The 3-2-1: Nebraska could have at least seven transfer starters in 2022

We discuss the impact the transfer portal has had on Nebraska's roster this off-season and more in the 3-2-1 column.

1 - Nebraska could have at least seven starters from the transfer portal

With the recent additions of defensive linemen Devin Drew and Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska has now added 12 different FBS and FCS transfer players to its roster since December.

Of that group, you will more than likely see the Huskers produce starters at quarterback, wide receiver, defensive line, cornerback, kicker, and punter.

Today, quarterback Casey Thompson, wide receiver Trey Palmer, cornerback Tommi Hill, punter Brian Bushcini, kicker Timmy Bleekrode, Drew, and Mathis project as potential starters.

Nearly 30 percent of NU's 24 positional starters, if you count specialists, will be from the transfer portal in 2022. It's exciting but also scary at the same time.

It also shows you how quickly a coach can turn over a roster in one year. The Huskers had eight players sign with NFL teams this past weekend as draft picks or free agents. They signed a total of 12 transfer portal players along with three junior college prospects to supplement those losses.

2022 is a win at all cost season for Scott Frost and his staff. We've seen them approach this offseason with that type of urgency. I can't imagine there's another team in the Big Ten right now with anywhere close to that number of incoming transfer and JUCO players in one cycle.

2 - Casey Rogers is the second Husker DL to follow Tony Tuioti to Oregon

Husker players following a coach to a new school is nothing new. We saw a wave of players end up at Oregon State in 2018 during Frost's first season. So many, that when running back Greg Bell decided to leave the program pre-portal, he was blocked from transferring to OSU in his scholarship release.

In 2013, we even saw a group of players follow Vince Marrow to Kentucky when he left Bo Pelini's staff.

Fast forward to 2022. The Huskers just lost their second defensive lineman to Oregon over the offseason withCasey Rogers joining Jordon Riley in following Tony Tuioti to Eugene.

Both would have seen time at NU, but luckily Nebraska replaced them with two players in Drew and Mathis who have played more Power Five football and produced bigger numbers.

Should Nebraska fans be upset that Tuioti took a couple of his guys with him to the Ducks? Sure, it stings, but that's the world we live in now.

It's no different than Mickey Joseph taking Trey Palmer and Decoldest Crawford from LSU; Bryan Applewhite taking Ajay Allen from TCU; and Mark Whipple taking Chubba Purdy from Pitt.

3 - Look for changes in overall scholarship limits per year

As we start to evolve college football to the never-ending transfer portal and numbers game, one change that is expected to happen is doing away with the silly 25-man scholarship limit.

The rule was already adjusted to "25+7" this past year, where teams could take up to seven players per year from the transfer portal to account for roster losses on top of 25 initial scholarships.

Going forward, the plan is to eliminate the 25-man limit. The rule once made sense, but now you are penalizing teams and in some cases making it impossible to have 85 players on scholarship. At the end of the day, that's only hurting the players.

1 - How many more transfer portal additions can Nebraska take now?

With the addition of Drew, the Huskers went back to 85 players on scholarship. Of those 85, 83 were originally scholarship recruits to NU.

The only two that walked on to Nebraska were linebacker Luke Reimer and offensive lineman Trent Hixson. Wide receiver Oliver Martin initially came as a walk-on, but eventually was put on.

The numbers are tight, but I still think you will see at least three more spots turnover between now and August. There is still a chance a player can go on a medical scholarship or leave as a graduate transfer.

2 - What modifications might we see with the transfer portal?

Between the transfer portal, NIL, and the one-time transfer rule, we are still learning the new way era in college football. What changes might we see in the future?

I think the biggest thing is to create transfer windows. I know that is one of the things the schools are trying to get done this week at the league meetings in Phoenix .

In a perfect world, there would be a November/December window and a spring window for players to hit the transfer portal. The current system is just not sustainable long-term to have players entering the portal at all hours of the night.

When you are a seventh-round draft pick, your chances of making an NFL roster are very tough. More than likely you are trying to catch on to a practice squad.

With that said, Nebraska wide receiver Samori Toure was a seventh-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers. When I look at the situation he's walking into, things look very favorable for Toure. I predict Toure will be on the active roster at some point in 2022 for the Packers.

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 NET's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.