With the transfer portal officially open, Nebraska fans have been anxiously wondering who head coach Fred Hoiberg would bring in to help make the Huskers even better than last season. There was hope that Hoiberg would lose anyone to the portal, but the first domino has officially fallen for the Huskers.
To the surprise of everyone, especially after his post about getting a tattoo to remember Nebraska's historic season, Berke Buyuktuncel announced he was entering the transfer portal. The junior forward was a solid piece for Nebraska this season, especially standing at 6-foot-10.
Fans were surprised at this announcement, as it was expected that Buyuktuncel would stick around for his final season in college basketball. After the announcement, Buyuktuncel took to social media, sharing a heartfelt goodbye for Huskers Nation.
Berke says his goodbye pic.twitter.com/mmTnzNOfCh
— Robin Washut (@RobinWashut) April 8, 2026
Buyuktuncel spoke about how Nebraska changed his life, and the brotherhood he has with his team was something he would hold onto forever. He even ended his post with "Go Big Red" and was grateful for his time in Lincoln.
This post has to confuse everyone, along with the announcement of heading to the transfer portal, as Buyuktuncel had nothing but great things to say about Nebraska. His post almost seemed like one from a player who is moving on to either the NBA or out of eligibility, not from a player who is choosing to go into the transfer portal.
The message to Nebraska from Buyuktuncel was nice, but they would have much rather had him stick around for another year with the Huskers than move on. Buyuktuncel would have had the chance to take on a bigger role for Nebraska next season, but instead, he is choosing to find a new team.
Hoiberg will now be on the hunt for a new big man to anchor in the paint for Nebraska next season.