LINCOLN, Neb. — Matt Rhule offered a phrase last week to describe the constant churn of names and information through the transfer portal and coaching carousel since the start of December: “Perceived chaos.”
According to the second-year Nebraska football coach, “There will be a lot more” of it in the weeks ahead.
But no amount of roster change scares Rhule because he believes in the resources at the Huskers’ disposal to replenish their roster. And he believes in the coaching staff he has restructured to make efficient use of the players it has handed when the smoke from this blaze clears sometime in 2025.
“It’s basically, if we’re being honest,” Rhule said, “365 days a year of free agency, with the power in the players’ hands.”
The victories for Nebraska so far in this portal cycle are trickling in.
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Defensive lineman Jaylen George, a first-team All-Southern Conference pick as a sophomore this year at East Tennessee State, signed the papers Tuesday to join the Huskers, Rhule said. Nebraska previously added former five-star prospect Williams Nwaneri, a defensive end from Missouri, out of the portal, in addition to ex-New Hampshire long snapper Kevin Gallic and former Washington punter Jack McCallister.
Running back Emmett Johnson and defensive end Keona Davis, both key pieces, jumped into the portal but backed out to stay in Lincoln.
The Huskers are deep into hosting portal visitors.
And the departures continue to mount in this second full week of practices for the Pinstripe Bowl, which will be played on Dec. 28 in New York against Boston College. The latest big entry for Nebraska came Monday from sophomore running back Dante Dowdell, the Huskers’ leader this season in rushing yardage (614 yards) and rushing touchdowns (12).
Several Nebraska transfers have found landing spots: quarterback Daniel Kaelin at Virginia, linebacker Mikai Gbayor at Missouri, defensive end Jimari Butler at LSU, defensive end James Williams at Florida State and linebackers Princewill Umanmielen at Ole Miss and Stefon Thompson at Florida State.
“This is completely different than it was even a year ago,” Rhule said, “with the amount of money floating around in college football.”
Contributors at Nebraska who remain on the market include wide receiver Malachi Coleman, running back Gabe Ervin, defensive linemen Vincent Jackson and Kai Wallin, tight end Nate Boerkircher and defensive back Koby Bretz.
Updated roster math shows Nebraska must part ways with 32 more players — based on it taking 15 transfers — to reach the 105-player maximum by the start of the next season.
Here’s an exercise to collect our thoughts as the wait continues for more decisions from the portal:
Recruiting emphasis on Florida?
Nebraska signed five players from Miami in its 2023 class, including three who bypassed redshirt seasons in wide receiver Jacory Barney and linebackers Vincent Shavers and Willis McGahee IV. Defensive backs Larry Tarver and Amare Sanders have joined the others in showing their support for the Huskers this month as programs nationally make moves to poach players of their caliber.
It just mean a little more when you from that crib! #305boys #Flobraska @Jacoryjrr @McgaheeIv @vincentshavers9 @begreat___4 @philipsimpson1 pic.twitter.com/vdGG8qqCx5
— Amare “A1” Sanders (@Amaresanders_1) December 14, 2024
After the departures to Florida State of former defensive coordinator Tony White and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, Rhule pushed to rebuild the Huskers’ Florida ties.
He re-hired Phil Simpson as the outside linebackers coach. The former top Miami-area high school coach spent the 2023 season in Lincoln and 2024 at FSU. Two defensive coaching moves that are not yet official put the Huskers in a good position to recruit Florida — Nebraska is working to finalize deals for Terry Bradden as defensive line coach and Addison Williams to coach the secondary.
Bradden attended high school in south Florida and coached at Florida Atlantic and Bethune-Cookman (in Daytona Beach) before his eight-season run with the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams would come to Nebraska after three years at UCF as the defensive coordinator. He’s from Atlanta and played at South Carolina.
Rhule has prioritized the state of Florida since he arrived at Nebraska. This year, the Huskers coaxed a signing-day flip from Oklahoma by four-star wide receiver Cortez Mills of Homestead, Fla.
Do the additional resources pull energy away from another recruiting hot spot? Nebraska will continue to sink resources into recruiting players from within 500 miles of Lincoln, evidenced by the six in-state signees this year and the momentum gained in Kansas City around first-year staffer Jamar Mozee.
A season opener next year at Arrowhead Stadium will enhance exposure in Kansas City.
College football 🤝 Kansas City
Cincinnati and Nebraska will face off at our place in August of 2025.
— GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (@GEHAField) December 16, 2024
Nebraska coaches have multiple connections in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola is tied into the Polynesian community.
But what about Texas? With the departure of Knighton to FSU and Garret McGuire to Texas Tech, some of the Huskers’ ties in the Lone Star State are gone. Rhule built Texas bonds in his time at Baylor and has worked for two years to rekindle those relationships. The Huskers spend more time in Texas during the offseason than any state other than Nebraska.
Chief of staff Susan Elza knows Texas inside and out, but Rhule may have to work overtime or add another Texan to his staff to maintain a pipeline.
How does coaching staff mesh?
With a first-year defensive coordinator in John Butler, an ex-coordinator incoming in Williams and the NFL experience of Bradden — in addition to Simpson and returning linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek — Nebraska might face a challenge in coming together with one philosophy on defense.
Enter Phil Snow. Rhule has not announced the hire of his former defensive coordinator, but it’s expected to happen. Snow counts 25 years of experience in charge of a defense.
Rhule has faith in Butler’s ability to coordinate, but he wants an “elder statesman” on defense to ensure that the Huskers continue to emphasize fundamentals. Rhule said he thought Nebraska’s tackling and pursuit slipped from 2023 to 2024.
“I want someone, kind of a big picture person who can help and assist in those areas,” Rhule said. “I want to make sure, as I have a whole new staff on defense, that there’s someone in there who believes what I believe.”
And offensively, what’s next? December has not provided time for a complete evaluation. The priority was to sign offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to a deal, which Rhule accomplished. Holgorsen got Daikiel Shorts, his former player and assistant, to coach the wide receivers.
Nebraska is set to use six coaches on defense. Don’t assume that the five-coach setup on offense will look the same when the Huskers get to Arrowhead in August. The same thing goes for special teams.
Is WR a portal priority?
We didn’t list it among the top five needs in an early evaluation. But Rhule and Holgorsen are targeting pass catchers. Among the Huskers’ first moves in bowl practices this month, they moved Heinrich Haarberg from quarterback to tight end. The Huskers see big things for him as a senior.
They got Carter Nelson in position for a breakout season in 2025 as a wide receiver-tight end hybrid. And among the other receivers, Jaylen Lloyd, Janiran Bonner and Barney have experience.
Is Demitrius Bell in position to get healthy? Quinn Clark and Keelan Smith bring exciting physical traits. The Huskers feel good about incoming freshmen Mills and Isaiah Mozee, among others.
But they want more. So we’ve seen three top portal prospects plan visits to Lincoln: 6-foot-3 Dane Key (47 catches for 715 yards in 2024 at Kentucky); 5-11 Eric Rivers (62 catches for 1,172 yards at Florida International); and 6-2 Nyziah Hunter (40 catches for 578 yards at Cal).
If Nebraska lands one from that group, it has done well.
(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
