Nebraska's approach to their roster build..

[cwessel76]

Good subject matter. My theory on roster build, is that you don't want to go to the portal every year to find players to fill your roster. From a HS recruiting aspect you should keep your class sizes fairly consistent and inline with distributed position choices. Invariably you will have years where there are a large numbers of better athletes at certain positions, when that happens you must adjust how you divide classes going forward, so as not to be out of whack in your distribution.

You should only be going to the portal when you have fundamental failure in your recruiting of positions or unexpected injuries or portal emigration (players leaving).

General rule on the portal is that 90% of portal players are ones that didn't prove to be talented enough at their original school. Another 5% are complete mercenaries, who won't be devoted to team goals. Only 5% are probably worth your time and effort, and that is going to be expensive and require a lot of effort to cull into your roster.

It is more productive to develop your own players and keep them.

10 to 15 years ago this process was pretty well understood by both schools and coaches; then the pay to play decision came down, and the portal happened, and everyone, and every school simply lost their minds on how to handle their rosters.

I agree with most of what you said with the exception of your idea of 90% of portal players couldn’t hack it at their previous school. I would roughly estimate that number to be about 40-50%. The real story is so specific to the situation (poor coaching, attitude/work ethic issues, scheme fit, etc).

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

I'll try and find the article I am talking about in this thread later. About a year ago someone did a study on players in the portal, and what happened to them. Statistically the majority of them were dropping down a division of competition level rather than going up the ladder, and it wasn't close on those going down rather than up. It literally is a 90% are going down the ladder rather than up. The other factor was success level for those that went up, and it wasn't good either. We get used to viewing the odd success rather than the more common drop, because that is what the media focuses on, and what the announcers talk about during games.

 

[Bootleg11]

There's like 10k in the portal most aren't finding a new home.


Nebraska currently sits at #33 in the 247 portal rankings. Rankings can be distorted because some schools are taking 30+ guys. But we look at place like Cal...they have 12 commits (Nebraska is currently at 14) and they are sitting at #13 in the rankings. Ole Miss is at #5 with 13 transfers coming in. Tennessee #17 with 11 transfers, Oklahoma #19 with 13 commits.

My point being...Matt Rhule made the choice to come out and say that financially there would be nothing holding them back this year during the transfer portal.

Money talks in this game. Why isn't Nebraska's money talking more? For a team that decided that 2025-2026 recruiting was going to be portal heavy they aren't exactly killing it in the portal.

 

[cwessel76]

There's like 10k in the portal most aren't finding a new home.


Nebraska currently sits at #33 in the 247 portal rankings. Rankings can be distorted because some schools are taking 30+ guys. But we look at place like Cal...they have 12 commits (Nebraska is currently at 14) and they are sitting at #13 in the rankings. Ole Miss is at #5 with 13 transfers coming in. Tennessee #17 with 11 transfers, Oklahoma #19 with 13 commits.

My point being...Matt Rhule made the choice to come out and say that financially there would be nothing holding them back this year during the transfer portal.

Money talks in this game. Why isn't Nebraska's money talking more? For a team that decided that 2025-2026 recruiting was going to be portal heavy they aren't exactly killing it in the portal.

If only we had a local media that would ask honest questions…

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

There's like 10k in the portal most aren't finding a new home.


Nebraska currently sits at #33 in the 247 portal rankings. Rankings can be distorted because some schools are taking 30+ guys. But we look at place like Cal...they have 12 commits (Nebraska is currently at 14) and they are sitting at #13 in the rankings. Ole Miss is at #5 with 13 transfers coming in. Tennessee #17 with 11 transfers, Oklahoma #19 with 13 commits.

My point being...Matt Rhule made the choice to come out and say that financially there would be nothing holding them back this year during the transfer portal.

Money talks in this game. Why isn't Nebraska's money talking more? For a team that decided that 2025-2026 recruiting was going to be portal heavy they aren't exactly killing it in the portal.

Here is the deal though; most kids want to play at a school that is playing at a better level than where they were. They aren't looking at 50/50 schools, because they know there will be more NFL scouts seeing them at Ole Miss than at NU. At Cal it is the idea of a new head coach and being optimistic about where they are going, and immediate playing time.

This is year 4 for Matt, and we need to be seeing our players win, and then the portal would be more productive for us. Our best options in the portal right now are FCS players who were underrated who will probably become NFL draft objects, but need exposure at the P4 level.

 

[Bootleg11]

Here is the deal though; most kids want to play at a school that is playing at a better level than where they were. They aren't looking at 50/50 schools, because they know there will be more NFL scouts seeing them at Ole Miss than at NU. At Cal it is the idea of a new head coach and being optimistic about where they are going, and immediate playing time.

This is year 4 for Matt, and we need to be seeing our players win, and then the portal would be more productive for us. Our best options in the portal right now are FCS players who were underrated who will probably become NFL draft objects, but need exposure at the P4 level.

Tech was a 50/50 school...until they money whipped kids into coming there...a team with very little history, in Lubbock, TX, that's not in a top 2 conference.

 

[ShortSideOption]

I have to be honest, with how little we took from our high school 2026 class, I was expecting a bit more high-profile guys coming in via the portal, and maybe they are just finalizing some things.

I think we did well at QB and OL. We obviously did a good job bringing in a couple San Diego State guys as well. Our DB recruiting I'm fine with. Like our safety commit, corners are a little meh to me.

Our DL recruiting was a little frustrating in my opinion as that was a huge area of need. We got a RS-Fr from Pitt that didn't play all that much and a decent JUCO guy. I thought we would be able to get a P4 starter.

Would like to get a RB with the money we saved on our recruiting class.

Did we get an Edge?

 

[DrumMonkeyRobot]

Cig is 100% a unicorn/statical anomaly. This has never happened - as far as I’m aware - in terms of taking a bottom tier major conference program and turning them into a likely national champion in two years.

Hell, even Saban took longer than that. I think he took three years and beyond him and Cig that never happens.

Bob Stoops did it at OU.

They went

6 - 6
5 - 5 - 1
3 - 8
4 - 8
5 - 6

Then Stoops got hired

7 - 5 in year one
13 - 0 in year two and national champs

Granted, Gary Gibbs had them competitive for most of the 90s, but then they fell off a cliff for 5 years.

 

[Bootleg11]

I have to be honest, with how little we took from our high school 2026 class, I was expecting a bit more high-profile guys coming in via the portal, and maybe they are just finalizing some things.

I think we did well at QB and OL. We obviously did a good job bringing in a couple San Diego State guys as well. Our DB recruiting I'm fine with. Like our safety commit, corners are a little meh to me.

Our DL recruiting was a little frustrating in my opinion as that was a huge area of need. We got a RS-Fr from Pitt that didn't play all that much and a decent JUCO guy. I thought we would be able to get a P4 starter.

Would like to get a RB with the money we saved on our recruiting class.

Did we get an Edge?

My thoughts as well. I'm not too worried about the corners because I think Marshall and Odem will be the starters anyways.

 

[cwessel76]

Bob Stoops did it at OU.

They went

6 - 6
5 - 5 - 1
3 - 8
4 - 8
5 - 6

Then Stoops got hired

7 - 5 in year one
13 - 0 in year two and national champs

Granted, Gary Gibbs had them competitive for most of the 90s, but then they fell off a cliff for 5 years.

Fair point.

 

[PonyBoy]

At least Brendan has the right last name, so he doesn't stick out too bad 😂

Geep has completely flipped the pipeline. Well done, grasshopper!

 

[Kaladin]

Any news about Keona Davis?

 

[Cavalot]

At least Brendan has the right last name, so he doesn't stick out too bad 😂

Geep has completely flipped the pipeline. Well done, grasshopper!

Will remain to be seen how good this group is but on paper it's promising. I still think we are two years away from baring fruit with this OL and DL haul. Unless Geep and the new DC are truly good coaches. Then maybe we can see something better than expected in 26. Not holding my breath.

 

[cwessel76]

Any news about Keona Davis?

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

Bob Stoops did it at OU.

They went

6 - 6
5 - 5 - 1
3 - 8
4 - 8
5 - 6

Then Stoops got hired

7 - 5 in year one
13 - 0 in year two and national champs

Granted, Gary Gibbs had them competitive for most of the 90s, but then they fell off a cliff for 5 years.

In the 3 years prior to Stoops becoming Head Coach, Gibbs wasn't the HC, it was John Blake. Blake had no experience as a head coach when he took the job. However Blake was known as probably the best recruiter in the nation, and that is what he did so well at OU, despite having a horrible win/loss record. As a result, when Stoops arrived OU was stacked with high quality recruits and players, as Stoops has often pointed out (names like Roy Williams ........).

Callahan hired Blake when he became the HC at NU, and he was one of the prime recruiters on many of the bigger successful players that Callahan acquired .... especially with Suh. The problem with John was that NCAA investigations followed him where ever he went. Nebraska dodged a bullet by John leaving for North Carolina, where they promptly ended up with a large scale violation of NCAA rules.

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

I have to be honest, with how little we took from our high school 2026 class, I was expecting a bit more high-profile guys coming in via the portal, and maybe they are just finalizing some things.

I think we did well at QB and OL. We obviously did a good job bringing in a couple San Diego State guys as well. Our DB recruiting I'm fine with. Like our safety commit, corners are a little meh to me.

Our DL recruiting was a little frustrating in my opinion as that was a huge area of need. We got a RS-Fr from Pitt that didn't play all that much and a decent JUCO guy. I thought we would be able to get a P4 starter.

Would like to get a RB with the money we saved on our recruiting class.

Did we get an Edge?

We didn't really need an edge, but the kid from UCLA is actually an edge and not a DT or NT. You have:

Cameron Lenhardt ED 6-3 270 Sr. 0.9031
Kade Pietrzak DT 6-5 265 So. rated as a 0.9006
Malcolm Simpson ED 6-3 285 Fr. rated as a 0.9017
Williams Nwaneri ED 6-7 265 So. rated as a 0.9960
Jordan Ochoa JK 6-4 240 So. walk-on considered to have a high ceiling
Willis McGahee IV JK 6-1 240 Jr. rated as 0.8800

 

[Bootleg11]

We didn't really need an edge, but the kid from UCLA is actually an edge and not a DT or NT. You have:

Cameron Lenhardt ED 6-3 270 Sr. 0.9031
Kade Pietrzak DT 6-5 265 So. rated as a 0.9006
Malcolm Simpson ED 6-3 285 Fr. rated as a 0.9017
Williams Nwaneri ED 6-7 265 So. rated as a 0.9960
Jordan Ochoa JK 6-4 240 So. walk-on considered to have a high ceiling
Willis McGahee IV JK 6-1 240 Jr. rated as 0.8800

I disagree.

And a high ceiling kid is a 5 star like Nwaneri. Ochoa's ceiling is high relative to other walk ons not kids like Nwaneri.

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

I disagree.

And a high ceiling kid is a 5 star like Nwaneri. Ochoa's ceiling is high relative to other walk ons not kids like Nwaneri.

DID you read what I wrote? Because that is what I said. Nwaneri is uber talented and I have said so repeatedly. I expect when he is done he is a high NFL draft player and considered the best since Suh.

 

[Bootleg11]

DID you read what I wrote? Because that is what I said. Nwaneri is uber talented and I have said so repeatedly. I expect when he is done he is a high NFL draft player and considered the best since Suh.

You said Jordan Ochoa..a walk on is considered to have a high ceiling. My point is kids with true high ceilings generally come with 4 and 5 stars next to their name. Malcolm Simpson is a high ceiling guy. Jeremiah Jones is a high ceiling guy. I think Ochoa's ceiling is relative to where he started.

Out of the 6 names you listed none of them high proven production as a consistent pass rusher.

In my opinion, Nebraska should have over spent to get a pass rusher. Chaz Coleman, Damon Wilson, John Henry Daley, Wendell Gregory, Jordan Ross, Tyler Thompson, Adam Trick, Anto Saka, Trey White (SDSU)

9 players that were in the portal...none of which Nebraska even managed to get a visit from. Wendell Gregory went to fucking Kansas State.

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

You said Jordan Ochoa..a walk on is considered to have a high ceiling. My point is kids with true high ceilings generally come with 4 and 5 stars next to their name. Malcolm Simpson is a high ceiling guy. Jeremiah Jones is a high ceiling guy. I think Ochoa's ceiling is relative to where he started.

Out of the 6 names you listed none of them high proven production as a consistent pass rusher.

In my opinion, Nebraska should have over spent to get a pass rusher. Chaz Coleman, Damon Wilson, John Henry Daley, Wendell Gregory, Jordan Ross, Tyler Thompson, Adam Trick, Anto Saka, Trey White (SDSU)

9 players that were in the portal...none of which Nebraska even managed to get a visit from. Wendell Gregory went to fucking Kansas State.

Well good for them! I wouldn't have spent a dime on the lot of them!! If you don't believe in developing talent then get out of college football.