The 3-2-1: May 1 transfer portal deadline looms for Nebraska and others

We discuss the upcoming May 1 transfer portal deadline for Nebraska and the rest of college football and more in today's 3-2-1 column.

1 - Casey Rogers is just the appetizer to transfer portal season

Welcome to the new college football world we live in. Things that don't make sense are going to happen every day.

This is not the same game as even five years ago. The transfer portal started on Oct. 1 of 2018, while NIL began on July 1 of 2021. These two things have impacted college football more than ever before.

On Wednesday we got a reminder of that in Lincoln when defensive lineman Casey Rogers entered the transfer portal when he basically had a starting job teed up for him in 2022.

That's what is so hard for traditional fans of college football to understand. Rogers had everything in front of him and was looked at as a leader of the defense. Why did he leave? Was it scheme-related, NIL-related, or something else? We will never know the answer to that probably.

If you take a few steps back though, it's also interesting that a guy leaving a program with 1.5 career sacks and six tackles for loss would cause such a stir. The reality is that's the current state of Nebraska's defensive line.

They have now lost four players on the defensive line that could've still been eligible for the 2022 Huskers - Damion Daniels (draft), Deontre Thomas (retired), Jordon Riley (transfer to Oregon) and now Rogers (transfer).

Scott Frost has faced his fair share of holes on the roster the previous four seasons, but doing a full rebuild on the defensive line will not be easy.

The good news is the transfer portal exists. By May 1, Frost and his staff will also know all of their one-time transfer options.

Every player that wants to be immediately eligible for the 2022 season must be entered into the transfer portal by May 1. The only way around that rule to gain immediate eligibility is if you are a graduate transfer, but even then most of those players are going to enter their name into the portal probably by May 1. Buckle up, it's only Apr. 21.

2 - Things remain on track with Nebraska's new football facility

Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts announced this week that things remain on schedule with NU's new football facility.

The plan is for the Huskers to move in by the summer of 2023.

The only real difference is the project's cost has gone from $150 to now $160 million, which no one should be surprised by.

Unfortunately, everything over the last two years has gone up in price, and the construction and materials industry has been hit as hard as anyone.

I'm actually surprised the cost for the new football facility hasn't gone up by more than $10 million.

3 - Huskers make several notable offers this week

The Husker coaching staff hit the road in full force this week.

There were several notable new offers that got my attention.

The ones that really stand out are 2024 Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst offensive lineman Andrew Sprague and 2024 Gilbert (Ariz.) defensive back Jeremiah Newcombe.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Newcombe is the son of former Husker great Bobby Newcombe. I would think the next step for the Huskers is getting the Newcombe's back on campus.

Meanwhile, when you look at Sprague, he's coached by O'Neill, Neb. native Kelly Donohoe, who also coached former Huskers Carlos and Kahlil Davis at Blue Springs (Mo.).

When it's all said and done Sprague is going to probably have every major offer in the country, but you have to think the Huskers will get at least a swing at him.

1 - Could Ainsworth 2024 TE Carter Nelson add a Husker offer?

We have seen Nebraska make two new 2023 in-state offers in the past two weeks to Lincoln High athlete Beni Ngoyi and Scottsbluff offensive lineman Brock Knutson.

Who could the next in-state offer be? I think Fremont Bergan's Kade McIntyre remains on the radar, but the door is closing very quickly with him and Kansas State. The feel today is he's very close to committing to the Wildcats.

With that said, the next logical in-state offer is 2024 Ainsworth tight end Carter Nelson. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Nelson is an athletic specimen. NU inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud will be in Atkinson today to watch Nelson compete at a track meet.

Nelson already holds an Iowa State offer, and with a high jump mark of 7-0, a discus throw of nearly 160 feet, a pole vault mark of 13-7 and a time of 11.0 seconds in the 100, he sure seems like a near-lock to get an NU offer. I don't know if I've seen an athlete anywhere with that combination of speed, power and explosion that literally has the ability to win more than four events at a track invite if he wanted to.

2 - Is Trey Palmer a lock to be the return man?

I know today it appears LSU wide receiver transfer Trey Palmer will be Nebraska's return specialist in 2022.

However, don't sleep on defensive back Tommi Hill. He too wants to have a chance to return kicks and punts.

He, along with Palmer is one of the fastest players on the NU roster. He's an experienced return man and at an event in Fremont this past Monday night he told me he really wants to battle to be the Huskers' return man.

The loss of Rogers on Wednesday obviously was a blow for Nebraska. It was one nobody was expecting.

With that said, I predict you will see Nebraska bounce back in the transfer portal with new additions. Maybe that played a factor in Rogers's decision to leave, as he knew they were looking to add potentially two more and his snaps could be affected.

My read today is besides TCU's Ochaun Mathis, the Huskers have a few things going behind the scenes and it will pick up very fast by May 1.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on Nebraska Public Media's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.