Through three games this season, Nebraska's rebuilt offensive line has played about as well as anyone could have expected. The unit has shown it can play well as a team under new position coach Geep Wade. Still, one name stands out: Brendan Black, largely because he’s one of the players Wade brought in through the Transfer Portal this offseason.
According to Pro Football Network, Black isn’t just one of the best offensive linemen at Nebraska; he’s scored one of the best PFN Impact Grades in the country. Black’s 93.9 PFN Impact Grade over 184 snaps ranks him the No. 5 offensive lineman in the nation.
Black joins a group of Big Ten offensive linemen who have dominated the country in PFN’s Top 10. USC has the top two linemen in center Tobias Richmond (98) and left tackle Elijah Paige (95.6), while the Trojans also have the No. 10 lineman in the country, right tackle Justin Tauanuu (93.2).
Nebraska’s center, Justin Evans, is the No. 6 offensive lineman in the sport, just behind Black with an Impact Grade of 93.6. Indiana’s left guard Drew Evans ranks seventh with a 93.4 grade, and Minnesota’s left guard Greg Johnson’s 93.3 Impact Grade rounds out the B1G offensive linemen in the Top 10. Only two players from outside the Big Ten made that top tier.
Brendan Black and Justin Evans give Nebraska football two top-6 offensive linemen
Black, who hasn’t been credited with a sack yet this year, had a very solid year in 2025, earning an 84.2 PFN Impact Grade, though he’s obviously taken his game to another level this year.
Black played three seasons at Iowa State before transferring to Nebraska. He appeared in 36 games as a Cyclone with 30 starts at right guard. His departure came shortly after former head coach Matt Campbell took the job at Penn State. Campbell did try to bring Black to the Nittany Lions with him, but the offensive lineman chose Matt Rhule and the Huskers instead.
In 2025, Black played in all 12 games and made 10 starts at right guard in Ames while helping running back Carson Hansen earn All-Big 12 honors after rushing for 952 yards and 6 touchdowns. Black played in all 14 games in 2024 with 13 starts at right guard. That season, the Cyclones set the school record for points scored in a season (435) and ranked fourth in school history with 27 rushing touchdowns. He also played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2023 and made seven starts at right guard. He impressed Campbell and Co. so much when he arrived on campus that he became the first Iowa State true freshman offensive lineman to start a game since 2008.
With games against Ohio, Bowling Green, and North Dakota, fans and analysts can wave away some of Black’s and Nebraska's offensive-line performances as being against inferior opponents. Starting Saturday afternoon against Michigan State, the Huskers’ opponents are on another level, and Brendan Black will have ample opportunities to prove his grades are legitimate.
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