Nebraska Loses Commitment of JUCO All-American After Flip

Recruiting wins and losses are no strangers to any college football program, but this one stings a little more than the rest for Nebraska.

On Monday afternoon, former Iowa Western standout defensive lineman Andy Burburija, who committed to Nebraska on Jan. 12, announced his decision to flip to Clemson, costing the Huskers a promising addition at a position of need.

Though not a transfer portal addition, the 6-foot-3, 295-pound interior defender was one of Nebraska's top defensive line targets of the offseason. The Huskers, who desperately need instant-impact players at the line of scrimmage for next fall, lose their most statistically impressive commitment at the position group to date.

🚨BREAKING🚨 JUCO DL Andy Burburija has flipped his commitment from Nebraska to Clemson, @PeteNakos reports🐅

Burburija is a former Washington State and Kansas State commit.

Read: https://t.co/ZLdkWMRer9 pic.twitter.com/AMucJSGI0n
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 19, 2026

The news does not come out of nowhere, as it was first reported two days ago that he was linked to another school. However, losing him doesn't hurt the Huskers any less.

Burburija was about as promising as they come at the JUCO level, having earned All-America honors this fall. After totaling 78 tackles and 14.0 sacks in two years at Iowa Western, the defensive linemen quickly became one of the hottest commodities of the offseason.

Though Clemson is now his choice, it's not all doom and gloom for the Huskers. Nebraska has signed three defensive linemen out of the portal and brought in Corey Brown as position coach.

Last Friday, Nebraska landed the commitment of Owen Stoudmire, who has since signed. A sixth-year senior coming to Lincoln from Boston College, the 6-foot-1, 292-pound interior defender will have one year of eligibility remaining. He has seen action in 35 collegiate games, including five starts.

A week ago, the Huskers signed a promising underclassman on the interior as well. Jahsear Whittington, who spent his first two seasons at Pitt, totaled 14 QB pressures, nine hurries, four QB hits, and one sack in this past season as a 6-foot, 270 pound redshirt freshman.

The first D-line addition Nebraska made official was Anthony Jones, formerly of UCLA. At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, the will-be senior appears to be suited to come off the edge. Likely to join Roy Manning's new position group, Jones offers length, speed and extensive experience against Big Ten competition.

Have put in a Crystal Ball pick for Clemson to flip Nebraska JUCO All-American DT commit Andy Burburija.

He ranks as the No. 20 overall JUCO prospect and No. 6 d-lineman in the 2026 class. Posted 11 sacks this year for Iowa Western. https://t.co/qnelGKbIMv pic.twitter.com/FPq6ZjSXLE
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 17, 2026

Many factors led to Burburija's flip, but few of them, if any, appear to be the fault of Nebraska's coaching staff. As discouraging as it is, external factors outside of the university's control can come into play, and tough decisions must be made. That's the likely case Nebraska found itself in, and the defensive line room is worse off because of it.

Already facing an uphill battle in resurrecting a position group, Brown now must do it without one of his more promising would-be players. However, that is exactly why depth one of the key goals of recruiting.

Bread n butta #GBR☠️ pic.twitter.com/1xLWVGzWSU
— Jahsear “Breadman” whittington (@jahwhitt) January 14, 2026

Entering 2026, the Huskers return several players who carved out large roles this fall. Athletes like Williams Nwaneri, Riley Van Poppel, Cam Lenhardt, Kade Pietrzak, and more are all set to return. Though the production from the room left more to be desired, many of these players enter their third and fourth years in a college football program and seem overdue for offseason growth.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. But with a retooled staff and a new defensive scheme under coordinator Rob Aurich, Nebraska's defensive line is sure to look different at the very least. And that likely is a good thing for a team that ranked 96th out of 136 FBS programs against the run in 2025.

As discouraging as the Burburija news might be, improvement from the group can still happen. Under new guidance, the Huskers may find their stride at the right time, and even without the big-bodied interior defender joining them, it is not unrealistic to expect them to take a leap next fall.

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