One of the biggest Nebraska football rivals since they joined the Big Ten have taken a couple of steps back in the last year. Earlier this week, they took a real body blow.
The Purdue Boilermakers struggled mightily in the final season of the Big Ten West. They struggled so much that they lost to the Nebraska football team. And for the seventh year in a row, there simply weren't that many teams that suffered that indignity.
The postseason hasn't gone that much better. And when Purdue lost Nic Scourton to the transfer portal, you can bet that the coaching staff was more than a little unhappy about the news. His departure means that Purdue lost a linebacker that racked up 50 tackles and a whopping 10 sacks.
Scouton was easily the best defender on the Boilermakers. It appears that he understands that and has decided that he can be the best player on a better team. One has to think that the defender, who hails from Texas, might even be looking in his home state's direction, or at least the conference the biggest teams from the state play in.
Of course, he could also stay in the same conference as the Nebraska football team, but go to a better team like Michigan or Ohio State. With the numbers he put up this year, it seems unlikely there's a school that won't come calling.
Nebraska football rival loses best defender
Out of high school, Scourton didn't get a ton of attention by Power 5 schools. The Boilermakers were the only Big Ten team to give the linebacker an offer. It would appear he's proven any doubters that were out there very, very wrong.
Among the schools that have notice of the defender is almost certainly the Nebraska football team. One would think they'd be testing the waters as much as anyone else. Against the Huskers this season he tallied a season-high 10 tackles and half a sack.