2026 roster · Roster geography
The Nebraska roster story
In 2016, 54 of 131 roster spots were filled by Nebraska players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 31 of 116 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 3 to 23.
In 2016 the median player grew up 330 mi from campus. Now it is 600 mi.
Of the 23 players who came from another college, 1 is from Nebraska. Those home-state players make up 4% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.
The record reaches back to 1959, when 51% of the roster came from Nebraska. Today it is 28%.
Then → now
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- Local-developed core
- Transfer stock
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-developed core | 37.0% | 37.1% | |
| Transfer stock | 2.7% | 11.1% |
The roster, at a glance
- 655 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 110 located players.
- 27.8%In-state27.8% of the roster is from Nebraska.
- 25.5%Backyard25.5% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 19.8%Detected transfers19.8% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.
Across the FBS
Where Nebraska ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do Nebraska's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Transfer signal | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 116 | 27.8% | 19.8% | 600 mi |
| 2025 | 125 | 29.8% | 12.0% | 446 mi |
| 2024 | 151 | 35.3% | 9.3% | 476 mi |
| 2023 | 136 | 39.3% | 14.7% | 368 mi |
| 2022 | 151 | 42.0% | 11.3% | 259 mi |
| 2021 | 170 | 43.5% | 8.2% | 264 mi |
| 2020 | 161 | 42.8% | 6.2% | 255 mi |
| 2019 | 158 | 44.9% | 5.1% | 212 mi |
| 2018 | 119 | 37.0% | 3.4% | 377 mi |
| 2017 | 125 | 33.6% | 2.4% | 439 mi |
| 2016 | 131 | 41.5% | 2.3% | 330 mi |
| 2015 | 130 | 42.3% | 0.0% | 330 mi |
| 2014 | 141 | 43.6% | 0.0% | 384 mi |
| 2013 | 137 | 39.7% | 0.0% | 442 mi |
| 2012 | 142 | 46.1% | 0.0% | 331 mi |
| 2011 | 144 | 48.3% | 0.0% | 263 mi |
| 2010 | 152 | 49.3% | 0.0% | 246 mi |
| 2009 | 139 | 49.6% | 0.0% | 213 mi |
| 2008‡ | 31 | 27.8% | 0.0% | — |
| 2007‡ | 38 | 27.3% | 0.0% | — |
| 2006‡ | 34 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2005‡ | 34 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2004‡ | 32 | — | 0.0% | — |
| 2003archive | 163 | 58.8% | 0.0% proxy | 120 mi |
| 2002archive | 152 | 57.4% | 0.0% proxy | 113 mi |
| 2001archive | 148 | 53.8% | 0.0% proxy | 115 mi |
| 2000archive | 164 | 55.3% | 0.0% proxy | 129 mi |
| 1999archive | 193 | 54.7% | 0.0% proxy | 132 mi |
| 1998archive | 189 | 58.8% | 0.0% proxy | 113 mi |
| 1997archive | 188 | 58.8% | 0.0% proxy | 99 mi |
| 1996archive | 186 | 61.8% | 0.0% proxy | 102 mi |
| 1995archive | 179 | 59.2% | 0.0% proxy | 104 mi |
| 1994archive | 162 | 55.3% | 0.0% proxy | 151 mi |
| 1993archive | 131 | 51.5% | 0.0% proxy | 172 mi |
| 1992archive | 151 | 46.6% | 0.0% proxy | 191 mi |
| 1991archive | 139 | 44.5% | 0.0% proxy | 215 mi |
| 1990archive | 105 | 42.7% | 0.0% proxy | 173 mi |
| 1989archive | 130 | 48.8% | 0.0% proxy | 164 mi |
| 1988archive | 102 | 52.5% | 0.0% proxy | 146 mi |
| 1987archive | 103 | 50.5% | 0.0% proxy | 189 mi |
| 1986archive | 98 | 57.1% | 0.0% proxy | 132 mi |
| 1985archive | 108 | 63.0% | 0.0% proxy | 94 mi |
| 1984archive | 154 | 66.2% | 0.0% proxy | 91 mi |
| 1983archive | 116 | 68.1% | 0.0% proxy | 87 mi |
| 1982archive | 88 | 60.2% | 0.0% proxy | 128 mi |
| 1981archive | 138 | 60.1% | 0.0% proxy | 116 mi |
| 1980archive | 148 | 63.5% | 0.0% proxy | 91 mi |
| 1979archive | 125 | 60.5% | 0.0% proxy | 121 mi |
| 1978archive | 97 | 51.5% | 0.0% proxy | 172 mi |
| 1977archive | 95 | 51.6% | 0.0% proxy | 159 mi |
| 1976archive | 117 | 48.7% | 0.0% proxy | 164 mi |
| 1975archive | 113 | 46.9% | 0.0% proxy | 164 mi |
| 1974archive | 118 | 46.6% | 0.0% proxy | 174 mi |
| 1973archive | 99 | 48.5% | 0.0% proxy | 216 mi |
| 1972archive | 97 | 40.2% | 0.0% proxy | 327 mi |
| 1971archive | 89 | 38.2% | 0.0% proxy | 327 mi |
| 1970archive | 85 | 36.5% | 0.0% proxy | 368 mi |
| 1969archive | 104 | 37.5% | 0.0% proxy | 324 mi |
| 1968archive | 97 | 47.4% | 0.0% proxy | 219 mi |
| 1967archive | 86 | 47.7% | 0.0% proxy | 210 mi |
| 1966archive | 98 | 43.9% | 0.0% proxy | 239 mi |
| 1965archive | 81 | 38.8% | 0.0% proxy | 335 mi |
| 1964archive | 73 | 43.1% | 0.0% proxy | 273 mi |
| 1963archive | 73 | 38.0% | 0.0% proxy | 298 mi |
| 1962archive‡ | 60 | 44.1% | 0.0% proxy | 248 mi |
| 1961archive‡ | 56 | 43.6% | 0.0% proxy | 198 mi |
| 1960archive‡ | 65 | 44.6% | 0.0% proxy | 164 mi |
| 1959archive | 70 | 51.4% | 0.0% proxy | 154 mi |
‡ fewer than 70 roster rows or under 75% known home state — treat with caution.
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as detected transfer stock.
Where the roster grew up
Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 600 mi
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