Nebraska football is losing a commitment from a 4-star defensive back from the Class of 2026. The Cornhuskers are coming off an uneven second season under head coach Matt Rhule. That said, 2024 was still a step in the right direction as the program made its first bowl game since 2016 and won its first postseason clash since 2015. The Big Ten Conference is not getting any easier, but there's still room for another contender to emerge.

Nebraska football, unfortunately, was hit with some bad news on Tuesday. According to national recruiting/transfer portal reporter Hayes Fawcett, cornerback CJ Bronaugh has decommitted. The 4-star prospect had been committed to the Cornhuskers since November, but now will look to the 30 other offers he has received.

If Matt Rhule's program takes that next step, it will be because of quarterback Dylan Raiola. The former 5-star recruit is a tremendous talent under center and showed flashes of it throughout 2024. The Cornhuskers started the season 5-1 last year, racking up impressive wins, such as a blowout over Colorado. Unfortunately, Raiola and the offense struggled in the second half, losing four games at one point before finishing the season winning two of its last three games.

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The Hawaii native is still a work in progress at quarterback, but there's certainly a chance he develops into an All-Big Ten quarterback in 2025. As for the schedule, the Cornhuskers' slate certainly isn't easy, but this team will have the opportunity to rack up more wins than the previous season. Nebraska football starts the year with a nonconference clash against Cincinnati. The next major matchup will be a September 20th home game against Michigan, which is somewhat of an enigma heading into this year.

After that, the Cornhuskers have a ton of games that are winnable on paper. The only super daunting matchup on the schedule is a visit to Happy Valley on November 22 against a Penn State team in title-or-bust mode. Overall, the expectation is that Nebraska football will continue its upward trajectory. With a recruiting class coming that ranks in the top 25, there is plenty of talent of this team to finished the year late.

The College Football Playoff is built to make a program like Nebraska relevant again. Matt Rhule has a past of his teams taking a considerable step up in his third season. We are heading into year 3 under Rhule, and the expectations will be no different in Lincoln, even with the recent bad news on the recruiting trail.