Nebraska football - what lies ahead?

Husker Football
1

Next Sunday the Huskers will find out what unimportant late December bowl game they’ll play in, a meager consolation prize for a somewhat disappointing season.

Hopefully they’ll devote a significant number of the practices allowed for a bowl game to assessing the talent on the roster, although they won’t know until the transfer portal window ends in mid-January and the NFL draft decision deadline is reached how many of the players currently on the roster will still be here come the season opener on or about September 5th.

Will one or both QBs test the transfer system money machine? Will the best Husker running back in over a decade decide he is ready for the NFL?

Nebraska’s special teams coach is one of the Broyles award nominees for best assistant coach, but I doubt he’ll win, Nebraska’s special teams were an improvement over 2024 but weren’t special enough to be the difference in several games.

The defense was too slow and not bulky enough, which almost sounds like a contrast in terms. The Offense was too predictable, especially after Raiola went down.

The name of the game these days is restocking the roster through the transfer portal, and the true name of that game is money. Indiana built a team that went 12-0 largely through the transfer portal, and they don’t have a tenth of the cache that Nebraska (should) have. But maybe cache is trumped by cash.

Texas A&M came up one game short in their quest for a 12-0 season, with an estimated price tag of $26 million. They’ll be in the playoffs, for sure.

Like him or not, the Huskers are going with Rhule at least until he wears a hole in the welcome mat with his sideline pacing. He says the disappointing finish to the season is ‘on him’, but it remains to be seen if he has the knowledge, skill and cash to fix the things that were clearly broken in 2025. Whether its coaching changes or roster changes, something needs to be corrected for 2026, or to paraphrase a disreputable AD, Nebraska will continue to improve its way to mediocrity.

2

We’ll see how all this turns out. I was talking to a friend of mine a while back an d I made the statement recruiting isn’t a important as it once was. He responded that he agreed High School recruiting isn’t nearly as important as it used to be. Where the major part of recruiting has to be placed is on recruiting the portal. I would agree with that.

John Papenhagen

**nolan**List Manager

1h

Next Sunday the Huskers will find out what unimportant late December bowl game they’ll play in, a meager consolation prize for a somewhat disappointing season.

Hopefully they’ll devote a significant number of the practices allowed for a bowl game to assessing the talent on the roster, although they won’t know until the transfer portal window ends in mid-January and the NFL draft decision deadline is reached how many of the players currently on the roster will still be here come the season opener on or about September 5th.

Will one or both QBs test the transfer system money machine? Will the best Husker running back in over a decade decide he is ready for the NFL?

Nebraska’s special teams coach is one of the Broyles award nominees for best assistant coach, but I doubt he’ll win, Nebraska’s special teams were an improvement over 2024 but weren’t special enough to be the difference in several games.

The defense was too slow and not bulky enough, which almost sounds like a contrast in terms. The Offense was too predictable, especially after Raiola went down.

The name of the game these days is restocking the roster through the transfer portal, and the true name of that game is money. Indiana built a team that went 12-0 largely through the transfer portal, and they don’t have a tenth of the cache that Nebraska (should) have. But maybe cache is trumped by cash.

Texas A&M came up one game short in their quest for a 12-0 season, with an estimated price tag of $26 million. They’ll be in the playoffs, for sure.

Like him or not, the Huskers are going with Rhule at least until he wears a hole in the welcome mat with his sideline pacing. He says the disappointing finish to the season is ‘on him’, but it remains to be seen if he has the knowledge, skill and cash to fix the things that were clearly broken in 2025. Whether its coaching changes or roster changes, something needs to be corrected for 2026, or to paraphrase a disreputable AD, Nebraska will continue to improve its way to mediocrity.

3

More than one coach, including Rhule, I think, has said his hardest recruiting job each year is his current roster.

4

Excellent analysis, Mike. Seems like the only thing consistent in the college game today is inconsistency. Is the secret knowing the portal, high level recruiting, NIL or a combination?

Seems like it’ll take a new breed of coaching to keep up with the constant changes. Lane K has soaked up a lot of attention this week and it’ll be interesting to see if his way of doing things work out in Baton Rouge too.

I have no answer for Indiana… is it a two year anomaly or is Mr Self-assured on to something there?

At some point, the money will either reach a natural peak or some sort of caps will be out in place.

As a traditionalist, I generally despise all the focus on money and multiple school transfer ease. But I’ll have to admit to enjoying the relative on-field parity in talent.

Scott Buffington

5

Unfortunately, the football program has been mismanaged for the better part of 2 decades. I’d love to point the finger at one single person, but these problems have transcended multiple ADs and administrators.

One thing that has always bothered me is the contract extensions that have preceded coaching changes. I didn’t understand the fanfare for Rhules extension at the time. I have serious doubts that he was a realistic contender for the Penn State job considering his record against ranked opponents. I understand his ties to the university and his relationship with their AD, but I don’t see how their fanbase would have accepted that hire.

I genuinely don’t think I care any any more. College football is very messed up right now and I don’t have much faith in UNL to figure out the current landscape.

6

Time will tell if top programs can consistently stay at the top, Clemson seems to have fallen off the pyramid, and Washington’s time in the top tier was brief.

The Big Ten has seen a lot of churning in the middle third of the bracket this year, too. I don’t know how much longer Ferentz will keep coaching at Iowa, but his successor will have big shoes to fill.

FWIW, former Wildcat coach Pat Fitzgerald is among the candidates for the MSU vacancy.

Finding the right combination of coaching schemes, talent and bulk on the line and paying for it all may not be a sustainable model for college football. Will Indiana get too close to the sun and melt its wings? Colorado need replacements for two generational-level players. FSU and Florida won a combined total of 9 games this year. Penn State was one inexplicable Rutgers fumble away from a losing record.

Look at the NFL, the Chiefs probably won’t make the playoffs and the Bears are in place for a first-round bye, and that’s a dramatic change over the last several years. Baltimore and Philly aren’t as dominant this season and the Vikings just plain suck. The sand may have run out of the hourglass for the Packers and Lions, too. New England seems to have swapped roles with Buffalo. Denver’s playing well again, too, maybe they’ve exorcised the Elway curse.