The Nebraska Cornhuskers have been active in the Transfer Portal since it opened back on January 2. It seemed that it landed its future quarterback in Notre Dame’s Kenny Minchey. The Huskers even paired his commitment with a commitment from inside offensive lineman Brendan Black. However, there have been some major changes in the past 24 hours that have thrown a wrench into Nebraska’s plans in its transfer portal class.
Here are four takeaways from the Huskers portal class so far and updates to the future of it.
Four Transfer Portal Takeaways for the Huskers
What Do They Do at Quarterback?
The former Fighting Irish quarterback seemed to be the Huskers’ future at the position; however, that changed dramatically Monday evening. The Kentucky Wildcats have yet to land a commitment from top portal quarterback Sam Leavitt, so the Wildcats shifted their eyes to Minchey. They successfully flipped his commitment, and Nebraska is back to square one. The Huskers do still have freshman TJ Lateef, who started in the final four games of the season. However, they will need to land a different quarterback in the portal.
So, who’s still available for Nebraska to go after? Former Michigan State Spartan junior Aidan Chiles, UNLV junior Anthony Colendrea, Missouri junior Beau Pribula, and now even Florida sophomore DJ Lagway. It was reported by ON3 that Chiles, Colendrea, and Pribula are lining up visits to Lincoln, while the Huskers are working to have Lagway visit as well. However, whoever decides to commit to Nebraska will have to compete for the starting job against Lateef this spring and the upcoming fall camp.
Offensive Line Has Been a Key Group Addressed in the Portal
The offensive line is one of the biggest needs for Nebraska, and it has certainly addressed this time around. Outside of landing Brendan Black from Iowa State, the Huskers received a commitment from South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Babalade played offensive tackle for the Gamecocks and was impressive, only allowing one sack all season. That is an important statistic for Nebraska’s new offensive line coach, Geep Wade, who has had major success the past few seasons. Babalade has two years of eligibility left and will fit in well at right tackle. Especially with current junior Elijah Pritchett most likely holding down at left tackle. There are still a couple of holes on the offensive line, mostly at left guard to replace Rocco Spindler.
Nebraska Landed It’s First Two Commitments on Defense
The Huskers will have a new look defense in 2026, and they landed their first commitment on Monday. Standout San Diego State sophomore linebacker Owen Chambliss follows his defensive coordinator to Nebraska and will be an instant plug-and-play. Chambliss was a First-Team All-Mountain West selection in 2025, logging a team-high 111 total tackles. To go along with that, the former Aztec had 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and an interception in 2025. Chambliss will be a threat rushing the quarterback, but also at stopping the run at the second level. Overall, he is a major get for the Nebraska defense and won’t have a learning curve in the new 4-2-5 defense.
Tuesday, the Huskers added to their defensive portal class with former Iowa State Cyclone linebacker Will Hawthorne. Hawthorne has massive potential and grades out to potentially have an impact right away. The current freshman has four years of eligibility and has a good frame to make an impact. At 6′-2″ and 225 pounds, Hawthorne has shown explosiveness and is versatile, which will go a long way for the Huskers. A key issue that needed to be addressed this offseason was their ability to stop the run and rush the passer. Hawthorne should be able to get that done for you. Big time pick up for the present and future for Nebraska.
Where Do the Huskers Go Next?
Nebraska still has a few positions to fill through the portal, and even in 2026, high school recruiting will continue. One of the biggest needs is on the defensive line, especially in the interior. The Huskers lost defensive lineman Keona Davis to the portal and will have to replace his production, along with others who have graduated. Nebraska will need at least two to three players for this position group to fill its needs.
Defensive back will be another position group on the target list for the defensive staff. The Huskers are losing senior cornerback Ceyair Wright to the NFL, senior safety DeShon Singleton to graduation, and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. to the transfer portal, just to name a few.
It will be important for Nebraska to address it in the portal. Now, on the other side of the ball, Nebraska should address replacing Emmett Johnson. The standout running back is heading to the NFL, and the Huskers will have to replace that production. There are some intriguing names currently in the portal, but there could be more on the way after the playoff ends. Regardless, it will continue to be an important couple of weeks for the Huskers with still many holes to fill through the transfer portal.
Main Image: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
