Quick Glance at the 14 Scholarship Football Players Who Left Nebraska Since the End of 2019

After the news that J.D. Spielman has decided to enter the transfer portal, Mitch Sherman of The Athletic sent out the following tweet.

That tweet, on it’s face, looks terrible and the future of Nebraska football looks dim. It is time to pack up our bags and head home. How can a program sustain itself if you lose 14 scholarship players in six months who were going to be on your roster for anywhere from one to five more years?

How does this compare to other programs? Well in the case of Penn State:

Like Dustin said, you cannot compare the talent levels of Penn State and Nebraska at this moment.

When trying to analyze the who, what, when, where, and why of the attrition I think you could use it to justify whatever narrative you currently have about the coaching staff.

I am generally overly positive about Nebraska football so when I look at the players below who have decided to transfer I can choose to believe that the talent coming in has persuaded them to find greener pastures. With the exception of Miles Jones the schools that these players have decided to transfer to are the following: Rutgers, FIU, Portland State, Marshall, and Kent State.

Miles Jones is heading to Tennessee. He is the only outlier in my opinion.

Then there’s J.D. Spielman. Maybe someday we will get the true story on why Spielman decided to leave. Maybe he didn’t want to play for his third wide receiver coach in his career at Nebraska. Especially when he still works out with the one that brought him to Nebraska. There appeared to be disconnect between Spielman and the coaches. Even when Spielman was in Lincoln working out with Keith Williams the coaching staff did not hear from him. That says a lot.

The losses of Henry Gray and Darien Chase are also a concern but both went back to be closer to home. That is a reality Nebraska will always have to deal with.

On the other side of the coin this is essentially the third off-season for Frost and he lost 14 players who still had eligibility remaining. That can never be good.

It is my opinion that if you look at each case separately then the high number of 14 doesn’t seem that bad especially when three of them are related to criminal activity which you can be reminded of at the bottom.

So what do you think? Is it good? Bad? Both?

J.D. Spielman: A three star wide receiver out of Minnesota was ready to break the Nebraska football record books but has decided to transfer. He was entering his senior season as Nebraska’s fourth all-time leading receiver. We do not know where he will land next.

Noah Vedral: Was a three star quarterback out of Wahoo, NE. He transferred to Nebraska from Central Florida when Scott Frost took the job here. Played admirably in 2019 and lead the team to a win over Northwestern on that last possession. He was hoping to compete against Adrian Martinez for the starting spot but because spring football was cancelled he didn’t feel like he would have had an opportunity make up that ground. He transferred to Rutgers.

Henry Gray: As if we never got to know ya. Gray was a four star cornerback out of Miami. He enrolled early at Nebraska and then COVID-19 hit and he decided Nebraska was not for him. He has decided to transfer to Florida International University.

Darien Chase: Chase was a three star wide receiver out of Vancouver, Washington. He played in 4 games in 2019, thus preserving his redshirt. On social media Chase said that he had been dealing with depression and thus has transferred to Portland State University to be closer to home.

Miles Jones: Was a three star wide receiver from Florida. He appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman. Things never seemed to click for Jones and the coaching staff. He has transferred to Tennessee.

Jaevon McQuitty: Was a four star wide receiver from Columbia, MO. Appeared to have battled injuries while he was at Nebraska. He is in the transfer portal but we do not know where he will be heading next. Some thought maybe Oregon State, but it has not happened yet.

Jaron Woodyard: Was a three star wide receiver out of Maryland. He came from Arizona Western Community College. He started one game in 2019. He has transferred to Marshall.

Andrew Bunch (not on scholarship): Came from Scottsdale Community College to add depth at the quarterback position. Bunch started against Troy in 2018 as a sophomore. He entered the transfer portal and it is unknown where he will be next.

Tony Butler: Played his junior season as a graduate student and was on both the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team and the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Impressive. Was also on the Nebraska Scholar Athlete Honor Roll every year as well. He as a three star cornerback out of Ohio. Butler is now playing football for Kent State.

Pernell Jefferson: Three star outside linebacker out of New Orleans. Was also on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team and the Brooke Berringer Citizenship Team in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. As a junior in 2019 he did not appear in a game. It unknown what he plans on doing next.

John Raridon: Retired from football to focus on academics. He was a four star 2016 recruit out of Iowa. He wanted to focus on his last semester to become an architect which is one of the more rigorous programs at UNL.

Jaylin Bradley: Three-star running back out of Bellevue West was a contributor early as a true freshman as he appeared in seven games in 2017. He red shirted the following year. As a sophomore he had two carries against Maryland. He has entered the transfer portal and it is unknown where he will be next.

Andre Hunt: Three star wide receiver out of California. Was charged with first-degree sexual assault and was expelled from school.

Katerian Legrone: Three star tight end out of Georgia. Was charged with first-degree sexual assault and was expelled from school.

Maurice Washington: Four star running back out of Texas. Had a wildly productive short time at Nebraska which included being suspended several times by the coaching staff. He ended up pleading guilty in California for a “revenge porn” charge and spent 30 days in jail and two years of probation. He has decided to transfer and we don’t know where he will end up.