Nebraska’s defense came out of last season split right down the middle. The secondary was elite, but the run defense was a mess, and that imbalance made the Huskers easy to attack on the ground. Teams leaned into that weakness, and Nebraska took the kind of pounding from Penn State and Iowa that exposed the problem in plain sight.
Now the Huskers are trying to fix the formula without losing what already worked. With new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich bringing over several familiar faces from San Diego State, Nebraska added three transfers who could end up shaping the whole unit: linebacker Owen Chambliss, defensive lineman Jahsear Whittington, and safety Dwayne McDougle.
Chambliss looks like the biggest immediate difference-maker. Last season with the Aztecs, he piled up 109 total tackles and 68 solo tackles, and that solo-tackle total ranked third in the country.
He also added four sacks, five passes defended, and one interception. Nebraska’s linebackers and defensive backs had trouble finishing plays last season, and Chambliss gives them a much-needed answer.
He can tackle, rush the passer, and hold up in coverage, which is exactly the kind of all-around production the Huskers were missing. Nebraska’s sack leader was Williams Nwaneri with 2.5, so Chambliss already brings more disruption than anyone else on the roster did a year ago.
Whittington is a different kind of addition, but just as important. Nebraska’s problems up front came from a defensive line that was small and underexperienced, and Whittington fits that description too.
Even so, he brings the kind of burst Nebraska can use in specific packages. The Huskers have decent depth there, which could let them deploy him as a situational pass rusher.
Whittington was also productive in ways that matter beyond sacks, getting tackles for loss and creating disruption. Nebraska needs more help for Nwaneri, who carried the load with almost no support from a weak line last season, and Whittington is the kind of player who can help tilt that balance.
McDougle gives Nebraska another piece in the back end, and his arrival matters because the Huskers want that secondary to stay a strength. He followed Aurich from San Diego State after transferring from Idaho, and he also played with Nebraska cornerback Andrew Marshall at Idaho.
Marshall, who will return as Nebraska’s No. 1 CB, had an impact on the Huskers’ strong secondary.
McDougle’s numbers at SDSU were strong: four interceptions, three passes defended, one forced fumble, and 51 tackles. He enters fall camp as Nebraska’s clear No. 1 safety, stepping into a major role after DeShon Singleton, while also helping fill the void left by Ceyair Wright, who was an extremely good corner at Nebraska in 2025.
That’s the bigger picture for Nebraska. The Huskers don’t need a defense that only shines in the secondary.
They need one that can hold up everywhere. A dominant back end paired with a leaky run defense won’t get the job done, especially if Nebraska wants to be ranked, beat a ranked team, and put together a successful season.
The offense still has plenty to determine, but the path for the Blackshirts starts with fixing the trenches and letting the transfers change the shape of the defense.
In Other News...
Nebraska Just Landed A Transfer That Could Change Everything
Nebraskas offseason has been busy enough that even the ripple effects from former players are worth tracking, and Elijah Jeudy is the latest example. The former Cornhuskers defensive lineman has taken a new step in his career by landing a job as the defensive line coach at Highland Community College, a move that keeps him in the game after his time in Lincoln and adds another Nebraska name to the wider college football coaching tree.
For the Huskers, the bigger picture is still taking shape on multiple fronts. There has been talk around Anthony Colandrea as a possible quarterback option, with turnover concerns part of the conversation as Dana Holgorsen works to install UNLV concepts, and Nebraskas roster has also been getting stronger with the kind of talent that can change expectations. The transfer market is still moving, and the next addition could matter just as much as the ones already in place. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Just Landed A Massive Transfer With One Big Catch
Nebraskas wrestling room just got a major boost with the addition of Meyer Shapiro, a three-time All-American and two-time age-level world champion who is transferring in from Cornell. With two years of eligibility still on the table, Shapiro gives the Cornhuskers another high-end piece as the program continues to stockpile talent through the portal, joining a class that already includes NCAA champion Vincent Robinson, two-time All-American Anthony Echemendia and Lucas Cochran.
The catch, at least for now, is that Shapiro will not be part of Nebraskas lineup right away. The 157-pounder is taking the upcoming season off while he trains and recovers, which means the Huskers are adding one of the sports most accomplished young wrestlers without immediate production to show for it. Even so, the move signals how aggressively Nebraska is trying to build not just for next winter, but for the seasons beyond it. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska May Have Found Its Only Real Path To Upset Oregon
The challenge for Nebraska got a little steeper with Dante Moore set to start for Oregon, because the highly regarded quarterback brings the kind of arm talent and poise that usually makes life difficult for any defense. Scouts see the athleticism and the upside that have him projected as a future NFL draft pick, which is exactly why the Cornhuskers know they will need more than a clean, conventional game plan to have a chance.
The best template may already be on film from Indianas regular-season win over Oregon last year, when the Hoosiers found a way to make Moore uncomfortable and turn that game into the Ducks lone loss. Nebraska will spend plenty of time studying how that defense disrupted him, because the path to an upset likely runs through pressure, discipline and forcing Oregons quarterback to work faster than he wants. [Read more 🡒]