This past weekend, Ochaun Mathis, the top-rated best available player in the transfer portal, announced he’s transferring to Nebraska over Texas. Mathis was a two-time All-Big 12 defensive end at TCU with 135 total tackles and 15.5 sacks.
Nebraska media have been hinting that this would go well for the Huskers for the past week. Now that it’s official, Nebraska fans have one more reason to drink the Kool-Aid.
Games still need to be played on the field, but Mathis’s commitment is a big deal for two reasons.
It Means Nebraska’s Defense Just Got a Major Upgrade
First, Mathis to Nebraska is a big deal for Nebraska because their defense improved when he picked up that Husker hat off the table during his announcement. Just watch Mathis do his thing.
#Huskers Ochaun Mathis, Welcome to Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/iDenz8ZH5a
— @DaltonEastNE (@DaltonEastNE) April 30, 2022
Nebraska hasn’t had a difference-maker like this since Randy Gregory in 2014.
Mathis is Gregory-level good.
Last year, Nebraska’s defense ranked in the top-50 in yards allowed per game and 15th in defensive FEI (an advanced metric that measures the per-possession scoring advantage each defense would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent–Georgia was number one, by the way).
As good as Nebraska’s defense was last year, I said more than once that they were a dominant edge rusher way from being an elite defense.
Enter Mathis.
Nebraska lost vital pieces in the secondary and on the defensive line. But with Mathis’s motor, athleticism, and knack for getting the quarterback and being around the ball, he will help make up for those deficiencies.
It Means Nebraska Showed the Country It Will Use NIL to Play with the Big Boys
Second, Ochaun Mathis transferring to Nebraska is a big deal for college football. It proved Nebraska showed up to play the long game against the big boys off the field.
And they won.
Think about it. Mathis is from Austin. He grew up watching Texas football. His former coach, Gary Patterson, is now at Texas, serving as special assistant to Steve Sarkisian. In addition, Nebraska went 3-9 last year and is in the midst of four straight losing seasons.
Pretty impressive if you ask me.
How did Nebraska pull this off?
Three letters you know so well.
NIL.
One of the best Husker Twitter accounts to follow is Jim in Minnesota (@HuskersMN). Jim wrote a masterful thread about NIL this weekend that’s more than I can cover here. He and I share similar beliefs about how NIL can help Nebraska football (and all their sports) compete at the highest level again. Read Jim’s thread. It’s worth your time.
He showed that Nebraska would play the new game and play it better than almost anyone in the country. They will embrace the new normal, as Athletic Director Trev Alberts has said often. Nebraska partners with outside NIL organizations to enhance the player experience far beyond what other schools, like other Big Ten West schools, are willing to do. It’s paving the way in our new era of college football.
Nebraska led the way when the arms race in college football was strength training and nutrition. When it was practice facilities and gameday experience, Nebraska led the way. For the past decade or so, Nebraska has floundered. Everyone’s caught up.
But now, Nebraska has the chance to reinvent itself.
Team culture, a player’s fit, relationships with coaches, academics, and others are still significant aspects of recruiting. Don’t get me wrong, especially for a player’s family, like Mathis’s mother.
But NIL has begun and will continue to be that one golden nugget that raises a recruit’s eyebrows when they hear “Nebraska.” Two years ago? Not a chance.
Transfers like Casey Thompson, Trey Palmer, and now Mathis are just the tip of the iceberg.
Nebraska desperately wants to win. And they may have just found off the field what they need to get over the hump on the field.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more Husker musings.
