Three Huskers — including Ernest Hausmann — enter the transfer portal

Huskers moving on from the program are inside linebacker Ernest Hausmann, receiver Decoldest Crawford and offensive lineman Brant Banks.

So begins what will be a frenetic stretch for new Nebraska coach Matt Rhule — officially hired Saturday — and his still-assembling staff as they navigate the comings and goings of players from a national portal pool already into the hundreds.

The biggest blow is Hausmann, the freshman from Columbus who became a starter down the stretch and finished with 54 tackles (sixth most on the team). His closing ability on quarterbacks and hard hits on rushers set him apart on a unit with other bright-future defenders like Malcolm Hartzog.

Hausmann thanked Nebraska coaches, trainers and teammates in a social-media post for helping him develop this season as well as fans for their support. He called the move “a very difficult decision.”

A knee injury in August shelved Crawford for the entire season after he arrived as a three-star prospect out of Louisiana. Known most for his unique name and a high-profile name-image-likeness deal with an Omaha-based HVAC company, he flipped from LSU late last offseason when he followed Mickey Joseph from Baton Rouge to Lincoln. He leaves having not seen a snap at NU.

Banks just completed his fourth season at Nebraska, playing in every game on special teams and occasionally as an O-line reserve in what was technically his redshirt sophomore year. The Houston native converted from defensive line in 2019 and appeared in 26 total games. Perhaps his most memorable moment came when he joined the men’s basketball team prior to the 2020 Big Ten tournament and played three minutes as a reserve.

Players who enter the portal can still emerge from it with their same school or find a new home. Nebraska in the last cycle saw 15 players transfer after the 2021 season ended and will surely see more depart in the coming days amid a regime change.

Rhule said on a national podcast this week to expect personnel churn.

“They’re coming off 3-9 and 4-8 so the only way to fix that is to make sure the players you have you’re coaching up and developing and getting big and strong,” Rhule said. “But you have to go recruit and you have to get guys in the transfer portal. You have to upgrade the roster.”