Jeremy Pernell: No Portal Binge for Nebraska This Offseason

That’s dictated by tight roster numbers and Matt Rhule’s philosophy, but bringing in a quarterback or two is a must

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football's offseason has officially begun. Head coach Matt Rhule told reporters that he's already on to Year 2 after conducting postseason exit meetings with every player on the roster.

There are half a dozen key players with eligibility remaining who have decisions to make regarding their futures at Nebraska. Ty Robinson and Ben Scott have already decided to return. Now we wait and see if guys like Isaac Gifford, John Bullock, Bryce Benhart and Nash Hutmacher decide to run it back too.

The transfer portal officially opened Monday, and so far we've seen just one scholarship player - tight end Jake Appleget - put his name in it. That's going to change. Counting the 26 known commitments in the 2024 recruiting class, Nebraska is sitting at around 100 scholarship players.

We know the staff would still like to add a high school running back (Lamar Radcliffe, Dylan Riley) and possibly another offensive tackle (Alexander Ruggeroli) if they can make the numbers work.

Nebraska also just offered defensive lineman Maraad Watson, a senior-film prospect whom the staff might try to add as a replacement for Carlon Jones, who decommitted. Watson plays at Irvington (N.J.) High School and was offered by Rutgers and Nebraska within hours of committing to Kent State on Monday. He plans to visit Rutgers this coming weekend and then will be in Lincoln Dec. 15-17.

Defensive backs Amare Sanders and Larry Tarver Jr. are also still on the radar and will announce their commitments during the early signing period. Tarver is still publicly committed to Maryland, while there is a lot of smoke around the Huskers and Sanders.

The numbers are going to be tight. Last spring, the team went into practices with around 100 scholarship players, but attrition took care of itself. Heck, there were even a few scholarships available to give to a couple of walk-ons in fall camp. In the first year of a new coach it's easy to weed out malcontents and players who don't vibe with the new staff.

This time around it's going to be a little more intricate. The roster consists of players who either came here to play for Rhule or are upperclassmen who bought into his culture.

Don't expect a Deion Sanders situation where this staff cuts players so they can try to rebuild the roster through the portal. That doesn't line up with Rhule ethically or philosophically. He's a coach who prides himself on development, and that's exactly the kind of coach Nebraska needs. 

Rhule has talked about his belief in building a strong foundation with high school kids, particularly in his first two recruiting classes, and he's following that pattern despite the numbers crunch.

I love how Rhule maneuvers around the four-game rule that allows a player to maintain his redshirt. Sixteen of the 27 true freshmen played in a game this season: Malachi Coleman (11 with 6 starts), Cameron Lenhardt (10 with 4 starts), Princewill Umanmielen (11 with 1 start), Jaylen Lloyd (10 with 1 start), Riley Van Poppel (11), Ethan Nation (7), Gunnar Gottula (4), Jaidyn Doss (4), Kwinten Ives (4), Dwight Bootle II (3), Sua Lefotu (3), Jeremiah Charles (2), Vincent Carroll-Jackson (1), Rahmir Stewart (1) and Brice Turner (1), plus Tristan Alvano, who played in all 12 games as the starting kicker.

Had he not gotten hurt, Bootle likely exceeds his redshirt limit. You can also safely assume Maverick Noonan would have played at least four games had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason camp after impressing coaches during spring ball.

Keep in mind junior college addition Kai Wallin played in four games and could have played more but coaches wanted to maintain his redshirt. The same goes for James Williams, who spent one year at Iowa Central and then impressed the staff at their post-graduate camp and walked on. He also played in four games and could have played in more. Both will have three more seasons of eligibility.

We also know the staff really likes several players who didn't see action this season for various reasons, particularly Sam Sledge, Eric Fields, Dylan Rogers and Demitrius Bell.

In recruiting, if you hit on 50-60% of the kids you sign, you're generally doing very well. Obviously the playing time we've seen from his first class doesn't outright signify those players as "hits." They're still in their infancy in the program. But it speaks to their potential and reinforces Rhule's developmental culture.

At the same time, Rhule knows he needs to add some key pieces through the portal to expedite the building process. Unlike last offseason when the Huskers brought in 12 transfers, I expect the staff to bring in about half that many with the roster numbers so tight.

On offense, I think they're going to keep their eyes open for a running back, wide receiver or offensive tackle. Defensively, with the loss of Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich, even if John Bullock returns, I think the staff will look to bring in an inside linebacker. I also think they could use another cornerback.

But the main focus - as it should be - will be the quarterback spot. Rhule has to completely overhaul this room regardless of how it affects any of the players currently in it. The staff knows they need much better quarterback play if they want to take the next step as a program.

Between Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy, Nebraska completed only 52% of its passes and threw for just 136 yards per game while averaging a measly 6.2 yards per pass attempt, which ranked 115th nationally. The Huskers threw for 10 touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions.

Sims won't be at Nebraska next year and Haarberg is too limited as a passer to ever expect him to be a viable option as a starter. You'd like to keep Purdy in some capacity, but there's no way you're sacrificing the chance to bring in competition even if you are worried it scares him off.

Jeremy Pernell: Matt Rhule and Huskers Face a Pivotal Offseason

Ideally, the staff brings in two guys. They need to bring in a proven upperclassman who can stabilize the position for a year or two. Some of the names we know the program has made contact with are Will Howard (Kansas State), Kyle McCord (Ohio State) and Blake Shapen (Baylor).

Any of those three would be gigantic upgrades and would fit the criteria I laid out. Howard would probably be a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCord is a former five-star recruit who has played in 24 games with 13 starts for the Buckeyes. Shapen was honorable-mention All-Big 12 in 2022 and played well this season while missing time due to injuries.

We also know the team met with Michigan State freshman Sam Leavitt, a four-star recruit from the 2023 class who played in four games for the Spartans and will have four seasons of eligibility at his next stop. The belief is that Leavitt's not interested in going to a school to be a backup, even just initially, so you're probably not getting him and one of the aforementioned upperclassmen I mentioned, even though that's a home run scenario.

There will be more names that pop up in the coming days, but while most fans and media members will be surprised to see them, coaches will generally have a pulse on the coming market. The top-tier guys have already had discussions through intermediaries.

If I am Rhule, I make it a priority to secure a commitment from a proven commodity. Someone who can be with the team during winter conditioning and permeates confidence. A guy I would be completely confident in as my starter on Day 1 of spring camp and a veteran who would help lead my team through the entire offseason.

Using a known target like Howard or McCord, I make sure they know they'd be coming to Lincoln as QB1 but that I was also in the process of building the room and another quarterback would be added - preferably before spring ball, but certainly before the start of fall camp. Let them know that guy would be a developmental piece earmarked for 2025 and to provide depth in 2024.

Get someone like Howard or McCord locked in and then turn your attention toward a younger player with multiple seasons of eligibility. With the guys in that tier, you can lay out the depth chart and their path toward the starting job in 2025. The room is wide open.

Rhule swung and missed bad on Sims, his portal quarterback last offseason. But like I wrote in my previous article, I don't blame him for that. He was navigating a whirlwind offseason, spread thin and working on a compressed timeline.

This offseason, however, he can't miss. Yeah, Rhule's reputation has been Year 3 is when it really starts to take off for him. But this is Nebraska. He's openly said this program is in better shape than Temple or Baylor was when he stepped in at those schools.

If he fails to get to a bowl game next year, he won't be on the hot seat, but not taking a tangible step forward might start to affect recruiting - and that's a hiccup in momentum that this program can't afford.

This roster is on the come up. It needs a quarterback to lead it.