It’s been a wild ride for the Nebraska football team this year when it comes to the transfer portal. The Huskers have gone into it and pulled players out more than they ever have. They’ve also lost more players than they ever have.
Just before the transfer portal closed until this spring, the Huskers lost a few more players. Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda jumped into the portal as a grad transfer this weekend. And just before that, Ismael Smith Flores decided he wanted to head somewhere else.
The Nebraska football team lost another young player in Flores, who started his Husker career as a tight end, and leaves it after being converted to linebacker. It turns out he’s returning to the Lone Star State for his next
Nebraska football linebacker headed back to Texas
Israel Smith Flores originally came to Lincoln from Texas’ Arlington Martin High School. During his high school career he played tight end and was a standout at the position. As a senior, he caught 16 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns, according to statistics from Maxpreps.com.
In his freshman season, Flores redshirted and because the tight end room was as full as possible, he transitioned over to linebacker.
In 2024, his only real action was against UTEP when he recorded a tackle. Now he’s looking to jump start his career. On Sunday he announced he was headed to the Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.
In doing so, he’s going to be helping the school jumpstart its entire football program. The Vaqs are officially joining the FCS level in the 2025 season after spending 2024 working with an exhibition schedule.
Smith Flores isn’t specifically going all the way home, but it’s clear that the former Nebraska football players likes what he sees in the Texas program. And he gets to get in on the ground floor, which is something very few players ever get to claim about the teams they play on.