While Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule has talked often about wanting to build the Cornhuskers back up using high school recruits, he and his coaches went into the transfer portal harder than they have since first arriving in Lincoln. Judging by ESPN’s final portal rankings, they did an excellent job this winter.
Max Olson recently compiled a list of the Top 100 transfer players in the most recent class. The Huskers managed to land four guys on that list, demonstrating some serious talent coming to town.
Nebraska football quietly pulled off major portal wins this offseason
The Nebraska football team knew it needed to update the wide receiver spot after a mediocre 2024 performance. Dana Holgorsen and Daikiel Shorts Jr. knew where to tap, as they actually hauled in two Kentucky wideouts. Dane Key stuck around and is rated as the No. 12 transfer commit on this list.
The Huskers also have one of the best defensive linemen in the class, Williams Nwaneri, from Missouri. How good is he, even after a nothing freshman season? He’s No. 24 of the Top 100 portal players according to Olson.
Speaking of upgrading the wide receiver room, the Huskers also landed the No. 77 player on this list in former Cal Golden Bear Nyziah Hunter. He’s expected to team up with Key to give NU a veteran pair of starters who have also been very productive at their previous schools.
Rounding out the group of four Nebraska football players on the Top 100 list is a guy who might be No. 93 but could be a massive asset for the Huskers in Rocco Spindler. The former Notre Dame offensive lineman has experience playing in the playoffs. He immediately upgrades NU’s front, which will be crucial for an offense expected to take big leaps in 2025.