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
NEWS: Nebraska freshman guard Quentin Rhymes has entered the transfer portal, per @MikeSautter_.
Rhymes made no appearances in his redshirt year with the Big Red. pic.twitter.com/hyyhbXbmFL
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 7, 2026
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.
NEWS: Nebraska F Justin Bolis enters the transfer portal, per @MikeSautter_.
The 6-8 sophomore from Lincoln averaged 1.4 minutes across 17 games in the 2025-26 season. pic.twitter.com/Stt2UpHFCJ
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 7, 2026
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.
NEWS: Nebraska F Berke Büyüktuncel enters the transfer portal, per @MikeSautter_.
The 6-10 junior appeared in 64 games during his Husker career. pic.twitter.com/eEJNFgSSFG
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 8, 2026
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.
NEWS: Braden Frager announces his return to Nebraska for his sophomore season.
The 2025-26 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year averaged 11.8 points while shooting 48.7%. pic.twitter.com/JTofGL6mqa
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 9, 2026
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.
