Why Nebraska won’t ‘look outward’ after resolving scholarship crunch

After heading into spring camp with around 100 scholarship players, several weeks of transfer portal departures have Nebraska closer than ever to the 85-player limit. While not all of Nebraska’s roster moves have been confirmed publicly — most of Nebraska’s recent transfer portal entrants are still listed on the program’s official roster — the Huskers are no longer in danger of skirting NCAA guidelines.

In fact, Nebraska’s offseason roster attrition even opened up a few scholarships headed to worthy recipients.

“We’ve been able to take two of our guys who were not on scholarship and put them on scholarship,” Rhule told the Journal Star on Tuesday. “I thought that was really important to set the tone for our team that at the University of Nebraska we’re not always going to look outward. If you play well for us, we’re going to take care of you.”

Things looked much more complex for Nebraska just two months ago. NU’s large 2023 recruiting class included 28 scholarship additions, and the Huskers also brought in 11 players from the transfer portal prior to spring ball.

A surplus of players at positions like wide receiver and defensive back led to a first round of departures. Neither Victor Jones Jr. nor Shawn Hardy II had recorded a catch in their time with Nebraska, leading both players to the transfer portal. Jones has already landed elsewhere, committing to Liberty on April 30. It was a similar story for safeties Noa Pola-Gates and Jalil Martin, who never quite managed to crack the top of the depth chart despite being highly rated recruits out of high school.

However, some of Nebraska’s transfer portal departures were more surprising. Quarterback Casey Thompson and defensive lineman Stephon Wynn Jr. are at the top of the list, considering both players were major contributors for Nebraska in 2022.

However, both seniors entered the portal perhaps searching for guaranteed playing time elsewhere — a decision that Rhule understands.

“(I understood) if anybody wanted to look around in the portal and see if there was a better situation in their personal opinion,” Rhule said. “We gave them the flexibility to know ‘that if I go into the portal it doesn’t mean I have to leave. We were able to do that with a couple of older guys and let them look out there and welcome them back if they want to come back.”

That opened door looms largest at quarterback. Nebraska entered the spring with six scholarship quarterbacks — an uncommonly high number — but is now down to three in Jeff Sims, Chubba Purdy and Heinrich Haarberg.

Redshirt freshman Richard Torres has already landed at FCS Incarnate Word, Thompson has been heavily linked with Florida Atlantic. Logan Smothers, a junior, is also searching for a new school.

Yet, Rhule isn’t panicking about Nebraska’s quarterback situation. The program’s three scholarship quarterbacks are in line with what he’s had in the past, Rhule said.

That doesn’t mean Nebraska is writing off the transfer portal. Even amidst efforts to shed scholarship players rather than add, Nebraska’s coaching staff has continued to monitor and evaluate transfer portal entrants.

The Huskers could perhaps be tempted if a starting-caliber player became available along either the offensive or defensive line, but players of that quality are few and far between at this time of year.

“We’re always going to look for big guys first,” Rhule said. “The winter portal makes more sense because the guys can be here for spring football and the offseason program. It’d have to be someone who we think is either long-term developmental or just such a good player that they can help us right away.”

Because of that long-term view, it remains unlikely that the Huskers will add any scholarship players in the coming months. Future offseasons are likely to be less stressful in terms of roster limits but expect Nebraska’s selectiveness in the transfer portal to continue moving forward.

“We’re not going to overreact because whoever we sign is going to be here for at least a year if not a couple of years,” Rhule said. “We want to make the best decisions in our long-term interest. Every day we look at the portal, evaluate the players and see if anybody’s a good fit.”