With no other major football programs in the state, the University of Nebraska has long stood alone. However, on Friday, athletic director Troy Dannen announced Matt Rhule and his crew will have some competition for their fan base from within. NU will soon make Women's Flag Football the school's 25th varsity sport.
The addition of women's flag football to the Huskers' list of varsity sports gives the Huskers 15 women's teams and 10 men's teams. It's been a while since NU added another varsity sport. The last addition was in 2013 when it added beach volleyball.
Not only is Nebraska adding a new sport, but it's also making history. The Huskers are the first Power 4 team to announce they'll be playing women's flag football. The sport will start to put things together immediately, but won't officially start playing games until 2028. That year is an important one for the Cornhuskers and the burgeoning sport.
Nebraska becomes first Power 4 school to add women’s flag football
"This is a banner day for Nebraska Athletics and for women's sports," Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said in a statement. "In a time of uncertainty and change in college athletics, creating new participation opportunities continues Nebraska’s rich history of elevating women's athletics."
"Flag football is one of the nation's fastest growing sports and has exploded in popularity at the youth, high school and collegiate level. There is also great synergy in our first season in 2028, aligning with the inclusion of flag football at the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles."
The women's flag football season will run from January through May, so Nebraska technically has less than two years to get ready. Dannen said in the same statement that they'll immediately begin looking for a head coach and building a roster. They plan to have a coach hired by summer and recruit a roster of approximately 15 players by the start of the fall 2026 semester. The existence of burgeoning professional leagues will aid in those recruitment efforts.
At the moment, there are approximately 40 schools that will compete in the sport, with the possibility that the number could grow to 60 by the end of this spring.
Nebraska's entry may start a new wave of programs deciding to add women's flag football, just as the sport is growing in popularity at all levels at a rapid rate.