Five Nebraska players that could enter the transfer portal
On the heels of a 1-2 start to the season and a 45-42 loss at home to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Nebraska fired Scott Frost on Sunday and will now begin its search for a new head coach.
As with any head coaching change, attention will turn to Nebraska's roster to see if any current players will enter their name in the transfer portal, seeking to start a new chapter in their playing careers.
While we don't expect a mass exodus right away with the amount of respect garnered toward interim head coach Mickey Joseph and the rest of the staff, here is a look at five players that could potentially enter the transfer portal for the Huskers.
MORE ON NEBRASKA: Five candidates that could replace Frost | Recruits react | Five top recruits that never panned out as expected for Frost | Full coverage
Smothers appeared in six games last season for the Cornhuskers, earning one start against Iowa in which he went 16-of-22 passing for 198 yards while rushing for 64 yards on 24 carries.
The former Rivals250 prospect now finds himself third on the quarterback depth chart behind offseason transfer additions Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy. Coming out of high school, Smothers was ranked the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
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Johnson had a productive 2021 season for Nebraska, rushing for 495 yards and four touchdowns while also hauling in 16 catches for 197 yards and two scores. He played in each of the Huskers' first 10 games last season before missing the last two with injury.
However, JUCO signee Anthony Grant has emerged as Nebraska's main running back option this season and so far, Johnson has only seen action on special teams. Johnson, a four-star recruit in the 2019 class, was ranked the No. 6 all-purpose back coming out of high school.
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Torres was Nebraska's lone quarterback signee in last year's class, however, the former three-star prospect out of San Antonio (Texas) Southside finds himself on a quarterback depth chart that includes offseason transfers Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy, along with Logan Smothers and Heinrich Haarberg.
As a senior in high school, Torres threw for 912 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and one score in four games before a season-ending ACL injury.
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Pola-Gates was a highly touted signee for Nebraska in its 2019 recruiting class, ranked No. 116 in the nation and the 11th-best safety in the country. However, his career in Lincoln has mostly been spent on special teams and he's currently behind Marques Buford, Jr. and Phalen Sanford on the safety depth chart.
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After redshirting last season, Gbayor has yet to see any game action during his brief career at Nebraska. Rated a 5.7, three-star prospect coming out of high school, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder tallied 56 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and nine sacks during his senior season. He was the 11th-ranked player in the state of New Jersey and the No. 20 inside linebacker prospect in the 2021 class.