On3 Roundtable: Identifying which Nebraska newcomers expected to make an impact

Nebraska underwent plenty of changes as Matt Rhule took over the program, adding 14 players from the transfer portal and 28 incoming freshman from the high school recruiting trail. Quarterback transfer Jeff Sims and four-star wide receiver Malachi Coleman are some of the biggest names coming in.

But with so many additions, some could fly under the radar a bit. Husker Online publisher Sean Callahan listed a few potential sleepers on On3 Roundtable.

Callahan pointed to a big addition to the offensive line in former Arizona State lineman Ben Scott as a possible instant-impact transfer on offense, but the more notable additions came on defense. Two freshmen — Cameron Lenhardt and Princewill Umanmielen — stand out, as does former Georgia linebacker MJ Sherman.

“Well, their best offensive lineman might be a transfer, too, Ben Scott,” Callahan told J.D. PicKell. “He came from Arizona State. I mean, that’s somebody — I think there’s a couple of freshmen that could play a lot on defense. Cameron Lenhardt on the d-line and then Princewill Umanmielen, defensive lineman. They’ve got two really, really good freshman players there that could play a little bit this year that probably aren’t a lot of radars. And MJ Sherman, the Georgia transfer, he might be one of the leaders of this team and maybe their best or one of their best players on defense this year.”

Umanmielen and Lenhardt were both four-star recruits on the recruiting trail. They came in as the Nos. 227 and 359 overall players, respectively in the nation from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Sherman was also a highly rated recruit in 2020 and was the No. 36-ranked linebacker transfer this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. At Georgia, he had 14 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and 0.5 sack during his three years with the Bulldogs. Scott, meanwhile, came in as the No. 51-ranked interior offensive lineman transfer, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

It was part of Rhule’s first offseason with the program as he helped Nebraska land the No. 29-ranked class in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The Cornhuskers also hauled in the No. 44-ranked crew of transfers, per the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

Rhule is trying to engineer a turnaround at Nebraska after last season’s 4-8 record. The Cornhuskers open the 2023 season Aug. 31 with a Thursday night showdown against Minnesota.