One of the oddest things about having two transfer windows within a few months of each other is that on occasion, a player might enter the portal, find a new team and just a few weeks later, enter the portal again. That is the surprising story of former Nebraska football defender Mikai Gbayor.
Gbayor was part of the defensive exodus that the Cornhuskers saw shortly after the end of the regular season and in the leadup to the Pinstripe Bowl. He departed Lincoln shortly after defensive coordinator Tony White took a job at Florida State and took Porkchop, the Huskers’ defensive line coac, with him. It was first thought that Gbayor might follow White to FSU but he ended up at Missouri.
It appears the Tigers weren’t a good fit after all, as Matt Zenitz reported on Thursday that Gbayor plans to enter the portal again when it opens on Monday. He becomes the first former Nebraska football player of the year to look for a new home just months after he found … a new home.
Mikai Gbayor leaves Missouri, eyes Nebraska football rival in latest transfer twist
It appears that the former Husker has at least some idea of where he’d like to spend this next season. And as it turns out, he’d be playing against his former coach. At the same time, Zenitz reported that Gbayor is looking for a new team. He also noted that he’ll be visiting North Carolina next week.
That would mean the ex-Cornhusker could be playing his 2025 season under former NFL and future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick. That’s certainly an attractive option and it makes sense that he might be looking towards Chapel Hill. It’s just a bit of a surprise that it took no time at all to decide Missouri wasn’t the place for him.
With the Nebraska football team, Mikai Gbayor had a fantastic season in 2024. He racked up 49 tackles, 3 passes defended and a sack. He was expected to be a game-changer on defense in 2025. And then he left.