Nebraska Football: 5 January Transfer Portal Targets
Nebraska football's 2023 transition class is coming together nicely, but major gaps still dot the depth chart. With the transfer portal continuing to swell following bowl games and coaching carousel fallout, Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers have another immediate opportunity to find the puzzle pieces necessary to make noise come fall kickoff.
Related: Grading Nebraska's Early National Signing Day Haul
Keep in mind there'll be another batch of roster flux following spring as the game of musical chairs to find a perfect landing spot continues with the Big Red far from immune. This places even more of an emphasis on landing committed offensive depth for the rebuild in Lincoln. Scoring is fun, after all.
With that in mind, let's review a handful of notable talents who could rule the roost as a member of Rhule's roster.
WR Bryson Green (Oklahoma State)
Following the recent mass exodus from Stillwater, it's clear Nebraska is going to cast a wide net to address its most fluid skill position.
Green was second on the Cowboys this season with 584 yards on 34 catches and five touchdowns to his credit. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder put up 100-plus yards three times in 2022 (Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas) and boasted an offer from the Big Red during the 2021 recruiting calendar along with Auburn, Baylor, Ole Miss, and TCU among others.
WR Stephon Johnson (Oklahoma State)
The Big Red would get in on more or less the ground floor of Johnson’s career. With three years of eligibility and an optional redshirt year, his 84-yard touchdown against Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl gave only a glimpse of his potential. A native of DeSoto, Texas, Rhule no doubt has plenty of ways to get in contact with Bryson Green's former teammate.
WR Tyrone Broden (Bowling Green)
Broden has outright freakish athletic ability. Not only did he haul in 32 catches for 506 yards and seven touchdowns for the Falcons in 2022, but he also stands at a gargantuan 6-foot-7 - currently the FBS' tallest receiver. He has the natural size to be an easy target for Nebraska signal-callers to find with an equally massive affinity for making big-time plays.
TE Jake Roberts (North Texas)
With Travis Vokolek moving on, Nebraska has no real heir apparent thanks to a tight end room thick with potential but short on experience. Worse, the Huskers weren't able to find any immediate answers prior to Early National Signing Day.
Roberts tallied 394 yards and three touchdowns on 28 catches in 2022. Compare that to Vokolek's 240 yards and two scores, and Roberts showed why he can earn every opportunity to lead the pack come late April.
OT Walter Rouse (Stanford)
Rapidly becoming one of the hottest additions to the portal, Rouse had 39 career starts as the Cardinal’s left tackle. Nebraska already addressed an area of severe need on the offensive line by bringing in former Arizona State center Ben Scott to likely take over that role.
With a shaky outer edge, Rouse could help provide a measure of reliability to offensive line coach Donovan Raiola’s overhaul in 2023. As of this writing, Rouse has a visit to Lincoln scheduled for this upcoming weekend.
— Written by Brandon Cavanaugh, part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Be sure to follow him on Twitter (@Bcav402). To contact him, click here.
