San Diego State Guard Taj DeGourville Commits to Nebraska Basketball

The Huskers are up to five transfer portal commitments this cycle.

San Diego State Aztecs guard Taj DeGourville is transferring to Nebraska. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The trasnfer portal window has come to a close for players to enter, but that doesn't mean commitments are done for teams with open roster spots.

On Thursday, Taj DeGourville committed to Nebrasketball. The former San Diego State guard has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

As a true freshman, DeGourville averaged 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 31 games. He shot 36.7% from the field, including 30.4% on three-pointers.

This past season, DeGourville's numbers improved to 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists across 33 games, including five starts. He made 37.1% of his shots, making 34.5% from deep.

As a junior in high school, DeGourville helped Las Vegas's Durango High to the state's No. 1 ranking and the Class 5A State Championship. He graduated from Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, picking SDSU over USC, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Harvard, among others.

DeGourville figures to slot into the rotation as one of the top backup guards. He has a blend of ball-handling, shot-making, and IQ to fit into Fred Hoiberg's offensive system with the new and returning pieces.

Nebraska now has five incoming portal additions: 6-5 guard Trevan Leonhardt, 6-foot-9 forward Sam Orme, 6-foot-11 forward/center Boden Kapke, and 6-foot-8 forward Kadyn Betts.

At Utah Valley this past season, Leonhardt averaged 11.8 points, 6.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per contest. He earned first-team All-WAC and All-Defensive team honors.

Utah Valley Wolverines guard Trevan Leonhardt (20) dribbles the ball, defended by Utah Utes guard Hunter Erickson (0). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Out of Belmont, Orme was Nebraska's first portal commitment. As a redshirt sophomore, he averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.8 minutes per game, shooting 40.4% from deep.

Kapke played just one season at Boston College. With the Eagles, he averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds over 26.7 minutes a game.

Betts has played in 39 games in his college career. He began at Minnesota before playing at Montana last year, suffering a season-ending injury early in the campaign.

Those five incoming transfers join a returning cast that includes first-team All-Big Ten selection Pryce Sandfort and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager.

Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort hits a three-pointer against Iowa at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Sandfort set Nebraska's single-season record for made three-pointers, but he fought a sports hernia injury late in the year. He underwent surgery earlier this month, which will keep him out rehabbing for several weeks.

Frager will slide into a starting role this next season. As a redshirt freshman, he hit the 20-point scoring mark six times on his way to averaging 11.8 points a game off the bench.

Leo Curtis, Cale Jacobsen, Will Cooper, and Henry Burt have all their returns confirmed, along with sharpshooter Connor Essegian. Essegian played in seven games this past campaign before suffering a season-ending injury.

The Huskers are also adding a pair of high school signees. Colin Rice and Jacob Lanier are both four-star forward prospects and could see the floor earlier in their collegiate careers.

Nebraska coaches on a visit to 2026 signee Colin Rice. | @colinlrice/X

Four players with eligibility to return left via the transfer portal: 6-foot-8 forward Justin Bolis, 6-foot-10 forward Berke Büyüktuncel, 6-foot-11 forward Ugnius Jaruševičius, and 6-foot-6 guard Quentin Rhymes. Büyüktuncel started 61 games as a Husker, while the other three departures combined to play in just 18 games.

Four Huskers from the 28-7 team that made a run to the Sweet 16 officially exhausted their eligibility this year: Kendall Blue, Jared Garcia, Sam Hoiberg, Jamarques Lawrence, and Rienk Mast. Hoiberg, Lawrence, and Mast were all starters for multiple years.

Throwing a wrench into the roster building for Nebrasketball and other teams across the nation is the potential passing and implementation of 5-for-5. NCAA President Charlie Baker is pushing for the proposal to allow DI athletes five years of eligibility to be voted on as emergency legislation in May, with implementation the next month.

Both Lawrence and Blue would be eligible for another season, should they be grandfathered into the immediate passage of a 5-for-5 rule. Lawrence told HuskerOnline earlier this week that he would be interested in playing another season at Nebraska.

Jamarques Lawrence helped Nebraska to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, including this season's run to the second weekend. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

But Nebraska, and other programs across the country, are in limbo of operating as though 5-for-5 won't pass or leaving a spot or spots open for potential fifth-year seniors to get another season of eligibility.

Whether 5-for-5 passes or not, Nebraska has two open roster spots remaining. At least one of those is likely to go to another big for depth.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.