Nebraska football transfer portal departures are no reason to panic

Nebraska football has had eight players enter the transfer portal over the past two days. That number will probably grow substantially before the portal opens on Dec. 9.

Teams have to deal with roster limits and that’s going to impact Nebraska football more than others due to the prolific walk-on program.

Those haven’t been the players leaving so far though. Jimari Butler and Mikai Gbayor both started double-digit games for Nebraska last season. Princewill Umanmielen entered the portal on Tuesday too. He played in every game this season and has recorded 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

Umanmielen was a Freshman All-American but didn’t start any games last season. Willis McGahee IV was likely ahead of him on the depth chart and that could have played a role in the decision.

Gbayor is a loss. But with Vincent Shavers, Christian Jones, and Dawson Merritt, linebacker shouldn’t be a huge issue, even if some depth is needed now.

James Williams also entered the transfer portal on Tuesday after seven sacks in the past two seasons. The 6-foot-6 pass rusher had two sacks in consecutive games against Purdue and Rutgers but just one sack the rest of the season.

Williams has potential but he hasn’t realized it all yet. Could Nebraska use him? Yes. I’d like Umanmielen too, but that’s life in this new era of college football.

Nebraska football QB transfers too

That also explains the decision of Daniel Kaelin to transfer. The former Elite 11 quarterback wasn’t going to surpass Dylan Raiola on the depth chart, meaning he wouldn’t get the chance to be QB1 until after three seasons of college football.

That’s a long time to wait. Nebraska football fans wanted Kaelin to stay. He’s got a bright future, but this was always a possibility.

Some of these departures caught Nebraska football fans off guard, myself included. Yet, the Huskers haven’t lost any all-conference players. They had just one this season after all, Ty Robinson, who was third-team All-Big Ten.

Some contributors are gone. But nobody that’s irreplaceable and nobody that was a true difference-maker. The Huskers have work to do. They need depth and a couple of starters on the defensive line but more than that, Nebraska football needs impact players, on both sides of the ball.

The Huskers didn’t have enough this season and the truth is, they haven’t lost any in the portal yet. So don’t panic, Nebraska football fans, and let’s see what the portal brings, as well as what it takes away.

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