Will the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program be able to restore its former glory?
Nebraska agreed to a deal with former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule following a 4-8 performance in its final season under head coach Scott Frost. Rhule helped bring in a Nebraska recruiting class that features three 4-star enrollees and 11 transfers, bringing it up to 31st in the nation with spots over Maryland, Baylor and Mississippi State, according to 247Sports.
“I think the biggest thing is recognizing that it's still about making sure that young people have a good experience,” Rhule said in February. “Making sure that you have a plan for them. A vision for them. And then that your current players can speak to, ‘Hey, you know what they say is true.'
“That's the No. 1 thing for me. For us, going to the transfer portal, knowing that there's some players out there that either knew us from our previous staffs or recognized us from the NFL — that obviously helped us as we try to get the program back to where it needs to be.”
Who will be players to look out for as the Cornhuskers look to give either Jeff Sims or Casey Thompson the cast they need to take Nebraska's offense to new heights and bring them into contention for a Big Ten Championship?
Griffin Scroggs, Georgia
Building the proper foundation for an emerging offense usually starts and ends with solid options in the trenches.
A former 3-star recruit out of Loganville, Ga., Scroggs initially chose the Bulldogs over offers from Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Tennessee, Iowa State, Florida Atlantic, Liberty, Wofford, Massachusetts and Buffalo, according to 247Sports. He joined a 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 3 in the country and featured five 5-star enrollees on top of one transfer. He entered the transfer portal on April 18.
The 6-foot-3-inch and 315-pound lineman did not see any action for the Bulldogs last season, but has the size necessary to be a reliable backup on Nebraska's offensive line. Georgia lineman Jacob Hood and Arizona State's Ben Scott will join Nebraska football's ranks via the transfer portal, while offensive tackle Gunnar Gottula from Lincoln, Neb., enrolled in Nebraska's 2023 class in February.
Tywone Malone, Ole Miss
Malone, a former 4-star Ole Miss commit out of Oradell, N.J., entered the transfer portal earlier this month after earning five solo tackles and one sack for the Rebels in the 2022 season.
The 6-foot-4-inch defensive tackle spent two seasons at Ole Miss as part of the football and baseball programs, playing in 14 total games and garnering 13 tackles and two total sacks. He earned two tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection in a 42-25 loss to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl.
Should he find himself suiting up for the Nebraska football program, he will have the chance to fight for snaps on a Cornhuskers defense that earned 21 sacks last season, good enough for 10th place in the Big Ten. Texas A&M defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy and Georgia edge rusher MJ Sherman will join Nebraska via the transfer portal.
Jordan Hudson, TCU
This one would be a long shot.
Several schools have already shown interest in the 6-foot-1-inch wide receiver, including Georgia, Penn State, Mississippi State and Colorado, according to On3.
Still, it would be a worthwhile investment to upgrade a Nebraska offense that ended the 2022-23 season with 220.8 passing yards per contest, good enough for sixth place in the Big Ten.
A former 4-star recruit out of Garland, Texas, Hudson chose the Horned Frogs over offers from SMU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and USC, among others, according to 247Sports. He headlined a 2022 TCU recruiting class that featured four 4-star recruits and 14 transfers, good enough to push it up to 28th in the country.
Safety Chace Biddle, wide receiver DJ Allen and edge rusher Micheal Ibukun-Okeyode rounded out the team's 4-star commits.
Hudson will be able to join a Nebraska football receiver room featuring senior Billy Kemp IV, sophomore Zavier Betts and senior Marcus Washington. Wide receiver Trey Palmer, who led the Cornhuskers with 1,043 receiving yards last season, declared for the NFL Draft in November.
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