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2026 Nebraska Men’s Basketball Offseason Tracker

by May 6, 2026Nebraska Mens Basketball

2026 Nebraska Men’s Basketball Offseason Tracker

Fresh off the best season in Nebraska men’s basketball history, a busy offseason has begun for Fred Hoiberg and his crew.

The staff will have to replace a few key seniors from this year’s 28-7 Sweet 16 squad, with the NCAA transfer portal open April 7-21.

To keep you updated on all the comings and goings, we’ll update this offseason tracker whenever news drops.

>> March 9: Athletic director Troy Dannen announces that Nebraska has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Fred Hoiberg. The new deal will keep Hoiberg under contract through the 2031-32 season.

Hoiberg has guided Nebraska to three straight postseason tournaments, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2024, winning the inaugural College Basketball Crown in 2025 and guiding the Huskers to their first two NCAA Tournament wins this year.

“Fred Hoiberg is a tremendous representative of the University of Nebraska, the Lincoln community, and our state. We are extremely proud that he will continue to lead the Nebraska men’s basketball program well into the future,” Dannen said in a release.  “Fred has built this program step by step and his leadership has Nebraska positioned to continue to compete at a high level in the Big Ten Conference and nationally.  Fred is one of the most respected coaches in the country by his peers, and his success has been recognized throughout the college basketball world.”

>> April 7: Freshman guard Quentin Rhymes enters the transfer portal

The 6-foot-6 wing from Las Vegas, Nev., redshirted this season while contributing on the scout team. He spent three seasons at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas before transferring to Bella Vista Prep in Phoenix, Ariz. for his senior year. He also spent a post-grad year at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona before joining the Huskers.

** Update: Rhymes committed to Fresno State.

>> April 7: Sophomore Justin Bolis enters the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward joined the Huskers as a walk-on out of Southeast Community College and redshirted during the 2024-25 season. This year, he appeared in 17 games, totaling three points (all from the free-throw line), five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 26 minutes. Bolis was a key contributor on Nebraska’s scout team over the past two years, bringing size and athleticism to the practice court.

Bolis is a Lincoln High grad, averaging 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds as a senior after missing his junior season with a torn Achilles. He had a breakout freshman season at Southeast, averaging 15.5 points on 52% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

>> April 8: Junior forward Berke Büyüktuncel enters the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-10, 244-pound forward joined the Huskers after a year at UCLA. He has been a key cog in the Huskers’ starting lineup the last two seasons. As a junior, he started all 33 games, averaging 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 stocks in 24.3 minutes per game, shooting 46.8% from the field (24.1% from 3) and 61.2% from the foul line.

This move could be one where Büyüktuncel tests the market and finds that he has a clear role and home at Nebraska. Should he not return to the Huskers, they would lose the team’s best interior defender and a versatile piece within their aggressive defensive scheme.

>> April 9: Redshirt freshman Braden Frager re-signs with Nebraska.

The Lincoln Southwest grad was a key player for the Huskers off the bench as a redshirt freshman, earning the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 35.1% from 3 and is one of the core returning pieces for the Huskers. His role will likely grow next season as you could see him joining the starting lineup and playing multiple positions.

>> April 9: Belmont transfer wing Sam Orme commits to Nebraska.

 

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The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward spent two seasons at Belmont, starting 37 of his 56 games. As a sophomore, he logged 28 starts and averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.7 minutes per game, shooting 55.9% from the field including 39.7% from 3 on 4.2 attempts per game. He earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

Orme was an All-Freshman team honoree for Belmont in 2024-25, averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from deep in 21.3 minutes per game. He converted 67.1% of his 2-pointers and 38.7% of his 3-pointers during his first two seasons of college basketball.

The native of Carmel, Indiana, scored in double figures 21 times this season, including games with 22 points against Drake and 21 against Air Force. He’s Nebraska’s first addition this transfer cycle.

>> April 13: Nebraska announces Pryce Sandfort will return for his senior season.

The Iowa transfer broke out after joining the Huskers ahead of his junior season following a coaching change in Iowa City. He led Nebraska with 18.1 points per game, adding 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 41.6% from 3 on 8.9 attempts per game. The Waukee, Iowa, native earned All-Big Ten recognition after breaking program records for 3-point attempts and makes.

Sandfort likely would have drawn significant interest from NBA scouts had he been able to go through the pre-draft process, but surgery to repair a sports hernia will sideline him while he recovers. Hoiberg expects him back for the team’s June workouts.

>> April 14: Nebraska announces Cale Jacobsen will return for his senior season.

The Ashland-Greenwood product joined the Huskers as a walk-on, redshirted in 2022-23, played sparingly in 2023-24 then parlayed a strong run in the College Basketball Crown at the end of 2024-25 into a spot in the rotation this season, growing into a key role player for the Huskers.

As a junior, he averaged 4.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.7 minutes per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 36.6% from 3. He played primarily off the bench, defending and playing multiple positions while logging one start — Nebraska’s 75-72 loss at eventual national champion Michigan when both Rienk Mast and Braden Frager were unavailable.

>> April 14: Nebraska announces that Leo Curtis will return for his sophomore season.

The 7-foot-2, 245-pound center from Reykjavik, Iceland, appeared in 17 games as a freshman, totaling 27 points on 10-of-17 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line, nine rebounds (including seven on the offensive end), four assists and three steals in 67 minutes. He played a season-high 13 minutes in Nebraska’s game against Michigan and matched his season-high with six points. He also scored against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament.

Curtis was a four-star recruit coming out of CATS Academy in Massachusetts, where he spent a post-grad year before joining the Huskers. Per his Huskers.com bio, he added 25 pounds to his frame since his arrival and could see a much larger role in 2026-27.

>> April 16: Nebraska announces Connor Essegian will return.

After transferring from Wisconsin, Essegian was a key piece to the Huskers’ bench during the 2024-25 season. He played in all 35 games and averaged 10.7 points, third amongst Big Ten reserves.

He played in just seven games this season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on Nov. 25 against Winthrop.

>> April 17: Montana transfer wing Kadyn Betts commits to Nebraska.

Betts, a Pueblo, Colo., native began his career at Minnesota, where he appeared in a total of 30 games in his first two seasons (2023-25). Betts transferred to Montana following the 2024-25 season but played in just nine games at Montana last season, averaging 3.1 points in 6.6 minutes per game.

The Huskers originally offered Betts on April 16, 2022, when he was a junior in high school.

>> April 17: Nebraska announces Will Cooper and Henry Burt will return.

Cooper, a Millard South graduate, redshirted last season after transferring from Air Force where he averaged 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game as a true freshman in 2024-25. Burt, an Elkhorn South graduate, will return for his senior season after missing last season due to a knee injury suffered in practice in September.

>> April 17: Utah Valley State transfer guard Trevan Leonhardt commits to Nebraska.

Leonhardt was one of Nebraska’s primary targets when the portal opened. The 6-foot-5 guard can fill up the stat sheet, averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds during the 2025-26 season with the Wolverines. Leonhardt can fit into the initiator of the offense or lead ball handler role on offense and his length will help with the team defense philosophy Nebraska employs.

Leonhardt started all 68 games at Utah Valley the last two seasons and earned first-team All-WAC and WAC All-Defensive honors this season. The Huskers eventually beat out Arizona State for Leonhardt.

“We are excited to add Trevan to our program, as we thought he was one of the best guards in the transfer portal.” Hoiberg said after Leonhart signed. “He is a bigger guard who provides us with positional size in the backcourt. Trevan led the WAC in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio the last two seasons which shows his ability to run an offense and facilitate. This season, he emerged as more of a scorer, averaging double figures and shot over 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, he possesses the size to guard multiple positions and is very active in getting deflections and steals, which is important in our system.”

>> April 18: Boston College transfer post Boden Kapke commits to Nebraska.

Nebraska needed size in the portal, and they got it with the 6-foot-11 junior who started his career at Butler and last season played for Boston College. This season, he averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Eagles. He started 17 of the 33 games and his effective field goal percentage, 53.5%, was 481st in the nation.

In ACC play, Kapke averaged 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. The Eagles played eight games against top-50 opponents, and in those contests Kapke averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 10-of-26 (38.5%) from 3-point range.

“Boden gives us a veteran, physical presence for our frontcourt,” Hoiberg said after Kapke said.. “He’s played three seasons at the power conference level and that experience will help his transition to the Big Ten. Boden uses his size and physicality around the basket to create space and is comfortable stepping out to 3-point range and knocking down shots. He became more of an offensive focal point at Boston College during the second half of ACC play and played some of his best basketball down the stretch. He has been steady in his development, and we are looking forward to Boden joining our program.”

Kapke is is capable of filling the stretch-five role in Nebraska’s system after shooting 33.3% (29-of-87) from 3-point range for the Eagles. However, he only averaged 0.7 assists, which begs the question of how well he’ll be able to run dribble handoffs or find cutters out of the high post, which is where Mast excelled.

>> April 21: Forward Ugnius Jaruševičius intends to enter the transfer portal.

The Central Michigan transfer played in one game during his lone season with the Huskers while dealing with a back injury all season. He scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds against New Hampshire. The 6-foot-10 post averaged 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds during his junior season with the Chippewas. The native of Alytus, Lithuania, began his career at UCSB, spending two seasons there.

**Update: Jaruševičius has committed to Arizona.

>> April 23: San Diego State transfer Taj DeGourville commits to Nebraska.

In his two seasons at San Diego State, DeGourville averaged 19.2 minutes per game in a crowded position group. This season, he played in 33 games with five starts, averaging 5.5 points, a team-high 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 34.5% from 3-point range. His 26.1 assist rate would have finished first for Nebraska this past season, ahead of Jamarques Lawrence’s 24.2% rate.

The 6-foot-5, 211-pound DeGourville struggled to score inside the arc during his two seasons with the Aztecs, shooting 40% (including 38.4% in 2025-26). However, his playmaking and toughness on defense will provide value for the Huskers as he adds depth to Nebraska’s perimeter group.

“Taj’s combination of positional size, length and skillset makes him a valuable addition to our roster.” Hoiberg said after DeGoruville signed. “He played two seasons at one of the best defensive programs in the country and has been a part of a winning culture at San Diego State.  He is a physical guard at 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan and can defend several spots on the floor.  He has a ton of upside offensively and his ability to get into the paint and create for others makes him a great fit with the players already on our roster.”

>> April 30: South Dakota State transfer Damon Wilkinson commits to Nebraska.

 

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The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man from De Smet, S.D., averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds (2.2 offensive) while shooting 58.9% from the field as a sophomore, starting 19 of his 32 games. He recorded three double-doubles including a 24-point, 19-rebound outing against Omaha.

Wilkinson averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10 minutes per game as a freshman for the Jackrabbits after redshirting during the 2023-24 season.

“Damon is a tough post presence who has improved every year at the college level,” Hoiberg said after Wilkinson signed. “He comes from a winning program at South Dakota State and brings size and physicality to our frontcourt. He has very good footwork, a soft touch around the rim and rebounds at a high level. We look forward to him continuing his development in our program.”

>> May 6:Hoiberg announces contract extensions for assistant coaches Nate Loenser, Ernie Zeigler and Pat Monaghan and general manager Luca Virgilio following the best season in program history.

“The success our program had this year is really a testament to the efforts of our entire staff, and it is important to reward them for all of their work,” Hoiberg said in a release. “The work they pour into our players is evident in their development in our program. Nate, Ernie and Luca have been vital over the last four years in helping us build a winning culture and enjoy sustained success that Nebraska basketball has not seen in a long time.  Pat stepped in seamlessly and made a significant impact on our program with his work ethic and knowledge in recruiting. He is a rising star in the coaching field.”

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