Players Coming and Going

An article about how many players have left the Husker program due to NIL and the Portal, mostly the portal. Rhule points out the difficulty in building a program. It has to be difficult when it is not known who will be on the team from year to year.

The article also gives Nebraska props as to their success with the portal…

NCAA Chaos: Nebraska Football Faces Mass Exodus After Bowl Victory

John Papenhagen

Nebraska is probably the poster child for roster reduction issues due to the 105 player limit, because of their long-standing walkon program, which got pole-axed by the court settlement imposed roster limits, but there were quite a few schools with 125 or more players on their roster this season, and they’re going to have to cut back as well. Some of these may be the last cohort of players who got extra seasons due to COVID. (The NCAA caving in on JC play impacting 4 year eligibility is another factor.)

In a not-unrelated issue, the FBS coaches voted unanimously for a single portal window in January, but it is far from clear that the NCAA will go along with that. That might lead to more long-time coaches deciding to retire.

According to a story on the LJS site, the average FBS school has a roster of 121, Nebraska’s was over 150 last month.

A lot of these players being cut loose are not going to find FBS schools to play for, they may have to drop down a division or two, and even that probably won’t accommodate them all.

It would not surprise me if players who feel abandoned file a class action lawsuit.