Nebraska’s Mac Markway has called time on his football career.
Just four days after getting back on the field for the first time in three seasons as a Husker, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound edge announced Wednesday on social media that he is retiring from football. Markway said his knees are no longer allowing him to play at the level he wants.
“The reality is my knees just aren’t what they used to be and aren’t letting me play at the level I want to," he said in an Instagram post. "I got a huge weight and stress off my shoulders with this decision and l am truly at peace with it."
For a player who has battled through a long string of injuries, simply making it back for Saturday’s game carried real meaning. Markway said that returning to the field after five career-ending injuries helped bring his story full circle.
"From playing at LSU as a freshman to coming to Nebraska and betting on myself, I completed my story by getting back on the field after 5 career-ending injuries," he said.
A four-star tight end in the 2023 recruiting class, Markway drew offers from Texas, Ohio State, Nebraska and others before signing with LSU. He played in 12 games as a freshman in Baton Rouge, making one start and catching three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season, and the Tigers finished 10-3.
That turned out to be his only season at LSU. Markway enrolled at Nebraska in the fall of 2024 without officially entering the transfer portal and joined the Huskers’ roster before the season opener, though he never played that year. A knee injury in practice in September ended his 2024 season, and he returned in 2025 before another season-ending injury during fall camp.
This season, Markway switched to defense and finally got back on the field in Week 1, logging six snaps in Nebraska’s 49-21 win over Ohio.
His retirement comes as a surprise after head coach Matt Rhule spoke Monday about Markway’s role following the Ohio game. "His role will, I think, significantly be amplified each week," Rhule said. "I think you'll see him continue to move forward."
Instead, Markway’s next role will be away from the field. He said he plans to stay around the program and help the team in another way.
"To all my teammates and coaches I love you guys a ton, because of how much you guys helped me through all my hardships," Markway said in his social media post. "I am going to be around the facility helping y'all boys in another aspect of football," he said. "It’s time to conquer the world in a different aspect of not just Mac the football player but as MAC MARKWAY."
In Other News...
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LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]