The transfer portal officially opened on 9 December, and now players are expected to enter in droves around the country. The transfer portal is usually ripe with talent for the school in need, but this year may have more to offer due to looming roster limits.
Nebraska lost its defensive coordinator and defensive line coach last week, and with it multiple starters from the Huskers entered the transfer portal. Key losses at linebacker and defensive line need to be addressed.
With that in mind, I figured Head Coach Matt Rhule would announce the defensive coordinator hire over the weekend. He did previously say he would take his time and was not in a rush, but at the same time he needs to prioritize quickly filling roster gaps. It is hard to sell potential transfers on a program without a defensive leader or line coach. Transfers want to know who they are playing for, and what role they can expect. That can’t happen without someone in place.
This could mean a couple things. For one, did Rhule already decide on someone on staff such as John Butler (current secondary coach) or Phil Snow (his long time coordinator and current advisor). If so, wouldn’t he have just announced it publicly by now? The other thought is that the next coordinator has all but signed the paperwork but is waiting to coach their remaining bowl game(s)? If that’s the case, could Rhule sell transfers on a “likely” hire?
Whatever the case is, the portal is now wide open. Expect more Huskers to enter, and look for Matt Rhule to address holes in his roster.
Go Big Red.
