Nebraska football hit with small roster shake-up as promising DB exits

While most of the rest of the sport is dealing with a new reality being that players tend to redshirt in the middle of the season with the intention of leaving, Nebraska football hasn’t been plagued with those decisions. That doesn’t mean the Huskers’ roster hasn’t seen a little bit of turnover since the start of the season and just ahead of NU’s game against Indiana.

On Monday, the Omaha World-Herald was among of the first to report that a young and talented defensive back is no longer on the Cornhuskers’ roster. The redshirt freshman reserve DB came to Lincoln behind high hopes that he’d be a big time contributor in the next few years. However, Syncere Safeeullah has decided to try his hand elsewhere.

Safeeullah did not appear in a game as a Husker, having redshirted during the 2023 season. He was listed on Nebraska’s roster during fall camp and for the Huskers’ season opener against UTEP but not in subsequent weeks. The tall Florida native was recruited to NU by former defensive backs coach Evan Cooper. 

The IMG academy product is now the third member of NU’s 2023 recruiting class to move on from the program, joining linebacker Eric Fields and defensive back Ethan Nation. Nation departed shortly after Cooper resigned this summer.

Nebraska football loses reserve defensive back

As there hasn’t been a comment by Huskers’ head coach Matt Rhule, or the defensive back, there isn’t a known reason why he moved on. It’s entirely possible he simply didn’t mesh well with new DB coach John Butler. 

Because Safeeullah might have left a few weeks ago, it’s mostly a moot point however, it’s not a great time for NU to be losing a defensive back. While Rhule is hoping that starter Tommi Hill could return for the game against the Hoosiers, there’s no guarantee. 

In his absence, Ceyair Wright has been a revelation for the Nebraska football team but Marques Buford has struggled at times on the other side of the field.