Transfer Portal Breakdown: Defense

After the final three games of the season, I think everyone knew that major changes were going to happen to Nebraska’s defense. With the firing of John Butler and the hiring of Rob Aurich, Nebraska is set to switch from a 3-3-5 to a 4-2-5 defense. With the change not only in coaching but in scheme, Nebraska knew it would have to retool the defense. The Cornhuskers were able to keep a lot of the roster together, really only losing Keona Davis to the portal, which is something not easy to do in today’s college football. Ultimately, Nebraska went and got nine guys to help fill the shoes of the likes of Ceyair Wright, DeShone Singlton, and Keona Davis. 

Trenches

1. Jahsear Whittington DL 6-0 270lbs
   1. 2025 stats of 12 tackles, a sack, and 14 pressures 3 YER
2. Owen Stoudmire DL 6-1 292lbs
   1. Stoudmire spent five years at Boston College, including a redshirt year in 2021. In 2025, he appeared in just three games before a season-ending injury.
3. Anthony Jones DL 6-5 265lbs
   1. Jones has played in 37 games and made 14 starts over four seasons at UCLA (2025), Michigan State (2024), Indiana (2023) and Oregon (2022) … has totaled 58 tackles (30-28-58), 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries over his four-year career.

It was obvious Nebraska needed to go out and grab a monster who could stuff gaps and eat double teams. For the second year in a row, they failed to do so. While the switch to a four-man front will help lessen that blow, I think it will still be a problem this year. Instead, Nebraska went after some undersized guys who they feel have a lot of potential. Starting from the outside in, they signed Anthony Jones, an edge rusher now at his fifth B1G school. I won’t lie, I don’t like this signing. I think there were a lot of better players available with either more proven production or a higher ceiling who would have cost the same as Jones. The only part I like about adding Jones is the fact that he is a grown man. Next, Nebraska added Jahsear Whittington, another undersized guy but who was heavily recruited out of high school. I think Whittington is the direct replacement of Keona Davis, and he brings a higher ceiling. Jahsear is still young, with three years of eligibility remaining. If he stays, I think Nebraska fans will be hearing his name a lot in his junior year. Lastly, Nebraska brought in another grown man in Owen Stoudmire from Boston College. The 6-1, 292lb Stoudmire really started to shine during his junior year at BC. He played in only three games as a senior before being injured. Nebraska will rely heavily on Stoudmire to make a major impact this year. 

Linebackers

1. Owen Chambliss LB
   1.  6-3 230lbs 2025- 110 tackles, 4 sacks, 9.5 TFLs
2. Will Hawthorne LB
   1. 6-2 220lbs Former 4 Star
3. Dexter Foster LB 6-3 236lbs
   1. 2025 (Sophomore year): Started the first 7 games, tallying 52 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hurries, and 1 pass breakup.

With the switch to a 4-2-5 defense and the amount of talent Nebraska had in the linebacker room, I did not expect them to go after any linebackers in the portal unless they wanted to grab guys to follow Aurich from San Diego State. Nebraska ended up bringing in three new linebackers, including Owen Chambliss, who shone under Rob Aurich’s defense at SDSU. Chambliss will almost certainly be a day-one starter for the Blackshirts. He balled out last year at SDSU, knows the system, and has the athleticism needed to thrive in a 4-2-5. Next, Nebraska went after the guy they missed out on last year out of high school, Will Hawthorne. Hawthorne was a high 4-star recruit out of high school, and his final two schools were Nebraska and Iowa State, where he chose to stay closer to his family and remain in Iowa. Now, Nebraska has brought him in, and he will have 4 years of eligibility remaining. It will definitely be interesting to see how much playing time he gets this year and how he fits in a room with such talent. Lastly, Nebraska went after a run-stopping linebacker out of Oregon State, Dexter Foster. Foster comes in at 6-3 236lbs, and brings a high ceiling. He was on pace for a strong season last year before a season-ending knee injury. 

Secondary

1. Dwayne McDougle S 6-0 200lbs
   1. Started playing for Aurich at Idaho, followed to SDSU, and now Neb. Well-rounded ball-hawk with solid instincts
   2. 55 tackles, 4Int, 1 FF, 1 FR. Key piece of SDSU defense
2. Jasin Shiggs S 6-1 180lbs
   1.  played in all 12 games a year ago as a true freshman and played in all 12 this season. Over his career, he has 103 total tackles, including 72 during his sophomore year, and two interceptions over the past two seasons
3. Victor Evans III CB 6-1 180lbs
   1. 3 seasons at FIU- 59 tackles, 4 PD, 1 FF,1 Int

The Blackshirts finished as a top 5 passing defense in the country, but the final few games proved that Nebraska needed to make some changes in the secondary, especially at Safety. Aurich went after a proven guy who knows his system, Dwayne McDougle. McDougle was a key piece of SDSU’s secondary last year and will be a day-one starter for Nebraska. The Huskers then went after two small-school studs with a lot of potential. The first being Victor Evans, a corner from FIU. While his stats won’t blow you away,  he has good technique and the staff feels like they can get him to the next level. Lastly, they added Jasin Shiggs. He has a lot of playing time and is a proven tackler, something Nebraska’s secondary struggled with last year. Shiggs could very well be a starter next year.

Overall, Nebraska really needed to make a huge splash in the portal when it came to the defensive line, and I feel they failed to truly address it. Pat Stewart and Matt Rhule clearly went after potential and not production in this class, and more bang-for-their-buck type players. While that may very well work out for Nebraska, it requires you to really develop guys and keep them around. Unfortunately, Nebraska has really struggled to develop guys on the d-line. Maybe the new defensive coaching staff can really develop these guys; only time will tell. This is Pat Stewart’s first transfer portal class, and it will be closely watched not only by fans but also by the higher-ups at Nebraska. Rhule hasn’t had a great batting average in the portal, and now that Nebraska is spending millions more on new players, the expectation is that they will get a better return on their investment. If not, Stewart may very well be let go next year. In today’s college football, you need results, and you need them fast. The fact that Indiana went from a joke to National Champions in two years is going to put a lot of pressure on coaches, general managers, and athletic directors across the country, especially in Lincoln.