Friday Five: Questions and pressure points
Softball leans into unfinished business, women’s basketball makes a long-term call and football recruiting ramps up.
In some ways, you could call this a week of questions for Nebraska. Some were answered. Some were poised, with the answers to come later.
Isn’t that kind of how it always goes?
For now, we have softball, women’s basketball and some football recruiting to recap as January comes to a close.
Let’s dive in.
Nebraska softball has big expectations
Nebraska softball finished 43-15 in 2025, posted its best winning percentage since 2006, earned a top-10 national finish and still ended the year one win short of the Women’s College World Series.
The response since hasn’t been denial for coach Rhonda Revelle and her group. It’s been fixation.
“Losses, that’s how they serve you the best way, and I think, just by the vibe when everybody came back in the fall, is that everybody took it the greatest way,” Jordy Frahm (Bahl) said. “Everyone’s just hungry, and there’s just another fire at practice, another level.”
Nebraska returns a core that knows what the Super Regional stage feels like and how quickly it can disappear. Ava Kuszak said the group didn’t need reminders to get back into that headspace.
“We’re excited to get where we were,” Kuszak said. “Jordy and I were talking about how we rewatched the games, and just getting in that mindset of being in that position again to play and go play hard and turn that switch and just go.”
Revelle has been careful not to let that urgency turn into projection. She’s seen where that road goes, and she doesn’t want that to be the path this team takes.
“It’s not that we don’t have aspirations of being a really good softball team,” Revelle said. “We’re already a really good softball team. Again, I think that just projects too far into the future but my ceiling for this team is that they max out.”
Nebraska opens the season Feb. 6 against Washington at the UTSA Invitational, with Texas also on the schedule that weekend.
Preseason recognition only amplifies those expectations
Frahm, Kuszak and Hannah Coor were named Big Ten Players to Watch for 2026 on Thursday, placing Nebraska among a small handful of league programs with multiple selections.
Frahm’s inclusion is routine at this point. She’s already been named a preseason All-American by D1 Softball and Softball America, added to the Top 50 Watchlist for USA Softball’s Player of the Year, and is coming off a season where she was the NFCA Player of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year (the first player to win both conference awards in the same season).
Kuszak’s path has been steadier but just as important. She was an All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Region first-team selection last season and is also on the USA Softball watchlist.
Together, they return the two highest batting averages on the roster — .462 and .412 — which rank first and seventh in program history. Both sit in Nebraska’s top 10 all-time in batting average, runs, home runs, extra-base hits, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage.
Coor adds a different layer. The Oklahoma transfer arrives with three national championships and postseason experience that’s hard to replicate. She doesn’t have to be the star. She has to be functional, reliable and comfortable in pressure moments.
All three add to the big expectations this team has for 2026.
Natalie Potts makes a big decision
Forward Natalie Potts will not play this season and will use a redshirt year as she continues her recovery from knee surgery. She’s now 14 months removed from the injury she suffered in November 2024.
This wasn’t the original plan. Potts hoped to return to practice midway through the season, but progress hasn’t matched timelines.
“I am making slow but steady progress, and I appreciate the thoughts and encouragement of Husker fans everywhere,” Potts said in a statement. “I love my teammates and coaches and will give them my full support as we push for the postseason. I really want to be out there fighting to win with them, but I am just not in position to do that yet.”
Coach Amy Williams framed the decision the only way it could be framed.
“At this time, we believe that it is in the best interest of her long-term health to give her more time to continue to progress and gain confidence with her return to full participation,” Williams said.
Potts will now aim to return for 2026-27 with three years of eligibility remaining.
A January recruiting update
Nebraska football has been busy the past two weeks, and that’s not by accident. With an open contact period running through the end of January, coach Matt Rhule and his staff have been aggressive on the recruiting trail, particularly with 2027 prospects. Five-star offensive lineman Albert Simien and five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou headline the list.
Rhule and director of player personnel Keith Williams have logged plenty of miles together, with offensive line coach Geep Wade also heavily involved in evaluations. Seeing as this is his first extended window to build relationships in-person with prospects, Nebraska has already expanded its offer list as a result.
Defensive line coach Corey Brown has also been active, offering 2027 prospect David Folorunsho while continuing to evaluate late-cycle 2026 options. Edge rushers coach Roy Manning and defensive backs coach Addison Williams have been working Midwest and Southeast targets, while position coaches across the staff filled in gaps elsewhere.
Nebraska remains a frontrunner for four-star defensive lineman Dylan Berymon, who will announce his decision on signing day Feb. 4 after January visits to Nebraska and Kentucky. Florida has entered the picture, but Nebraska’s staff has pushed hard, including an in-person visit to Berymon’s high school.
And a Junior Day update too
Nebraska will host its first Junior Day of the year this weekend, welcoming around a dozen prospects to Lincoln before the current contact period ends.
Committed quarterback Trae Taylor and wide receiver Tay Ellis are expected to attend, helping anchor the weekend. Five-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman is also expected in Lincoln, with Bowman delaying his commitment announcement to accommodate the visit.
Five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson was originally expected to be in Lincoln this weekend too, but Rivals’ Tim Verghese reported that plans have changed.
Junior Days don’t finalize classes, but they certainly don’t hurt things. If anything, they highlight who’s serious, who might need more time and, ultimately, who might end up looking elsewhere.
Basically, it’s all about clarity which doesn’t hurt for Nebraska.