Just when it looked like Nebraska football’s offseason was going about as well as it could, the Huskers hit a bump in the road. Marquis Groves-Killebrew announced he’s pulling out of the transfer portal.
That’s some very bad news for a Huskers team that thought it had landed a former Arizona Wildcats corner who started most of the 2024 season.
It’s not clear yet what happened with Groves-Killebrew but what is clear is that he’s not headed to the Nebraska football team anymore. Instead, he’ll stick with a Big 12 team that is trying to turn things around after a bad season.
Arizona cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew, who is committed to Nebraska, has withdrawn from the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) January 18, 2025
Former Texas A&M and Louisville transfer had 26 tackles, 4 pass deflections and a sack in 2024. https://t.co/VxSGJEUisH pic.twitter.com/2IovEpONUw
Nebraska football loses transfer player back to Arizona
The 6-foot-0 185-pound Groves-Killebrew visited Lincoln earlier this month and committed to NU a week later. He was considered a big grab since he had decent numbers and two years of eligibility left.
In the process, it looked like new defensive coordinator John Butler was on a roll. Earlier Saturday, he found out officially that defensive back DeShon Singleton was coming back for another year.
While Singleton’s return and Groves-Killebrew leaving doesn’t seem connected. It seems more likely that the transfer player decided he wanted to stick with the team he knew over a brand new squad next year.
It’s a bad move for Nebraska football who is rebuilding a defense that needs players like Marquis Groves-Killebrew. It’s unclear at this point whether the Huskers might look to replace him on the roster, or move forward with that hole in the class.