Nebraska Loses Transfer Portal Quarterback Commit

Per Pete Nakos of On3, Minchey has officially flipped his commitment to Kentucky and will be set to play under first-year head coach Will Stein. This fall, Stein spent the 2025 regular season as Oregon's offensive coordinator. Under his guidance, the Ducks produced 38.0 points per game, on their way to averaging over 457 yards of offense per contest.

As it currently stands, Minchey is the No. 44 overall player in the transfer portal and 10th best available quarterback. Regardless of where his next school will be, the Tennessee native is sure to offer that program a lot of momentum heading into the offseason.

In three years at Notre Dame, Minchey saw action in 10 games. To this point in his career, the quarterback has totaled 212 passing yards while completing 23-of-29 attempts. He also showcased an opportunistic ability as a runner. On nine career carries, Minchey has totaled 96 yards and two rushing scores.

While the news definitely caught Husker Nation off guard, it does reopen the door to an interesting topic. Former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2, but has yet to find a new school to call home. Though there are no reports suggesting either side, meaning Nebraska's staff or the Raiola camp would be interested in a re-reunion, it would not be the first time a player withdrew from the portal and remained at their former school.

Other early quarterback targets the Huskers may open their board to include DJ Lagway, formerly of Florida, Aiden Chiles (Michigan State), and Anthony Colandrea (UNLV). Lagway is the highest-rated available quarterback of that bunch, currently listed as the No. 17 overall player and sixth-best available quarterback. Next is Chiles, who spent the last two seasons as Michigan State's starting signal caller. Per On3, the will-be senior is the No. 88 overall player still available. Colandrea also would offer one year of eligibility remaining, and is ranked the No. 152 best available player.

As of the evening of Jan. 5, Raiola is still without a home. He is currently ranked the No. 12 overall prospect and fifth-best available signal caller. Whomever the Huskers elect to try their hand next, expect this staff to do it in a hurry. With only one scholarship quarterback on the roster set to make a return, Nebraska is almost certainly going to need to add multiple players to its room over the coming weeks.

The Huskers do have TJ Lateef still within the room, and he has shown flashes of becoming an eventual starting quarterback for Nebraska at some point in his career. However, after the way the 2025 season came to a close, Holgorsen and company made it apparent that additions were going to be made. While they ultimately assumed that was going to be Minchey, after earning his verbal commitment on Sunday, Nebraska is left continuing its search for another man.

To this point in his career, Lateef has thrown for 904 yards and five scores through the air. He's also added 120 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. While the talent is inarguably there, this staff is in need of more bodies in the quarterback room, regardless of how the depth chart shakes out next fall.

Expect news to come as early as tomorrow as Nebraska looks to secure visits from other signal callers still available. Though Minchey's recruitment never panned out, do not expect Rhule to go without a plan.