Well, there was a time when Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers happened to threaten programs like the Colorado Buffaloes. That’s because they wanted to seek an act of revenge for their 36-154 loss against Deion Sanders’ boys, back in 2023. So, they started curating a weapon, which was none other than their quarterback, Dylan Raiola. Yes, the quarterback who came off as Patrick Mahomes’ doppleganger. Did Rhule and Co.’s wish come true in 2024? Yes. They defeated the Buffs in their heroic 28-10 feat. However, they wrapped up the 2024 season with a 7-6 overall record. While they were still coping with the loss, the transfer portal brought them a wave of woes. Can you imagine Rhule lost four players to the portal on a single morning? The Huskers are even losing the race to hunt down two recruits.
Before the college football transfer portal opened up this year, Nebraska football head coach Rhule noted that he was expecting a lot of departures. “Think this year, we’re going to end up with 30-50 guys (Nebraska players) in the portal with the roster (limit). … I don’t want any of them to go into the portal. I want them all to stay here and develop. It’s just the new world we’re in. It’s going to be different.” Turns out that the man has got some real talent when it comes to farsightedness. But hardly did Rhule expect his assumption to turn out to be true. The Cornhuskers have lost 36 players to the transfer portal this offseason. THIRTY SIX! Unimaginable. Just when the Huskers fans thought that things can’t get any worse, four of them decided to hit the doors on the same morning, and one a day earlier.
On April 29th, analyst Wilson Dittman came up with a detailed take on the players’ losses on his podcast. Among the recent departures, Rhule lost their offensive lineman, Grant Seagren, who chose to part ways after two seasons with the Huskers on Monday, April 28. As Dittman shared, “This is a little bit of a loss for the Huskers, this was a guy that Matt Rhule constantly hyped up…when he did get on the field last season he actually played really really well.” Seagren saw 36 offensive snaps between both tackle spots last season and appeared on the depth chart for the Pinstripe Bowl. Then came April 29, the ominous day for Rhule’s squad. Transfer portal departures are part of the game, but four in one day before the clock strikes noon doesn’t happen very often. Unfortunately, the Cornhuskers got to experience the quadruple blow.
Rhule lost their tight end Ian Flynt, who just spent one season in Nebarska. Was it a costly loss? Not much. As Dittman noted, “He was a guy who never moved the needle; he was a blocking tight end at best. Didn’t get on the field in year one. Wasn’t even close really wasn’t making any noise in ear two this spring, they moved him to D-line.” Flynt played in one game last year as he made his college debut against UTEP and did not record any stats in that game. The next one that Rhule lost was their offensive lineman, David Borchers. Being in the Huskers gang for two seasons, he ended up redshirting both years as he did not see any game action. Finally, he tried his luck switching to the D-line last spring. The same goes for Rhule’s former wide receiver Hayes Miller.
Miller, too, jumped out of Nebraska on Tuesday. The 2024 season was his first and only season where he played in one game and ended up redshirting. Not racking up any stats in the Huskers, he hauled in three receptions for 30 yards during his one year of community college football. Lastly, cornerback Evan Taylor also entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. Like the other three players that we talked about, he didn’t get a lot of playing time (he received none, for that matter). Amidst all these transfer portal blows, if Rhule might have thought of focusing on the recruiting race, there too, he got a reality check.
Matt Rhule’s recruitment woes deepen
North Dakota State running back and Omaha native CharMar Brown was expected to announce his transfer destination on Monday, April 28. Diitman shared, “That ChaMar Brown was going to commit yesterday and it was going to be down to Nebraska or Miami.” Yes, initially, there was a 50-50 chance for Rhule’s Huskers and Mario Cristobal’s Miami. But turns out that none of their luck is going to favor them this time. As per the latest reports, he has now been predicted to choose Cal as his next home.
Dittman came up with some inside scoop. “Cal called him up about noon, yesterday and gave him basically an NIL offer that he could not refuse.” But the Huskers, too, had come up with some lucrative options, not in terms of money, though. Rhule’s program offered proximity to home and a potential role in the backfield alongside projected starter Emmett Johnson. And what about their race to hunt down 4-star defensive back CJ Bronaugh?
Matt Rhule and co. are trying to hang onto him with both hands. But sadly, CJ Bronaugh has no intention of shifting his permanent address to Nebraska. Maybe that’s why he’s been busy over the last few weeks looking everywhere but Lincoln for his final landing spot. And guess who is sprinkling salt on Rhule’s wounds? None other than the former Nebraska coaches. For instance, Tony White, who tried to bring the player to Nebraska, is now trying to help him get to Florida State. Matt Rhule can’t seem to catch a break—first the portal takes a bite out of his roster, and now the recruiting trail isn’t going his way either.
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