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Former Oregon State Starting Linebacker Visiting Nebraska

Dexter Foster has played in 19 games with seven career starts and will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school.
Trevor Tarr|
Dexter Foster (55) has totaled 95 tackles and five tackles for loss in two seasons at Oregon State. He entered the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
Dexter Foster (55) has totaled 95 tackles and five tackles for loss in two seasons at Oregon State. He entered the portal with two years of eligibility remaining. | Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Nebraska CornhuskersOregon State Beavers

Nebraska football continues its search for adding proven and experienced defenders to its ranks as the transfer portal races on in day three.

Now, with 15 confirmed visitors on their way to Lincoln over the coming days, the Huskers have made it an emphasis to target playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and their latest known defender offers a plethora of Power Four experience and multiple years of eligibility remaining as the cherry on top.

Sophomore linebacker Dexter Foster, who spent his first two seasons of college football making plays for the Oregon State Beavers, is set to be on campus as early as Jan. 4, with reports suggesting the linebacker will be in Lincoln for multiple days.

After announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal back on Dec. 29, Foster immediately became one of the highest-upside underclassmen at his position to do so. Listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Foster is a rangy athlete who has totaled 95 tackles and 5 tackles for loss to this point in his career.

As a true freshman in 2024, the Portland native played in all 12 games, proving to his former staff he was ready to make an immediate impact. That fall, Foster recorded his first 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and two quarterback hurries.

This season, he came into the fold in an even bigger role, earning a starting spot in seven games for the Beavers. He improved upon his freshman campaign, despite only seeing the field in seven games this fall, before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2025, as a sophomore, Foster recorded 52 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, and a pass breakup.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Foster has quickly become a top target for Nebraska's staff. Under new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, the Huskers seem adamant about adding defenders with proven production and noticeable size. The soon-to-be junior linebacker offers that in abundance, making his recruitment a no-brainer for a Nebraska staff that's losing three senior linebackers this fall.

Foster is not the only player at his position to be brought in on a visit. As it currently stands, former San Diego State Aztec linebacker Owen Chambliss and Iowa State Cyclone Will Hawthorne have also planned visits to Lincoln over the coming days. All three linebackers have noteworthy size, with Chambliss and Foster offering extensive playing time throughout their careers.

As stated earlier, Foster is listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. Chambliss (6-foot-3, 230-pounds), and Hawthorne (6-foot-2, 225-pounds) also offer frames that fit the physicality of the Big Ten. Nebraska's staff is not taking its time bringing in some of the most promising defenders in the transfer portal, and Foster's visit signals a clear emphasis on recruiting competitive players with the physical traits needed to help the Huskers improve at stopping the run.

Dexter Foster (7) is one of nine known transfer portal defenders with schedule visits to Lincoln.
Dexter Foster (7) is one of nine known transfer portal defenders with schedule visits to Lincoln. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Touched upon in an earlier paragraph, the Huskers are set to lose a noticeable amount of production from their linebacker room prior to the 2026 season. Javin Wright (86 tackles, 3 sacks), who led the Huskers in tackles this fall, Dasan McCullough (21 tackles, 2 sacks), and Marques Watson-Trent (39 tackles, 1.5 sacks) are all set to try their luck in the NFL Draft this spring after exhausting their collegiate eligibility.

That makes room for several portal additions that the Huskers are in all likelihood about to make. Both McCullough and Watson-Trent were portal additions themselves last fall, but this offseason, Nebraska seems to be attempting to target players with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Not only do all three confirmed visitors at the position offer at least two years left in college football, but if Hawthorne commits to Nebraska, he would have a full four years left to make an impact.

Rob Aurich
Rob Aurich has secured visits from five transfer targets from Power Four schools and four visits from former players he coached at San Diego State this fall. | San Diego State Athletics

With all this in mind, Nebraska is not anywhere close to being done with recruitments. Although the Huskers have managed to lock in visits from nearly double-digit defenders within 72 hours of the transfer portal being open, until commitments are made, their board is still very much being broadened.

Under John Butler this fall, Nebraska ranked 99th in the FBS against the run, and Rhule and company are making it their top priority to bring in players that can help flip the script in that regard next season. Players like Foster offer the size and length that is needed to compete inside the Big Ten, and securing commitments from several of the players known to be visiting campus would go a long way towards showing the Husker faithful improvements will be made in 2026.

Foster is likely to be vetted by several other Power Four schools, so Nebraska will need to entice the will-be junior on his visit to lock him in. Of course, he's not the only linebacker on the Huskers board. However, his starting experience and well-documented history of making plays at the college level do make him one of the more intriguing players set to be in Lincoln this month.

For now, this staff does appear to be going all in on the Portland native, and it's for good reason, too. Foster's 95 career tackles would instantly make him the most experienced linebacker from a statistical standpoint on the Huskers roster next fall. And the pairing of him and returning starter Vincent Shaver offers reason for optimism heading into spring ball.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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