Huskers continue to add via the portal
Nebraska landed five more transfers over the weekend, including a familiar name at quarterback, and the Huskers are reportedly close to hiring a new d-line coach.
Nebraska’s 2026 transfer class came into clearer focus over the weekend with four days still remaining for any last-minute surprises. The Huskers entered the weekend with eight known commitments, and that group grew to 13 with the addition of a pair of defensive backs, a Big Ten wide receiver and specialist and a familiar name at quarterback.
NU is also reportedly close to filling its open coaching position on the defensive line.
We’ll start in the secondary where Nebraska has added Florida International defensive back Victor Evans III (-0.04 Net Wins per McIllece Sports). A 6-1, 180-pound corner, Evans appeared in 29 games over three seasons with the panthers, tallying 42 tackles with one tackle for loss, one interception and four pass breakups as a junior in 2025.
Towson safety Jasin Shiggs (N/A) pledged Sunday, bringing two solid years of FCS experience with two still to play. As a freshman in 2024, Shiggs appeared in 12 games making 30 total tackles with 1.5 TFLs and an interception. In 2025 he more than doubled his tackle total to 72 with another interception and two pass breakups. While Shiggs (6-1, 180) will be taking a jump up in competition, we watched this work in Lincoln last season as Andrew Marshall, an FCS transfer from Idaho, won a starting cornerback job out of fall camp and maintained that spot all season.
The Huskers also welcomed Kwazi Gilmore (-0.02) at receiver, UCLA’s leader in receptions (50), receiving yards (535), yards per catch (10.7) and receiving touchdowns (4) in 2025. A 6-2, 190-pound junior, Gilmore had three catches for 88 yards with a touchdown in the Bruins’ 27-20 win over Nebraska in Lincoln in 2024.
It won’t draw much attention now, and even less if the addition works out, but Nebraska added one of the top long snappers available in Michigan State’s Jack Wills. The Huskers addressed a dreadful snapping year in 2024 with the addition of New Hampshire transfer Kevin Gallic last season. He’s out of eligibility, but if Wills can be similarly “set it and forget it,” this rates as one of the better acquisitions so far.
Nebraska somehow threaded the needle at quarterback where it was looking for depth while also searching for a player comfortable knowing he was likely behind returning starter TJ Lateef and incoming UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea. Former Husker Daniel Kaelin (-0.04) is returning to Lincoln after a season with Virginia. A 4-star, Elite 11 signee from Bellevue West in the 2024 class, Kaelin transferred out of Nebraska following his true freshman season and backed up Virginia starter Chandler Morris as the Cavaliers finished 11-3 and played for an ACC title in 2025. In a November loss to Wake Forest, Kaelin went in for an injured Morriss and completed 18-of-28 passes in his most extensive action of the season.
The best-case scenario for NU with this second quarterback spot was finding a player who could feasibly compete in an offseason battle for the starting job without needing to win it. Kaelin should check that box and his on-field production (52 pass attempts, 12 rushes) is about equal to the Huskers initial top pick, Notre Dame backup Kenny Michey (29 pass attempts, nine rushes), who ended up flipping to Kentucky. It won’t surprise me at all when Kaelin is a real player in the QB competition this spring.
Finally, it appears the Huskers’ search for a new defensive line coach is coming to a close with multiple national reports Sunday that former Miami (Ohio) assistant Corey Brown is on his way to Lincoln. A defensive tackle at Iowa in the mid-1990s, Brown started his coaching career in the Iowa junior college ranks, including a three-season stint at Iowa Western in Council Bluffs, before progressing to Notre Dame (GA), Miami (first stint), Rutgers and South Dakota before rejoining the Redhawks in 2023. While at USD, Brown coached with new Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich.
Maybe the addition of Brown will provide Nebraska with a strong finishing kick as it continues to pursue defensive linemen in the portal’s final days, though it’s still fair to wonder if NU put itself in the best position the past week and a half by taking this long to land a d-line coach. Brown is a perfectly good and reasonable pick, and it would certainly seem as though his Aurich connection played a role after Nebraska appeared to be taking some big swings for known commodities like Elijah Robinson.
But the best Miami (Ohio) defensive lineman who could’ve been part of a package deal, Adam Trick, has already signed with Texas Tech, which also landed San Diego State edge rusher Trey White. It’s safe to say the perception of Nebraska’s 2026 transfer class would be drastically different with both Trick and White in the fold on the line, and the Huskers will employ both players’ position coaches as well as White’s defensive coordinator in 2026.
As it stands, Nebraska’s transfer class ranked 29th at 247Sports and 25th at On3. By McIllece Sports’ Net Wins math, the Huskers have seen 0.75 wins leave while replacing them with 0.36. We’ll see what happens in the remaining days—the portal closes Jan. 15—but so far this class is on pace to land in a similar spot as previous Matt Rhule classes.
Adjust accordingly.
Sorry if you did a column on this and I'm just forgetting, but can you give me some more context on the net wins stat?
What was Raiola worth in terms of net wins? It's surprising that a starting QB is worth less than a whole win on his own in departing.
Also, should we look at the .004 as in this stat sees the additions as roughly equal in talent/production as the person they are potentially replacing?