(OT: Football) The Roster

[Cruel Halo]

It seems like football subjects are the "off topic" items. Anyway, I saw the "What is your level of engagement" post and it sent me down a rabbit hole.

In previous years (during off or pre-season) I would pour through the roster; see who was who and the incoming freshman, transfers, etc. I would usually have a good idea of the dudes on the roster. I realized I hadn't done that in the past few years and honestly, other than Mekhi Nelson (LOL), the QB from Vegas, Bonner, Lindenmeyer, Lenhadt, and the QB LaToof... I couldn't list many others.

So I was blown away by what Nebraska does and doesn't have on its roster.

1. Roster size: 116 which is OK but 105 - 110 would be even better.
2. 25 freshman and redshirt freshman and 43 sophomore and redshirt sophomores.
3. Only 32 guys from the State of Nebraska. I've never seen so few... by a long shot.
4. 26 guys from Florida (10), California (9), and Texas (7). A big number in my opinion.
5. Anthony "WTF" Jones is on his fifth school. He's a fan of the Big 10 (Oregon, Indiana, Michigan St, and UCLA.
6. Dwayne "WTF II" McDougle is on his fourth school. (N. Arizona, Idaho, and San Diego St)
7. Only 4 QBs and 5 RBs... less than usual.
8. Only 21 DBs (S and CB) which is down by about 40. That would be funny if it weren't true.
9. Only 2 punters and 3 kickers... which is good.

 

[TDLaww2020]

The guys with multiple stops are sadly gonna be the norm for a few seasons until the NCAA (hypothetically) unf*cks itself with the transfer portal and NIL

 

[NikkiSixx]

It seems like football subjects are the "off topic" items. Anyway, I saw the "What is your level of engagement" post and it sent me down a rabbit hole.

In previous years (during off or pre-season) I would pour through the roster; see who was who and the incoming freshman, transfers, etc. I would usually have a good idea of the dudes on the roster. I realized I hadn't done that in the past few years and honestly, other than Mekhi Nelson (LOL), the QB from Vegas, Bonner, Lindenmeyer, Lenhadt, and the QB LaToof... I couldn't list many others.

So I was blown away by what Nebraska does and doesn't have on its roster.

1. Roster size: 116 which is OK but 105 - 110 would be even better.
2. 25 freshman and redshirt freshman and 43 sophomore and redshirt sophomores.
3. Only 32 guys from the State of Nebraska. I've never seen so few... by a long shot.
4. 26 guys from Florida (10), California (9), and Texas (7). A big number in my opinion.
5. Anthony "WTF" Jones is on his fifth school. He's a fan of the Big 10 (Oregon, Indiana, Michigan St, and UCLA.
6. Dwayne "WTF II" McDougle is on his fourth school. (N. Arizona, Idaho, and San Diego St)
7. Only 4 QBs and 5 RBs... less than usual.
8. Only 21 DBs (S and CB) which is down by about 40. That would be funny if it weren't true.
9. Only 2 punters and 3 kickers... which is good.

I saw a breakdown the other day that we were the 3rd oldest team in the B1G... It used to be a game of juniors and seniors.

 

[RikeMiley]

It seems like football subjects are the "off topic" items. Anyway, I saw the "What is your level of engagement" post and it sent me down a rabbit hole.

In previous years (during off or pre-season) I would pour through the roster; see who was who and the incoming freshman, transfers, etc. I would usually have a good idea of the dudes on the roster. I realized I hadn't done that in the past few years and honestly, other than Mekhi Nelson (LOL), the QB from Vegas, Bonner, Lindenmeyer, Lenhadt, and the QB LaToof... I couldn't list many others.

So I was blown away by what Nebraska does and doesn't have on its roster.

1. Roster size: 116 which is OK but 105 - 110 would be even better.
2. 25 freshman and redshirt freshman and 43 sophomore and redshirt sophomores.
3. Only 32 guys from the State of Nebraska. I've never seen so few... by a long shot.
4. 26 guys from Florida (10), California (9), and Texas (7). A big number in my opinion.
5. Anthony "WTF" Jones is on his fifth school. He's a fan of the Big 10 (Oregon, Indiana, Michigan St, and UCLA.
6. Dwayne "WTF II" McDougle is on his fourth school. (N. Arizona, Idaho, and San Diego St)
7. Only 4 QBs and 5 RBs... less than usual.
8. Only 21 DBs (S and CB) which is down by about 40. That would be funny if it weren't true.
9. Only 2 punters and 3 kickers... which is good.

The limit is 105 but there are still grandfathered players on the roster, once they are graduated it'll be capped at 105 Max. The grandfathered players don't count towards the cap so that's why Rhule could add Tikey so late.

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

Two takeaways. One is its time for the younger guys to step up and shine. We need some breakout stars to emerge. And second, I'm intrigued by this QB LaTooth you speak of. Sounds like a Key & Peele type of guy!

 

[dinglefritz]

The limit is 105 but there are still grandfathered players on the roster, once they are graduated it'll be capped at 105 Max. The grandfathered players don't count towards the cap so that's why Rhule could add Tikey so late.

And when the grandfathered guys are gone, the number of native Nebraskans will likely drop further.

 

[Rcnut223]

I saw a breakdown the other day that we were the 3rd oldest team in the B1G... It used to be a game of juniors and seniors.

You're right (had to look it up) , Michigan State is the oldest followed by Indiana .

 

[Redscarlet]

The limit is 105 but there are still grandfathered players on the roster, once they are graduated it'll be capped at 105 Max. The grandfathered players don't count towards the cap so that's why Rhule could add Tikey so late.

And all 105 will be put on football scholarship.

 

[dinglefritz]

You're right (had to look it up) , Michigan State is the oldest followed by Indiana .

MSU is my dark horse to outperform in the B1G this year.

 

[BugsAreQualityProtein]

MSU is my dark horse to outperform in the B1G this year.

Yep, and pair them with a coach that has decades of experience in the B1G.

 

[Rcnut223]

Here was the headline in 2025:

Nebraska has the youngest roster in the Big Ten. 73% of the 125 man roster is a Sophmore or younger.​

 

[steinek11]

You're right (had to look it up) , Michigan State is the oldest followed by Indiana .

This matters more than people think. Assuming they can also ball.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

Being old is the smart thing do to.

MSU is going to suck...Once fitz lost his DC...NW was horrible again.

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

And when the grandfathered guys are gone, the number of native Nebraskans will likely drop further.

I'm sure that there's someone who will argue this but historically there's no correlation between fewer Nebraska players and winning. Now if someone wants to raise the argument that we can fill the entire roster with 4 and 5 star talent from Texas and Florida, I've heard that before. It's never happened and it will not start now.

 

[Macho Man]

I'm sure that there's someone who will argue this but historically there's no correlation between fewer Nebraska players and winning. Now if someone wants to raise the argument that we can fill the entire roster with 4 and 5 star talent from Texas and Florida, I've heard that before. It's never happened and it will not start now.

Too many Nebraskans on scholarship has been a HUGE part of our problems the last 20+ years. It’s tough for some people to hear but it’s the truth. A LOT of wasted scholarships over the years.

 

[Cruel Halo]

I checked Indiana's roster and was a little surprised. Here is a side-by-side comparison of Indiana and Nebraska:

	NEBRASKA​	INDIANA​
FRESHMAN	25​	44​
SOPHOMORE	43​	14​
JUNIOR	30​	15​
SENIOR	18​	24​
	116​	97​

It appears, in terms of percentages of Juniors and Seniors to the overall roster, Nebraska is the older team. Here is the math:

Nebraska (41.4%)
30 + 18 = 48 (total juniors and seniors)
48 ÷ 116 (size of roster) = 41.4%

Indiana
24 + 15 = 39 (total juniors and seniors)
39 ÷ 97 (size of roster) = 40.2%

Or is there another method of quantifying the age of a football team?

 

[OxfordComma]

I checked Indiana's roster and was a little surprised. Here is a side-by-side comparison of Indiana and Nebraska:

	NEBRASKA​	INDIANA​
FRESHMAN	25​	44​
SOPHOMORE	43​	14​
JUNIOR	30​	15​
SENIOR	18​	24​
	116​	97​

It appears, in terms of percentages of Juniors and Seniors to the overall roster, Nebraska is the older team. Here is the math:

Nebraska (41.4%)
30 + 18 = 48 (total juniors and seniors)
48 ÷ 116 (size of roster) = 41.4%

Indiana
24 + 15 = 39 (total juniors and seniors)
39 ÷ 97 (size of roster) = 40.2%

Or is there another method of quantifying the age of a football team?

I prefer average age of projected 2-deep. Guys that aren’t playing aren’t impacting games, and they may transfer before they do.

 

[goldencohusker]

Too many Nebraskans on scholarship has been a HUGE part of our problems the last 20+ years. It’s tough for some people to hear but it’s the truth. A LOT of wasted scholarships over the years.

Not recruiting or landing the right NE kids also has played a roll. I believe the last Husker from a NE HS to get selected in the NFL draft was Andy Janovich back in 2016. He was recruited by Bo - that means the last 3 coaches have failed to recruit and/or develop a NFL draft worthy NE kid. There certainly have been NE kids drafted over that period (Noah Fant, Xavier Watts, Harrison Phillips) but they didn't go to NU. Back in the Osborne era, highly touted recruits from NE that left the state were like unicorns (Larry Station, Scott Frost), they happened so rarely. Over the last decade, its basically been the norm.

 

[Anon1752115983]

And all 105 will be put on football scholarship.

All 105 CAN be on scholarship. It doesn't mean they will be. Each program has the discretion. I'd like to see them hold back 5-10 for in-state walkons, but I'm not counting on it

And all 105 will be put on football scholarshi

 

[Anon1752115983]

The guys with multiple stops are sadly gonna be the norm for a few seasons until the NCAA (hypothetically) unf*cks itself with the transfer portal and NIL

The guys with multiple stops are sadly gonna be the norm for a few seasons until the NCAA (hypothetically) unf*cks itself with the transfer portal and NIL

It won't be up to the NCAA. College sports are now run by the federal courts. Congress is trying to get into the act

 

[HuskerO58]

Not recruiting or landing the right NE kids also has played a roll. I believe the last Husker from a NE HS to get selected in the NFL draft was Andy Janovich back in 2016. He was recruited by Bo - that means the last 3 coaches have failed to recruit and/or develop a NFL draft worthy NE kid. There certainly have been NE kids drafted over that period (Noah Fant, Xavier Watts, Harrison Phillips) but they didn't go to NU. Back in the Osborne era, highly touted recruits from NE that left the state were like unicorns (Larry Station, Scott Frost), they happened so rarely. Over the last decade, its basically been the norm.

Cam Jurgens

 

[dinglefritz]

I checked Indiana's roster and was a little surprised. Here is a side-by-side comparison of Indiana and Nebraska:

	NEBRASKA​	INDIANA​
FRESHMAN	25​	44​
SOPHOMORE	43​	14​
JUNIOR	30​	15​
SENIOR	18​	24​
	116​	97​

It appears, in terms of percentages of Juniors and Seniors to the overall roster, Nebraska is the older team. Here is the math:

Nebraska (41.4%)
30 + 18 = 48 (total juniors and seniors)
48 ÷ 116 (size of roster) = 41.4%

Indiana
24 + 15 = 39 (total juniors and seniors)
39 ÷ 97 (size of roster) = 40.2%

Or is there another method of quantifying the age of a football team?

48 older players is plenty if they’re the right guys. Sprinkle in very talented youngsters and you’re golden. While youth was used as an excuse, I’m not sure that was as big of a problem as we made it out to be. Yeah, Raiola was actually still a young QB. Maybe that was a factor. I think our older OTs not being talented enough was a big problem. Defensive coaching was a problem. I would lay our struggles at those 3 factors before I started counting how many seniors we had on the roster.

 

[Redscarlet]

I checked Indiana's roster and was a little surprised. Here is a side-by-side comparison of Indiana and Nebraska:

	NEBRASKA​	INDIANA​
FRESHMAN	25​	44​
SOPHOMORE	43​	14​
JUNIOR	30​	15​
SENIOR	18​	24​
	116​	97​

It appears, in terms of percentages of Juniors and Seniors to the overall roster, Nebraska is the older team. Here is the math:

Nebraska (41.4%)
30 + 18 = 48 (total juniors and seniors)
48 ÷ 116 (size of roster) = 41.4%

Indiana
24 + 15 = 39 (total juniors and seniors)
39 ÷ 97 (size of roster) = 40.2%

Or is there another method of quantifying the age of a football team?

Need to take under consideration that Indiana had the oldest roster in college football last year and even older than a few NFL roosters.

 

[RikeMiley]

Need to take under consideration that Indiana had the oldest roster in college football last year and even older than a few NFL roosters.

 

[Redscarlet]

I know what I head during the National Championship Game.

 

[RikeMiley]

I know what I head during the National Championship Game.

Indiana football roster age: How Hoosiers' team of 'adults' compares to NFL's Packers | Sporting News

Indiana is loaded with experience in the College Football Playoff, but don't believe everything you hear.

www.sportingnews.com

"Indiana football age vs. Packers
An evaluation by PhillyVoice at the start of the 2025 NFL season found that the Green Bay Packers were the NFL's youngest team with an average age of 25.2 on their 53-man roster.

Unlike at the collegiate level, an NFL team's roster age can be definitively determined. All players tend to have their birthdays publicly listed by the team, whereas college football programs generally do not make birthdays available for each player.

If Indiana had an average roster age of 23, that would make the Hoosiers only two years younger than the Packers, who reached the playoffs this season. More likely, Indiana's average age among starters is closer to 22, which still leaves a comfortable gap with the Packers even if Cignetti's team does rely heavily on experience."

 

[dm1330]

It seems like football subjects are the "off topic" items. Anyway, I saw the "What is your level of engagement" post and it sent me down a rabbit hole.

In previous years (during off or pre-season) I would pour through the roster; see who was who and the incoming freshman, transfers, etc. I would usually have a good idea of the dudes on the roster. I realized I hadn't done that in the past few years and honestly, other than Mekhi Nelson (LOL), the QB from Vegas, Bonner, Lindenmeyer, Lenhadt, and the QB LaToof... I couldn't list many others.

So I was blown away by what Nebraska does and doesn't have on its roster.

1. Roster size: 116 which is OK but 105 - 110 would be even better.
2. 25 freshman and redshirt freshman and 43 sophomore and redshirt sophomores.
3. Only 32 guys from the State of Nebraska. I've never seen so few... by a long shot.
4. 26 guys from Florida (10), California (9), and Texas (7). A big number in my opinion.
5. Anthony "WTF" Jones is on his fifth school. He's a fan of the Big 10 (Oregon, Indiana, Michigan St, and UCLA.
6. Dwayne "WTF II" McDougle is on his fourth school. (N. Arizona, Idaho, and San Diego St)
7. Only 4 QBs and 5 RBs... less than usual.
8. Only 21 DBs (S and CB) which is down by about 40. That would be funny if it weren't true.
9. Only 2 punters and 3 kickers... which is good.

It's to the point of lack of caring as the rosters turn over by huge numbers every year. They come in for a year and are gone the next. Makes no sense to even publish a media guide anymore. Guess they are still on line but who cares. OK, TX, Tx A&M and LSU are throwing huge sums of money to athletes. I guess we could also add Texas Tech to that list. What do each of these schools have in common? Huge amounts of oil money! No they cannot take them all but they will get the vast majority of key athletes. Not a great time to be a college football fan, at least in my view.

 

[dinglefritz]

It's to the point of lack of caring as the rosters turn over by huge numbers every year. They come in for a year and are gone the next. Makes no sense to even publish a media guide anymore. Guess they are still on line but who cares. OK, TX, Tx A&M and LSU are throwing huge sums of money to athletes. I guess we could also add Texas Tech to that list. What do each of these schools have in common? Huge amounts of oil money! No they cannot take them all but they will get the vast majority of key athletes. Not a great time to be a college football fan, at least in my view.

The transfer thing is kind of a turn off but it hasn’t ruined it for me. Very happy that we could sign Coleandra and some experienced O linemen. It’s changed but it isn’t ruined.

 

[Cruel Halo]

The transfer thing is kind of a turn off but it hasn’t ruined it for me. Very happy that we could sign Coleandra and some experienced O linemen. It’s changed but it isn’t ruined.

It's worse than the NFL.

 

[dinglefritz]

It's worse than the NFL.

Meh. We had some transfers when Tom coached. Rozier etal. Obviously not as many.

Speaking of transfers I see Travis Vokolek retired from the NFL due to a neck injury.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

Indiana football roster age: How Hoosiers' team of 'adults' compares to NFL's Packers | Sporting News

Indiana is loaded with experience in the College Football Playoff, but don't believe everything you hear.

www.sportingnews.com

"Indiana football age vs. Packers
An evaluation by PhillyVoice at the start of the 2025 NFL season found that the Green Bay Packers were the NFL's youngest team with an average age of 25.2 on their 53-man roster.

Unlike at the collegiate level, an NFL team's roster age can be definitively determined. All players tend to have their birthdays publicly listed by the team, whereas college football programs generally do not make birthdays available for each player.

If Indiana had an average roster age of 23, that would make the Hoosiers only two years younger than the Packers, who reached the playoffs this season. More likely, Indiana's average age among starters is closer to 22, which still leaves a comfortable gap with the Packers even if Cignetti's team does rely heavily on experience."

Disproving Indiana wasn't as old as the Packers doesn't necessarily make his original claim false though. Indiana did have an older team last year, with those players departing, it could attribute to them not being as old this season.

Without doing a player to player comparison on age, they lost almost the same number of players to the portal as they gained and have a slightly larger class of incoming recruits than departing seniors.

 

[RikeMiley]

Disproving Indiana wasn't as old as the Packers doesn't necessarily make his original claim false though. Indiana did have an older team last year, with those players departing, it could attribute to them not being as old this season.

Without doing a player to player comparison on age, they lost almost the same number of players to the portal as they gained and have a slightly larger class of incoming recruits than departing seniors.

"Miami starters were older than Indiana starters in the 2026 CFP National Championship, contradicting the narrative that Indiana was the uniquely veteran team. Based on estimates using years since high school graduation, Miami’s starters had an average age of 22.18 years, while Indiana’s starters averaged 21.95 years. This indicates Miami’s starting lineup was older by approximately three months"

Indiana wasn't even the oldest playoff team let alone older than NFL rosters, yes they were a veteran team but it's not like these are all middle-aged men.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

"Miami starters were older than Indiana starters in the 2026 CFP National Championship, contradicting the narrative that Indiana was the uniquely veteran team. Based on estimates using years since high school graduation, Miami’s starters had an average age of 22.18 years, while Indiana’s starters averaged 21.95 years. This indicates Miami’s starting lineup was older by approximately three months"

Indiana wasn't even the oldest playoff team let alone older than NFL rosters, yes they were a veteran team but it's not like these are all middle-aged men.

No one is arguing Miami, nor that Indiana was the only veteran team and certainly not that they were middle aged men. Indiana had 15 or 16 starters that were in their 4th year or more. That is a very veteran team I am not sure that arguing Miami is proving anything, other than 2 of the most experienced and older teams in college football played for the title. To pretend as if that fact is somehow dispelled is silly.

 

[RikeMiley]

No one is arguing Miami, nor that Indiana was the only veteran team and certainly not that they were middle aged men. Indiana had 15 or 16 starters that were in their 4th year or more. That is a very veteran team I am not sure that arguing Miami is proving anything, other than 2 of the most experienced and older teams in college football played for the title. To pretend as if that fact is somehow dispelled is silly.

Need to take under consideration that Indiana had the oldest roster in college football last year and even older than a few NFL roosters.

I was pointing out that neither of those statements were correct.

 

[orclover11]

It's to the point of lack of caring as the rosters turn over by huge numbers every year. They come in for a year and are gone the next. Makes no sense to even publish a media guide anymore. Guess they are still on line but who cares. OK, TX, Tx A&M and LSU are throwing huge sums of money to athletes. I guess we could also add Texas Tech to that list. What do each of these schools have in common? Huge amounts of oil money! No they cannot take them all but they will get the vast majority of key athletes. Not a great time to be a college football fan, at least in my view.

I don't know where Indiana fits into your theory, maybe they were just a symptom of a sport with a weakened talent pool where nobody is developing, plug in an above average transfer qb with an oline of 25 year olds and win the national title because talent is so diffused. Big 10 is also dominating the sport because the donor base is huge and wealthy. Nebraska isn't really a conventional big 10 school. A much smaller student population and does not produce as many professionals.

 

[Anon1779050105]

in the fifties and sixties nebraska produced very good nfl talent : 49ers joe arenas -omaha , dallas cowboys jay novacek -gothenberg , and kansas runningback gale sayers from omaha none of then went to nu but are regared hall of famers