Fred Hoiberg didn’t need long to spot the rough edges in Nebraska’s first summer run. After the Huskers got their first taste of live action, the coach said the ball was flying around - and not always to the right jersey.
His line on the turnover count was blunt: it felt like the team gave it away “a million times." But in Hoiberg’s mind, that’s the kind of mess you clean up in June, not the kind you panic over.
There was better news on the health front. Hoiberg said two injured Huskers are trending toward being "full go" by the time fall practice opens.
Connor Essegian is already there after dealing with a knee injury early in the 2025-26 season. Pryce Sandfort, who had sports hernia surgery right after the basketball season ended, isn’t quite at that point yet, though Hoiberg said he expects it to be only a matter of a couple of weeks.
That matters because Nebraska’s core suddenly looks a lot sturdier. Sandfort’s return, paired with Essegian and Braden Frager, gives the Huskers a foundation to build around. Hoiberg said the group has already shown signs of carrying the same kind of mindset the team had last year, even as the roster fills out with new faces.
“We’re still, I think, feeling each other out as far as who’s going to be the leader, who’s going to be the guy that brings the group together in adversity, in adverse times."
One player who has clearly made an early impression is Boden Kapke. Hoiberg pointed to the Boston College transfer as someone who’s already speaking up and setting a tone.
“One thing I know: Boden Kapke is a very vocal, loud, lead-by-example guy,” Hoiberg added.
At 7-foot and 255 pounds, Kapke is projected to start at the five, and Hoiberg said the big man’s energy has stood out immediately. The comparison he reached for was Josiah Allick, another Husker who made his mark with nonstop effort.
“I just love that kid,” Hoiberg said of Kapke. “His motor, think Josiah Allick from a motor standpoint.
He just gets after it. He’s on the floor, a tenacious rebounder.
So really like what I see.”
If Kapke keeps playing with that kind of edge, Nebraska may have found the kind of spark that can give this team a different look by the time the 2026-27 campaign arrives.
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 🡒]
Fred Hoiberg Just Delivered Nebraska A Huge Summer Boost
Summer workouts have given Nebraska a much-needed encouraging update on two rotation pieces, with Fred Hoiberg offering a clearer picture of where Connor Essegian and Pryce Sandfort stand as the Huskers build toward the new season. For a program trying to turn offseason progress into real momentum, getting important contributors back on the floor matters almost as much as anything else in July.
Sandfort is still being managed carefully after offseason surgery, but the expectation is that he will be fully ready by the start of the season, while Essegian is already back in full participation. With both players tracking toward meaningful roles again, Nebraska can spend the rest of the summer focusing less on rehab and more on how the pieces fit when the games finally count. [Read more 🡒]