Utah offensive lineman Tyler Knaak transfers to Nebraska

On Tuesday, the Huskers added Utah offensive line transfer Tyler Knaak, who visited the school on Monday. The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder — originally from suburban Salt Lake City — spent one redshirt year with the Utes before transferring. He’ll have four seasons of eligibility remaining.

“Absolutely honored to be committed to a program with such success, history, and future,” Knaak wrote on Twitter. “Excited for this new chapter!”

A three-star prospect out of Brighton High School, Knaak originally chose Utah over offers from Arizona State, Minnesota and Kansas, among others. He projects as a potential tackle in NU’s offense, though the Huskers like to cross-train linemen to find their best fit.

Nebraska has a seasoned offensive line that returns, in theory, six starters, and also adds Arizona State center transfer Ben Scott, who is a near-lock to start. Such experience gives Knaak the same amount of development freedom as Jacob Hood, a transfer lineman from Georgia with four years of eligibility.

Asked after the April 22 spring game how he might build depth on the line, coach Matt Rhule eschewed revisiting the portal.

“I don’t think there’s getting any more depth, right? I mean, we have the players we have and we have some guys coming in,” Rhule said then. “We’re going to coach them, so we’re not thinking about anybody other than the guys on our team.”

But offensive linemen are coveted in the transfer market, and there was a sense inside the program that NU might be one scholarship body short. Knaak’s addition allows Nebraska fully explore playing 2023 newcomers Mason Goldman and Jason Maciejczak on the defensive line while Knaak, with a year at Utah, needs less acclimation to the rigors of college football.