If you thought college football recruiting was wild before, buckle up. The transfer portal has turned the game into a full-blown, no-holds-barred free agency, and Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule just got a hard lesson and a $2 million reality check. On February 26th, Rhule hopped onto Urban Meyer’s The Triple Option podcast and spilled the beans about just how insane the landscape has become. And let’s just say, it hit him harder than a blindside sack.

Look, for years, college football programs prided themselves on developing talent from the ground up, turning raw high school recruits into polished, game-ready athletes. But those days? They’re fading fast. The transfer portal has flipped the script, transforming college football into a chaotic, money-driven battlefield where the best talent is constantly up for grabs. And Nebraska? They’re learning the hard way that if you’re not paying up, you’re losing out.

Urban Meyer teed up the conversation by asking about the balance between high school recruits and transfers. He reminisced about the old days when teams saved a few spots for junior college players and asked Rhule if he had a percentage target for his roster makeup. Rhule didn’t sugarcoat his answer: “Coach, it’s changed so much for me,” Rhule admitted. “This year—the portal this year was unlike anything I’d ever been a part of. I mean, anything I’d ever seen.”

Look, he wasn’t exaggerating. The portal had Rhule glued to his screen, watching endless hours of film, scouting 30 new guys every single day like he was grinding tape for the NFL Draft. “I just sat here and cranked it out like a scout, watching guys off PFF and trying to find guys that fit us,” Matt Rhule spilled.

But the problem? The pipeline has become a revolving door. You land a guy, develop him, and boom—he’s gone the second a better NIL deal comes knocking. It’s college football’s version of “survival of the richest,” and Nebraska is still figuring out how to play the game. Nebraska’s transfer portal results tell a sobering story. The Huskers lost 26 players in the portal but only brought in 16 replacements. While some of those additions were serious gets—like EDGE rusher Williams Nwaneri (Mizzou) and offensive linemen Elijah Pritchett (Alabama) and Rocco Spindler (Notre Dame) and Wideouts Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter—the sheer volume of losses is staggering.

And then there’s the money. The $2 million reality check isn’t just some random number—it’s the adjusted NIL value Nebraska would likely need to retain and attract elite talent. On3 lists the Huskers with a $619K NIL “profit”, but that’s a low-key misleading figure if you think about it. That doesn’t justify losing 26 players in the portal. It suggests they’re being financially efficient, but in reality, it means they might not be doing enough to keep up with the big boys in the transfer portal. In today’s game, a big NIL war chest isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Top Comment by John Wilcox

You didn’t mention that the roster needs to be cut from about 150 to 105.This explains some portal moves

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This isn’t just about losing a few guys—it’s about losing depth, experience, and continuity. In a sport where chemistry is everything, watching nearly 30% of your roster walk out the door isn’t just a problem—it’s a crisis.

Matt Rhule’s recruiting philosophy

Despite the chaos, Rhule has a clear vision. He wants 15 high school recruits per year, aiming for a 65-70% high school-based roster. But he’s not just looking for any recruits—he wants guys with raw athletic traits who can be molded into stars over time. “These guys are like the new walk-ons.. they show up, and if they’re willing to stay for three years, they might develop into a really good player.” Matt Rhule revealed. It’s a noble strategy—develop your own talent instead of getting caught in a yearly bidding war for transfers. But here’s the problem: in today’s NIL-driven world, patience is in short supply. Players aren’t just waiting around to develop; they’re hitting the portal looking for the biggest check and immediate playing time.

End of the day, Rhule’s philosophy might be idealistic, but is it realistic? Because if the Huskers keep getting outbid in the portal. They might be developing players just to watch them thrive somewhere else. Nebraska isn’t exactly throwing pennies around, but compared to powerhouse programs, their NIL spending isn’t making waves. The transfer portal is now essentially a free-agent market. And if you don’t pay up, you’re going to get left behind.

The Huskers may have picked up some solid additions, but depth is an issue, and Rhule is staring down a reality where recruiting isn’t just about coaching—it’s about cash. So where does Nebraska go from here? Rhule’s strategy of developing “trait” players could pay off in the long run, but he’s also realizing that you can’t build a contender on hope alone. If Nebraska doesn’t adjust its NIL approach, it’s going to keep losing key players to bigger spenders.

Matt Rhule came to Nebraska with a plan. But the transfer portal and NIL madness have forced him to rethink everything. The Huskers’ $2M NIL gap isn’t just a number—it’s a wake-up call. Losing 26 players and bringing in only 16? That’s not a winning formula. The question now is, will Nebraska step up and play the NIL game at the level required to compete? Because in this new era of college football, money talks—and if you’re not listening, you’re losing.

Nebraska just got its reality check. The real test? What do they do now?