Friday Five: Good problems to have
Volleyball made a promotion, softball picked up national recognition, men’s basketball kept its winning streak going and that wasn’t all.
As this newsletter hits your inboxes, a winter storm is taking shape over a majority of the United States. Expected snow and cold have canceled events for the Huskers through the weekend, like tennis and bowling. Before we go any further, we hope everyone stays safe and warm this weekend.
Now, let’s look back at the week that was. Volleyball made a promotion, softball picked up national recognition, men’s basketball kept its winning streak going and that wasn’t all.
Let’s dive in.
Nebraska volleyball rewards continuity and momentum
On Thursday, head coach Dani Busboom Kelly announced that Jaylen Reyes has been promoted to associate head coach.
Reyes joined the Nebraska staff in 2018 and has been central to one of the most consistent stretches in program history. Three NCAA Championship match appearances, three straight Big Ten titles, an unbeaten regular season in 2025, a 33-match winning streak and a pretty impressive statistical profile.
“After working with Jaylen for a year, it was a no-brainer to promote him to associate head coach,” Busboom Kelly said in a statement. “Jaylen has been integral to the success of this program for the past eight years and he continues to show his love for Nebraska. Jaylen brings so much joy and energy to our gym every day. His work ethic and passion for everything he does - whether it be coaching, scouting, recruiting or beach volleyball - are hard to match, and we are so grateful to have him in our program.”
Since Reyes joined the program, Nebraska has ranked in the national top 10 defensively seven times, including leading the country in opponent hitting percentage in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The Huskers’ .129 opponent hitting percentage this past season wasn’t just best in the nation. It highlighted what Reyes and the Huskers have built and continue to build.
Reyes’ recruiting footprint matters here too. Nebraska landed the No. 1 recruiting class nationally in both 2021 and 2023, and followed that with a No. 2 class for 2025.
“I am so grateful to Dani for giving me the opportunity to be part of her first coaching staff here at Nebraska and now continuing on this journey as associate head coach,” Reyes said in a statement. “The state of Nebraska and Husker fans have been so good to me over the last eight years. I love it here and am thankful for all the support. Go Big Red!”
Softball earns national recognition (again)
Jordyn Frahm and Ava Kuszak were both named to the Top 50 Watchlist for the 2026 USA Softball Player of the Year, placing Nebraska among a small group of Big Ten programs with multiple representatives.
Frahm’s inclusion is familiar territory. She advanced to the top three finalists last season after earning NFCA Player of the Year honors and first-team All-America recognition. Kuszak’s rise has been steadier but no less significant, anchored by her All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Region performance a year ago.
Together, they return the two highest batting averages on the roster—.462 and .412—numbers that rank first and seventh in program history. Both sit in Nebraska’s top 10 all-time for batting average, runs, home runs, extra-base hits, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage.
Not bad.
Nebraska opens the 2026 season Feb. 6 against Washington at the UTSA Invitational in San Antonio, but fans will get an earlier chance to reconnect. The baseball and softball programs will host a joint Fan Fest this weekend (Saturday, Jan. 24) at the Hawks Championship Center, complete with team introductions, autographs and schedule poster giveaways.
Braden Frager’s injury introduces uncertainty and perspective
At some point, even the best seasons have a moment of adversity to overcome.
For Nebraska men’s basketball, that moment arrived against Washington when Braden Frager went down hard after a transition layup. He left the game, returned briefly in sweats and spent the remainder of the night on the bench in a walking boot.
“He’s pretty sore,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said after the game. “We’ll know a lot more tomorrow, don’t want to say too much until we see how he does overnight. We’ll X-ray him tomorrow, just really for precautionary reasons. Our trainer thinks everything’s going to be fine. But right now, it’s an ankle sprain, and we’ll know more tomorrow.”
According to the Omaha World-Herald, Frager is day-to-day with a sprained left ankle.
Frager entered the week as Nebraska’s third-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, coming off back-to-back 20-point performances. He’s been a stabilizer for the Huskers this season, particularly during Nebraska’s most explosive stretches.
The big question now as Nebraska heads into the weekend—and a trip to Minnesota—is how the Huskers adjust. How the Huskers manage this stretch—whether Frager misses time or plays limited minutes—will reveal just how sturdy this roster really is.
Nebraska adds women’s flag football
On Thursday night, athletic director Troy Dannen used his monthly radio appearance to talk about expansion.
Nebraska will add women’s flag football, with competition set to begin in spring 2028. Dannen was joined by Troy Vincent Sr., the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, and the two spoke candidly about why the sport matters. They also discussed the Huskers’ decision to add the sport to its lineup now.
“Football has been a male-dominated sport and the young girls have always wanted to play, just didn’t have the access or the opportunity,” Vincent said.
For Dannen, the addition fits squarely within Nebraska’s broader approach to women’s athletics.
“If you look at how we’re from a Title IX standpoint, you either reduce male opportunities or enhance female opportunities,” Dannen said. “So in Nebraska, the question is not to reduce, but it is to expand.”
Nebraska isn’t trimming elsewhere to make this work. That’s key. The Huskers also pride themselves as a national leader in women’s sports, so this addition intends to keep them at the forefront of it all.
March 28 looms and it’s a good problem to have
One last thing from Dannen’s Thursday appearance (for now): he’s aware of what March 28 could look like.
On that day, Nebraska football will hold its spring game. Nebraska softball will host UCLA. Nebraska baseball will face Indiana. And Nebraska men’s basketball could be playing in an Elite Eight game.
“First-world problems, to be sure,” Dannen said.
If basketball advances that far, tip times would likely fall later in the day, pushing football toward a morning kickoff. It’s a logistical puzzle that the Huskers wouldn’t mind solving if push comes to shove.
A year ago, after all, this conversation didn’t exist. Now it does.
That’s not a bad spot to be in.
A week of promotions, watch lists, expansion sports and the potential of scheduling conflicts. It’s been a busy one.
Better to be busy than not though, right?
Stay warm, everyone.
I'm so excited to learn more about flag football. What a cool thing to take the lead on.
And there are so many good things to report on in Huskers Athletics. 'Specially the women's teams. Holy smokes are they dominant. 😳