Nebraska Offers Iowa Western Defensive Tackle

The JUCO All-American and national champion has competing offers from Michigan State, Clemson and Kansas State, among others.

Iowa Western Community College defensive tackle Andy Burburija celebrates during a Reivers contest. | Iowa Western Community College

Nebraska football continues to look to bolster its defensive line for the future - and didn't have to travel far to offer its next target.

The Huskers offered Iowa Western Community College defensive tackle Andy Burburija on Wednesday night. The defensive tackle announced the offer on social media, along with an offer from Clemson football earlier in the day.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive lineman was a game-wrecker for the Reivers in 2024 and 2025. Burburija played in 25 games over two seasons in Council Bluffs, racking up 78 total tackles with 27.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and one forced fumble. Nebraska joined the list of many programs clamoring for his services.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Other Power Four programs to offer the defensive tackle include Michigan State, Penn State, Kansas State, Arkansas, Auburn, Iowa State, Purdue and Texas Tech. Burburija also has Group of Five offers from Boise State, Arkansas State, South Florida, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion and Western Michigan.

Iowa Western earned its fourth national title in December, taking down Hutchinson Community College 28-10. Burburija was the second-leading tackler for the Reivers in the title game, totaling eight tackles with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. His season performance earned him first-team All-America status.

Burburija was a no-star prospect in the Class of 2024 out of Crystal Lake, Ill. During his time as a high school prospect, Burbuija visited Michigan State and Penn State.

I’m truly blessed to receive an offer from Nebraska!!! @CoachAaronTerry @CoachStrohmeier @BlackbournMike @JuCoFootballACE @HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/PuYrUj2a7U

— Andy Burburija (@BurburijaAndy) January 8, 2026

Nebraska has yet to add a defensive lineman to its 2026 portal class . The Huskers aim to replace three defensive lineman that departed in the portal so far, as sophomore Keona Davis, junior Dylan Parrott, and junior Jaylen George have entered the portal. Parrott and Davis have yet to announce their destinations, while George has moved on to Tulsa.

Despite the hour-long commute and nearly 64-mile drive from Lincoln to Council Bluffs, Nebraska football has rarely communicated with coach Seth Strohmeier's program. The Huskers added 2020 walk-on Darius Moore but have not added a Reiver under current coach Matt Rhule.

Nebraska has added impact players on defense early in the transfer window, securing Owen Chambliss (San Diego State), Will Hawthorne (Iowa State) and Dexter Foster (Oregon State) at linebacker. The Huskers dipped again into the San Diego State defensive pool for safety Dwayne McDougle. But the nothing has happened yet with an interior defensive lineman, a spot that also has no representation in the Huskers' 2026 high school recruiting class.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule before the Huskers' 2025 season opener against Cincinnati. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

As Nebraska navigates the 2026 transfer portal window from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, the program is in better financial position to compete for talent than it has been in years past.

"This'll be the first year we can do whatever we... We have the money now," Rhule said during the Huskers' November bye week. "I can't complain anymore. We got what we need."

"In the previous couple years, I had to make a lot of hard decisions because we didn't have the money everyone else had."

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