pair of quarterbacks in Dylan Raiola and Marcos Davilla, and freshman running back Jamarion Parker.

There undoubtedly will be more portal entries to come, as the Huskers are quickly moving into a "win-now" mode after a disappointing end to the 2025 campaign. Still, losing players who had shown promise in their young careers is never a fun thing to see.

Nebraska offensive lineman Jason Maciejczak pushes offensive lineman Jacob Brandl back during an offensive line drill. — Nebraska offensive lineman Jason Maciejczak pushes offensive lineman Jacob Brandl back during an offensive line drill as coach Donovan Raiola watches. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

In all likelihood, early indications would suggest a potential return to the school Maciejczak was originally committed to before coming to Lincoln. North Dakota finished their 2025 campaign by making the FCS Playoff and will no doubt be interested in attempting to reignite the relationship it once had with the former three-star recruit.

For a Nebraska program looking to shore up its protection at the line of scrimmage ahead of 2026, Maciejczak appeared to be a player fighting for playing time next fall. However, with the need to fill starting roles at three different positions on the offensive line, he could've just as likely been a player who got recruited over in the portal.

Every loss stings to a various degree, but new offensive line coach Geep Wade has had time to evaluate his room. Whether the Maciejczak news comes as a surprise to the staff or was known in advance, expect the Huskers to attempt to make some big splash additions to the pipeline over the coming weeks.

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