From six-year mainstays to three-month visitors, Nebraska seniors nearing the end

While Mickey Joseph held his weekly news conference in a crowded room in the Memorial Stadium press box Tuesday, the player who has been tied to Nebraska football longer than anyone else on the roster spoke briefly at a hallway table.

The low-key, makeshift setup suited Broc Bando just fine. From the day in June 2016 when he sealed a commitment to the Huskers with a handshake with former coach Mike Riley, the offensive lineman has taken up residence behind the scenes. The longtime reserve made a career on special teams and as a reserve, not securing his first start until his sixth season this fall just before his 24th birthday.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder once joked the food at Nebraska was too good for him to ever leave willingly. Now the end is almost here. He’ll run out of the Memorial Stadium tunnel once more, in freezing morning temperatures, as the Huskers seek to end a decade of futility against Wisconsin.

“I’m going to miss it,” Bando said. “Just gotta put on a good show, do my best and leave this place in a better position than I came in at.”

Senior Day has become complicated in the post-pandemic transfer-portal era. Players with free years from 2020 — many with degrees already in hand — have the options to move on from football, enter the portal next month, turn pro or come back for one more ride. Roughly 30 Huskers will go through pregame ceremonies Saturday with backgrounds ranging from career Big Red contributors to having been on campus just three months.

Nebraska is encouraging anyone who wants to be honored beforehand to do so. A dozen will walk knowing they’re out of eligibility. Twenty-three others who have already graduated or will in December have the option to do the same with a chance to return in 2023.

The confluence of circumstances creates some bizarre looks. Walk-on running back Beau Psencik is taking part as a technical redshirt freshman (he’ll graduate in three years in May). Receiver Wyatt Liewer and defensive lineman Colton Feist hugged former coach Scott Frost last November and will embrace Joseph on Saturday. In theory, both could come back and have a third Senior Day with a third Nebraska head coach in 12 months.

“You’re going to have some kids that are going to walk and then they’re going to sit down at the end of the year and say, ‘Coach, I want to come back,’” said Joseph, the interim coach. “Then I’m sure they’re going to walk again next year. So that’s OK.”

The 12 for-sure seniors represent both the least successful class in modern Nebraska football history and a cobbling of transfers that arrived later with various ambitions. Center Trent Hixson — who went from walk-on to starter — joins Bando finishing his sixth year in the program while edge rusher Caleb Tannor is in his fifth as a 54-game participant, rising from erratic teen to team captain.

The linemen have seen the Huskers go 22-44 (.333) to this point with three head coaches, three position coaches, four offensive coordinators and no bowl games. It’s the worst stretch by a senior class since just before the Bob Devaney era when a five-year run saw the program go 15-34-1 from 1957-61.

“They’ve been through a lot,” fourth-year edge rusher Garrett Nelson said. “We’ve been through a lot as a team but especially them going through a lot of years of adversity. They’ve come back every year with enthusiasm.”

The rest of the seniors are fifth- and sixth-year players who began their college time elsewhere. Tight end Travis Vokolek went from Rutgers transfer — sitting out all of 2019 under the old transfer rules — to NU captain. Receiver Oliver Martin is finishing his third campaign in Lincoln after tours at Michigan and Iowa. Same with once-heralded receiver Omar Manning (TCU, junior college) and once-unknown inside linebacker Eteva Mauga-Clements (juco).

Linebacker Chris Kolarevic (Northern Iowa) and tight end Chancellor Brewington (Northern Arizona) made the jump from FCS programs to rotational Huskers. Punting long snapper Brady Weas arrived from Georgetown in the offseason. Multi-stop reserves in cornerback Brandon Moore (UCF, Florida State) and defensive lineman Devin Drew (juco, Texas Tech) joined the team in mid-August.

“Those young men have showed such resiliency,” Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said. “They’ve overcome adversity. While this is easy to say now and hard for them to go through it, what they’ve gone through is only going to help them the rest of their life. Really, really proud of them. They’ve never given up.”

Twenty-six others are finishing their fourth or fifth college seasons with one year of eligibility left, including 17 who have or will have their degrees in December. Among them are starters like quarterback Casey Thompson, Feist and Nelson along with other key players like edge rusher Ochaun Mathis, safety Phalen Sanford and D-lineman Stephon Wynn.

Nelson said this week he won’t be part of the Senior Day ceremony but that it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll remain a Husker. A new head coach will play no small part in offseason evaluations for himself and others.

“A lot of questions need to be answered with decisions and stuff like that,” said Nelson, who has started 30 consecutive games. “I can’t really tell you because I don’t even know.”

Others may have choices to make too. Omaha North grad and Northern Colorado transfer Kevin Williams could be out of eligibility depending on how the NCAA interprets the legality of UNC’s disciplinary suspension of the offensive lineman in 2021. Star receiver Trey Palmer is four years into his college career but could look to the portal or NFL depending on whether Joseph is retained. Receiver Marcus Washington, running back Anthony Grant and linebacker Luke Reimer are in similar situations.

Six other Huskers with two years of eligibility left have or will have degrees in December including starters in inside ‘backer Nick Henrich, kicker Timmy Bleekrode and punter Brian Buschini, who is married.

Joseph said he’ll aim to keep as many in the fold as possible. After facing Big Ten teams each week with a slew of fifth- and sixth-year players, he wants the Huskers to match that maturity.

“If a kid can come back and help us next year, I’m going to do my best to sit down with them to get them to come back,” Joseph said. “But if they want to walk, we’re going to let them walk.”

Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple said he’s not even sure who the seniors are on the roster because of the complicated eligibility considerations. But he knows the importance of their final home game. The former Brown quarterback still remembers the sting of losing his last home contest to Dartmouth in 1978 — it’s a memory that carries extra weight.

“Everyone that’s walking through that tunnel has done a lot for this program,” defensive coordinator Bill Busch said. “And also everyone that’s gone through that tunnel has been through a lot these past few years. When they do run out there they’ll have extreme pride of how they dug in when everything was going wrong.”

Maybe not everything will go wrong in the remaining two-game season. Seniors and staff are getting up from their latest knockdown believing there’s still time to right some significant injustices. An eight-game skid to Wisconsin. Seven in a row to Iowa after that.

In that way, the seniors can leave Nebraska better than when they arrived.

“I would definitely love to beat them both,” Bando said. “And that’s the plan.”

A dozen Huskers will suit up Saturday against Wisconsin in what will be their final home games while 33 others either have one year of eligibility remaining, will be college graduates in December or both. Here’s a look at the 12 Nebraska players definitely finishing their careers.

Player, position, seasons (at NU), notables

Broc Bando, OL, Six (six), first-year starter at right guard.

Trent Hixson, OL, Six (six), went from walk-on to scholarship starter.

Caleb Tannor, EDGE, Five (five), played in 54 games and counting.

Travis Vokolek, TE, Six (four), Rutgers transfer to captain.

Oliver Martin, WR, Six (three), stops at Michigan and Iowa.

Omar Manning, WR, Six (three), TCU to juco to Nebraska.

Eteva Mauga-Clements, ILB, Five (three), juco to rotational contributor.

Chris Kolarevic, ILB, Six (two), FCS transfer is finishing master’s degree.

Chancellor Brewington, TE, Six (two), niche as hard-hitting goal-line blocker.

Brandon Moore, CB, Six (one), journey includes time at UCF, Florida St.

Brady Weas, LS, Five (one), Georgetown transfer handles punt snaps.

Devin Drew, DL, Five (one), Texas Tech transfer arrived in August.