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Nebraska Football: 3 takeaways from addition of Ochaun Mathis

By Chris Peterson

Sep 11, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears offensive lineman Valentino Daltoso (61) and TCU Horned Frogs defensive end Ochaun Mathis (32) in action during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the California Golden Bears at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears offensive lineman Valentino Daltoso (61) and TCU Horned Frogs defensive end Ochaun Mathis (32) in action during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the California Golden Bears at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nebraska football made a significant addition from the transfer portal this past weekend and here’s what it means for the Huskers to get Ochaun Mathis. 

Monday wasn’t a great day for Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost as the NCAA announced some rule violations and more probation for the program, as well as a five-day suspension.

The violation was Frost allowing an analyst to coach some special teams when he wasn’t supposed to, which is even more unfortunate when you think about the results on special teams last year. They were anything but special and cost Nebraska football multiple wins. Maybe a bowl game.

At any rate, let’s not let ourselves go down that black hole. The 2021 season was a disaster and Nebraska fans would do well to forget it. The 2022 season starts in just a few months and this past weekend, Nebraska added its top target in the transfer portal — edge rusher Ochaun Mathis from TCU.

And here are three reasons why this addition is a big deal for Huskers.

A legit recruiting win

Landing a big-time edge rusher was a top priority throughout the offseason for the Huskers. However, landing Mathis, a second-team All-Big 12 performer last season, looked like it was going to be a tough pull especially after Gary Patterson joined the Texas coaching staff.

With his former head coach at Texas, the Longhorns were trending with expert picks for one of the top defenders left in the portal. Yet, a visit during Nebraska’s spring game, plus an NIL deal helped turn the tide and the Huskers won his commitment over the weekend, which is key for multiple reasons.

It fills a need and we’ll have more on that in a second, but also, Nebraska went head-to-head against Texas, for a kid from Texas, with ties to the staff and won. That’s big all by itself.

Nebraska needs to recruit well in the transfer portal if this program is ever going to win consistently again and this offseason has been a positive start, especially with the addition of Casey Thompson, Chubba Purdy, and now Ochaun Mathis.

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