Nebraska football starter enters portal; Elite D-Line coach headed elsewhere

The first significant movement in the transfer portal occurred on Friday for Nebraska football, as Malcolm Hartzog announced his departure from the program.

The 5-foot-9 defensive back from Mississippi started 32 career games for the Nebraska football program, registering eight interceptions and 16 pass breakups.

Hartzog scored a touchdown as a freshman, recovering a blocked punt and returning it for six. He had three interceptions and made eight starts that season. In 2024, Hartzog had four interceptions as a 12-game starter, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Last season, he played in two just games, but intercepted a pass against Cincinnati that clinched the win for the Huskers in the Kansas City Classic.

Nebraska football won’t hire Elijah Robinson

The hiring of defensive line coach Elijah Robinson continues to drag on. LSU thought it had a done deal with the sough-after D-line coach, but then there were rumblings that Nebraska football was in the mix.

Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. There was talk that Matt Rhule made a big offer. He did fire Terry Bradden last week. There was hope that it was because the hire of Robinson was imminent.

However, according to Sean Callahan of Husker Online, Robinson is going to wind up at Texas A&M. We’ll try to delve into some possible candidates, but Rhule surely has some options.

It’s an important hire, though. Outside of the coordinators, the offensive and defensive line coaches are the two most important on the team, especially with the problem in those areas the past three seasons.

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