Report: Nebraska close to inking deal with top LSU assistant

There’s a new coach in town at LSU as Brian Kelly gets ready to take over. But a report suggests he might not have one of the Tigers’ top recruiters with him.

FootballScoop reports LSU wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph is in talks to join Scott Frost’s staff at Nebraska in a similar role. Joseph, a Nebraska alum, is known as a talented recruiter, which is quite a boost for the Cornhuskers.

Sources: Nebraska, Scott Frost finalizing deal to hire Mickey Joseph away from LSU https://t.co/siThlWkRJS via @JohnDBrice1 pic.twitter.com/CRJi4XWzjj

— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) December 2, 2021

Joseph played quarterback at Nebraska from 1988-91, graduating four years before Frost transferred from Stanford. He has been at LSU since 2017 as wide receivers coach and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2020.

It would be part of Frost’s effort to re-vamp his coaching staff next year. Last month, Frost fired four assistant coaches after Nebraska announced he’ll be back on the sidelines next season. Adding Joseph would bring some solid recruiting prowess, especially since Nebraska now has to replace its starting quarterback.

Nebraska went 3-9 this season and lost eight of those games by eight points or less. Only Ohio State won by more than one possession, beating the Cornhuskers by nine points. Frost received quite a vote of confidence from university leadership and is confirmed to be back on the sidelines as head coach next season.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez enters transfer portal

Scott Frost is planning to be back on the sidelines for Nebraska next year. His quarterback might not be there with him, though.

Dual-threat quarterback Adrian Martinez entered the transfer portal Thursday morning, On3’s Matt Zenitz confirmed.

Nebraska had a rough year this year, going 3-9 and losing eight of those nine games by one possession. But Martinez had a statistically good year — both in the air and on the ground.

Martinez ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 260.3 passing yards per game and 17th in the league with 47.73 rushing yards per contest. He missed Nebraska’s last regular season game against Iowa as he dealt with a shoulder injury.

In fact, Martinez’s best game came in his final game this season when he went 23 for 35 for 351 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska fell to Wisconsin 35-28 Nov. 20.

The Cornhuskers’ all-time leader in total offense, Martinez came to Lincoln as a four-star recruit out of California. He received interest from Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma before choosing Nebraska.

This year, Martinez accounted for 63.1% of Nebraska’s total offense. He threw for 2,863 yards in the air and ran for 525 yards on the ground.