Portal Dispatch: NU continues to NU, CU continues to CU and other transfer tidings
Portal Dispatch: NU continues to NU, CU continues to CU and other transfer tidings
The roughest patch might be yet to come, but Nebraska is executing its transfer plan. So is Colorado. Plus, a walk-on addition and a potential home for a former QB.
Are the Huskers really going to pull this “we have our own portal” thing off?
On April 24, six days before the close of the spring transfer window that opened April 16, Nebraska had two players enter their names in the portal, linebacker Eric Fields and defensive back Corey Collier. Fields actually left the team last semester and Collier wasn’t with the team during the spring, Practically speaking, both players had already been gone.
Otherwise, the Huskers have had zero player movement over the past week-and-a-half. The spring game isn’t until Saturday, so it’s logical to assume any departures might not happen until the start of next week. Still, the closer we get to the deadline the less likely a deluge of departures seems. It’s starting to feel as though Nebraska might actually stay above the fray this offseason.
It has so far.
Nebraska’s 15 total transactions (transfers in and out) as of Wednesday were the third-fewest in the Big Ten and tied for the seventh-fewest among Power 4 schools. Practically speaking, however, the Huskers’ current total is about as low as I think you’ll reliably find for a power school minus extenuating circumstances.
Extenuating circumstances like being Stanford (11 transactions) or Northwestern (13) with their academic realities. Or BYU (15) with its unique requirements. Or having the one coach dead-set against welcoming transfers like Clemson does (12 transactions, all departures).
That leaves Iowa (11), Kansas (14) and Oklahoma State (14) as “like” programs for Nebraska. The Hawkeyes already play football in a way that is inadvisable for others to try—this is a compliment to that program—so it’s not a shock that they’re largely transfer independent. Lance Leipold’s Kansas feels a lot like what Matt Rhule wants Nebraska to be in terms of style and values, the Jayhawks are just a year or two ahead in the rebuild. Mike Gundy may stand out as different from the business-like approach of the others mentioned here, but he has a really solid program that’s set in how it wants to operate and is off on its own a bit as the Big 12 has changed around it.
We’ll see how the month rounds out for Nebraska, but as an observer of portal mania elsewhere in the sport, it felt worth it to stop and enjoy just being able to watch for a bit. It was a little luxury.
On to some other transfer-related items.
Colorado continues to Colorado
The Buffs (70 total transactions) continue to steer into their self-made skid this spring. They don’t consider it a skid, of course, but from the outside, I have a hard time seeing it any other way.
Running back Dylan Edwards is the latest Buff to enter the portal. He was Colorado’s leading rusher last season (76 carries, 321 yards), but basically had equal production with Anthony Hankerson (78 carries, 319 yards). Hankerson transferred to Oregon State in December.
Edwards stands out, however, because he was one of the few immediate wins from Deion Sanders’ first high school recruiting class. The Buffs only took 16 prep players in the 2023 class, and just nine in 2024.1 Of course, this is all just part of the plan, par for the course, when transfers are your preferred method of roster construction.
We’ve known that about Colorado for more than a year now, but it’s still somewhat shocking for a) an Edwards to leave, and b) to have that departure spoken about like this. The person speaking here isn’t a coach, but is essentially on staff as part of CU’s vast in-house media team.
If you can’t watch the clip, Uncle Neely chalks up Edwards’ departure to “not wanting to compete,” notes the Buffs had just added former Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden2 and then goes on to dig at, somewhat unprompted, cornerback Cormani McClain, a 5-star in the 2023 class who entered the portal earlier this month. It’s wild coming from someone who clearly considers himself part of the program.
But that’s Colorado football right now. This is what Sanders and staff are doing, and if you have questions, you just don’t get it.
A year ago, I found Sanders bold roster gambit intriguing as a curiosity. As I wrote in September:
That’s what may have been missing from the discussion around Sanders all offseason. The question wasn’t “what if it works,” but perhaps, “if it works and can’t be replicated, what does it mean?”
I’m more convinced now it won’t work.3 I put myself in the shoes of CU’s AD and try to imagine how I’d sell this, how I’d answer “How are you going to win football games with this hire?”
As far as I can tell, the competitive advantage Colorado is banking on is that Deion Sanders’ celebrity will help attract enough talent, centered on the skill positions, that more time-worn football truisms—development, line play, culture—can’t keep up.
While I think it’s possible for that approach to make the Buffs capable of winning any game it plays, it goes against everything I think I’ve learned about what it takes to win many games over a long period of time. If I were a die-hard Colorado fan, I’d enjoy the attention and contrarian approach for a bit, but overall I’d be concerned about the long-term viability.
As a non-fan, I’m already concerned enough about it that if you walked in to Brandon’s Sports Book4 today and asked to wager on the prop “Will Deion Sanders be CU’s head coach in 2025?” I’d probably offer you plus-money to wager “Yes.”
Anyway, Edwards is from Wichita. While I don’t expect the Huskers to be a taker on transfers in the near future, Edwards did take an official visit to Lincoln in the spring of 2022. He’s at least seen the place, though under a different coaching staff. Somehow I don’t have many concerns about his desire to compete.
Quickly…
While I’m not counting it as a transaction in the top section, Nebraska has made a walk-on addition. Vince Genatone, a high school star at North Platte, is joining the Huskers after two seasons as a linebacker at Montana. He redshirted his first year there then appeared in 12 games this season, primarily on special teams, making one tackle. While his production doesn’t jump off the page, I still love a guy who is transferring up.5
Arizona State could be a landing spot for Jeff Sims. An interesting quote in that linked story. Despite how rough the 2023 season was, Sims is pretty complimentary of Nebraska.
Different sport, but from the “can’t make this stuff up” files: Guard C.J. Wilcher is transferring to Texas A&M. Also from Aggieland: The athletic department laid off more than a dozen employees this week.
It became a thing this offseason when Sanders acknowledged he doesn’t do in-home visits, arguing that his celebrity makes that a losing proposition for him.
Hayden rushed for 663 yards in 13 games over two seasons for the Buckeyes.
And I was pretty convinced then.
A completely mythical place, to be clear. I am not running an illegal sports book, but if you ask I’ll try to come up with odds on almost anything because it’s fun.
More on that in a future newsletter.
I have a vague recollection of hearing or reading that Deion Sanders secret heart (lacking the ability to footnote I'm referencing the Shogun series) was to juice up his kids' performances so that they get drafted well and then blow town.