Nebraska got encouraging news on two of its key perimeter scorers this week, with Fred Hoiberg saying Connor Essegian is back to full speed and Pryce Sandfort is close behind as summer workouts continue.
Hoiberg met with reporters on Monday and used the session to give a broad update on where the Huskers stand in the offseason after the best season in program history. The biggest takeaway was health. Both Essegian and Sandfort are working their way back from injuries, and Hoiberg sounded upbeat about where each player is headed as Nebraska gets closer to the 2026 season.
Essegian’s return is the more immediate one. Nebraska was without the guard for most of the 2025-26 season after he suffered a knee injury in late November against Winthrop, a setback that ended his year almost as soon as it began. At the time, Hoiberg made it clear the team wasn’t going to push him back too soon.
"I feel awful for Connor because of all the work he puts in and things he provides our team both on and off the court," Hoiberg said at the time. "With an injury like this, we don't want to rush Connor back without him being 100 percent, so we have made the decision to shut him down for the rest of the season, and he will apply for a medical hardship."
Now, though, Hoiberg’s tone has changed in a big way. “Connor is full go - it’s great to have him back out there.”
That’s a major development for Nebraska, especially with the five-for-five eligibility rule in play. Essegian is in his fifth year of college basketball, so the hardship waiver no longer changes the fact that this would be his final season anyway.
Sandfort’s recovery is a little more measured, but the news was still positive. He had offseason surgery after Nebraska’s season ended in the Sweet Sixteen, and Hoiberg said the staff plans to keep him out of live action this week. The expectation is that he’ll ramp back up next week if all goes well.
“We’re going to hold him out of live play this week,” Hoiberg said. “And next week, if he feels good, which we anticipate he will, we’ll get him back out there with no restriction.”
Sandfort doesn’t sound like a player Nebraska expects to have any long-term concern about. Hoiberg indicated he should be fully ready once fall practices begin, and definitely by the time the season starts.
The health updates matter because both players are positioned to play important roles. Essegian struggled early before the knee injury, shooting just 31% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in seven games. But Nebraska knows what he can bring when he’s right: in his first season with the Huskers, he averaged 10.7 points per game and hit nearly 40% of his threes.
Sandfort arrived from Iowa and delivered a breakout year, averaging 18.1 points per game while shooting 41% from beyond the arc. There was real uncertainty about whether he’d test the NBA Draft, but he chose to return for at least one more season in Lincoln.
In Other News...
Wisconsin May Be Walking Straight Into Nebraskas Worst Nightmare
Wisconsins search for its next athletic director has apparently led it back to a name Nebraska fans know all too well. Shawn Eichorst, now deputy athletic director and COO at Texas, is being targeted for the job, a development that immediately brings up his run in Lincoln and the choices that set the Cornhuskers on a far rougher path than anyone there expected.
Eichorsts Nebraska tenure is remembered for the decision to move on from Bo Pelini and hand the program to Mike Riley, followed by a string of staff moves and football decisions that drew heavy criticism. For Wisconsin, the appeal may be obvious on paper, but for Nebraska followers the idea of another Big Ten rival placing its future in Eichorsts hands is the kind of reminder that old wounds in college football rarely stay closed for long. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Raiola Is Reopening An Old Nebraska Wound At Oregon
CBS Sports put Oregons quarterback room at No. 1 in the country, and part of the reason was familiar to Nebraska fans: Dylan Raiola is now in Eugene, where his presence gives the Ducks a level of depth most programs would love to have. The former Cornhuskers move has already become part of the national conversation around Oregons offense, with his experience and upside helping sell the idea that this is more than a one-man operation.
For Nebraska, the sting is less about the ranking itself than what it says about the talent now sitting elsewhere. The Huskers were not included among CBS Sports top 10 quarterback rooms, while Raiolas transfer only sharpens the contrast between the two programs entering the season. Oregon looks loaded at the position, and Nebraska has to watch from a distance as one of its old wounds gets reopened in a very visible way. [Read more 🡒]