Nebraska fans finally got what they wanted from the transfer portal; an offensive lineman.
With the commitment of Alabama offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett, the Huskers now have another piece to protect soon-to-be sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Here’s a breakdown of Prichett and the rest of Nebraska’s offensive line who could be in the rotation:
For Pritchett
After entering the portal this past Saturday, Pritchett was among the highest-ranked transfer offensive linemen. He was also a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. Pritchett started 10 games at right tackle and one at left tackle this past season for the Crimson Tide.
The former SEC lineman brings some off-the-field baggage and struggled at times this past season on the gridiron. Pritchett allowed 31 quarterback pressures and had the lowest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade among the Alabama starting offensive line.
Although he may have struggled at times, he was still a starting offensive lineman in the SEC. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound has all the intangibles to be a great protector for Raiola and be a force blocking in the run game.
For the returning OL
During his redshirt freshman season, offensive tackle Gunnar Gotulla stepped in and did a solid job. He did more than enough to put himself in a position to compete to retain that left tackle position during 2025. The downside for Gotullla is that he is recovering from an injury that could keep him out of spring ball.
The biggest unknown currently is the status of both Turner Corcoran and Teddy Prochazka, as they both suffered season-ending injuries in 2024. Starting right guard Henry Lutovsky is another who might miss the spring. He is also recovering from an injury he suffered this past season.
For Corcoran, this was his second lower-body injury in the past two seasons. Prochazka has an even bigger battle. This was his third season-ending knee injury. Even with the improvement in the sports medical field, lower-body injuries for football players (especially offensive linemen) are significantly tough to overcome.
Left guard Justin Evans will be a returning starter. Do not be surprised to see him slide over to center because Ben Scott is out of college eligibility. Another name to watch at the center position is Sam Sledge. The former 2023 3-star recruit from Omaha, has had two seasons to develop.
Other underclassmen in the mix include; Grant Brix, Brock Knutson, Grant Seagren and Jason Maciejczak. Knutson, Seagren and Maciejczak all will be entering their third season as a Husker. If they were developed correctly, they should be solid Big Ten linemen. If so, the Big Red would be able to rotate more bodies, which is something they haven’t been able to do for years. It will be interesting to see what offensive line coach Donovan Raiola has up his sleeve for the underclassmen.
Other potential OL transfers
New Mexico State transfer Shiyazh Pete is trending toward being ‘N.’ The 6-foot-8 320-pound tackle visited Lincoln on Wednesday. Pete only allowed five quarterback pressures this past season. He was All-Conference USA first-team in 2023 as well. Pete might be an even better get than Pritchett.
Louisville offensive tackle Monroe Mills entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. He has allowed only four sacks in his 2,335 snaps played over his career. There has been no visit set up for him with Nebraska, but they very well could be in play to get him to Lincoln soon.
