Former Oklahoma State Starting Left Tackle in Process of Securing Nebraska Visit

Nebraska is near to securing its fourth transfer portal offensive line visitor in just three days, all of whom offer various lengths of starting experience in their careers.

Per several reports from On3, former Appalachian State and Oklahoma State left tackle Markell Samuel is in talks with the Huskers staff about visiting campus in the near future. Having already been in college for six seasons, the offensive lineman is among the oldest active players in all of college football.

With size and experience to match, Samuel would look to offer the Huskers everything they're looking for in a starting-caliber offensive lineman. Though there's no shortage of other prospects already set for visits of their own, here's the latest on a potential player Nebraska is set to host.

Oklahoma State OL Markell Samuel is visiting Georgia Tech today, his rep @bnm_nil tells @On3sports.

He's lining up a visit to a Big Ten school, too.

Intel: https://t.co/Na6X6yL5Mv pic.twitter.com/1SNtIGANRO
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 3, 2026

Samuel, who spent the 2025 season assuming it would be his final at the collegiate level, suffered an injury during pregame warmups in the second game of the year and earned a medical redshirt given to him by the NCAA. Prior to the injury, the already super-senior earned his 19th start in college against UT-Martin, where he recorded his only 76 snaps of the fall.

Before that, Samuel spent the previous five seasons at Appalachian State, where he would go on to eventually start in 18 contests across 29 games played. However, 2023 was when his career truly started to take off. His first two seasons in college saw the North Carolina native see limited action along the defensive line before he made the move late in fall camp to the offensive side of the ball.

After that, in 2022, he saw action at right tackle in two games before eventually earning the first four starts of his career in 2023, where he played in 14 games. After building trust from the App. State staff, Samuel's first of three senior seasons, saw him earn his final 11 starts as a Mountaineer. That season, he was named an All-Sun Belt honorable mention during his 817 snaps played.

Let’s work! Personal # 912-321-0820 @bnm_nil pic.twitter.com/r8bAvMwkaL
— Markell L. Samuel (@markell_samuel) January 2, 2026

Samuel comes with experience, for sure, but he also comes with a fair bit of uncertainty as well. With prior injury history, which is not uncommon amongst offensive linemen, Nebraska is sure to do its due diligence before shelling money out for his services.

That's not to say the super-senior's addition would not instantly give the Huskers a starting caliber player. However, seeing how the careers of former offensive linemen such as Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran unfolded, they may be wise to discovery all the details before reigning him in.

No doubt, Samuel will be vetted by several other Power Four programs, and reports suggest Nebraska is not the only school to have reached out to secure a visit. As it currently stands, the only school with confirmed plans for the tackle to see campus is Georgia Tech, Wade's former school.

Geep Wade (left) and Lonnie Teasley will take over coaching responsibilities of Nebraska's offensive line next fall. Wade is officially the offensive line coach, while Teasley is listed as the Huskers run game coordinator. | Nebraska Athletics

Under Wade, Nebraska has been very active in its transfer portal search. Following the Las Vegas Bowl, the Huskers lost several starting players along the offensive line, including Turner Corcoran, Rocco Spindler, and Henry Lutovsky. That is where a player like Samuel comes in.

Were he to join the roster for 2026, Nebraska would secure a likely replacement for the starting right tackle position for next fall. However, the Huskers have also confirmed visits with three other offensive linemen who could battle for those spots. Brendan Black (Iowa State) likely slots in at a guard position with over 30 games of starting experience in his career, and Malachi Breland (Memphis) has 20 starts of his own at right guard.

The third visitor also has experience playing at right tackle in the Power 5. Tree Babalade of South Carolina was coached under Lonnie Teasley this fall and has started in 15 games to this point in his career. With that in mind, it's clear the Huskers have afforded themselves a wide variety of options for immediate impact players going into the offseason.

Oklahoma State left tackle Markell Samuel (@markell_samuel) is entering the transfer portal, his agent @bnm_nil tells @CBSSports.

Was a starter at Oklahoma State this season before suffering an injury. Before Oklahoma State, he was an all-conference left tackle at App State. pic.twitter.com/nOKRROsfDH
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 4, 2025

Whether Nebraska is able to confirm the visit with Samuel over the coming days, it's evident that the staff is emphasizing size and experience over everything else. For a team that struggled along the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball this fall, becoming more physically imposing is the most important area to take a step forward in before 2026.

Veteran teams, with veteran players, win games in the Big Ten. And the Huskers are starting to signal a shift towards becoming one of those teams moving forward. For now, they work to build relationships with some of the most notable offensive linemen within the portal, and it won't be long before those very players make their decisions for next fall.

Until then, the fan base sits and waits. But don't be surprised if there's more to come with Samuel and others alike, over the coming days.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.