College basketball teams are back in the gym preparing for the 2026-2027 season. On November 2nd, teams like Nebraska and others with high aspirations for the upcoming season will hit the floor, hoping for another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. For that to happen, it all comes down to one thing: depth.
All power conference schools have a starting five capable of beating other power-five teams, but games are won and lost by the players who come off the bench to replace the starters. The more depth a team has, the more games it usually wins.
Now that it is September and teams are done adding to their rosters, the depth chart starts to come into focus. Nebraska is at the forefront of today's depth chart dive. The Huskers have a chance to be better this season than in 2025-2026, thanks to the additional depth Coach Hoiberg added in the transfer portal.
Nebraska runs a lot of positionless basketball; many of the players on the floor will be asked to play multiple positions and will need to know several to play. The depth chart will be based on the positions these players would start at when they come onto the floor.
Center
Boden Kapke- Senior
Kapke comes to Lincoln after spending last season at Boston College. Kapke brought mixed feelings for Husker fans when he announced his commitment to Nebraska. The Big Man has not looked great for two terrible teams in his career.
The facts are: Kapke is an athletic big man who shoots 35% from deep in his career. He will be versatile in the Hoiberg offense because he can put the ball on the floor, finish at the rim, and shoot from deep.
Leo Curtis- Sophomore
Curtis was the player the fanbase hoped would come back and wanted to see more of. The big man from Iceland played sparingly last year, but every time he played, he made an impact. He provided valuable minutes against Michigan and made a crucial dunk in a close game against Vanderbilt in the round of 32. A full offseason in Lincoln will do Curtis good, and he will play a lot.
Damon Wilkinson- Senior
The big man transfer from South Dakota State was a late add for coach Hoiberg. Wilkinson didn’t shoot much from deep while a Jackrabbit, but coach Hoiberg and the coaching staff do believe that Wilkinson can turn into a shooter and a ball handler and be the multi-position big they hoped to acquire.
This year it would surprise me if Wilkinson got legitimate run. He still needs some time to be molded into the player Hoiberga knows he can be. The good news is that if Wilkinson does have to play, he will be more than serviceable.
Power Forward:
Sam Orme - Senior
Orme is a transfer from Belmont who has a chance to be one of the best transfer commitments in the country this year. Orme is the perfect fit for a Coach Hoiberg offense. The forward has the chops to be an elite offensive player and rebounder. He is already one of the best three-point shooters in the country, coming into the 2026-2027 season as a career 39% three-point shooter. Orme will be excellent in Hoiberg's offense.
Boden Kapke- Senior
The attractive thing about Kapke in the transfer portal, outside of his ability to shoot the ball from the outside and get to and finish at the rim, is the positional flexibility he offers. Kapke will start at Center, but there are many scenarios where Nebraska will go to a 2-big lineup and move Kapke to the Power Forward spot.
Collin Rice - Freshman
The No. 76-ranked recruit in the country got a slow start to the season after suffering a broken hand in summer workouts. Rice is a full go now and hopefully didn’t lose too much critical development time. The 4-star recruit is a floor spacer who can get to his spots and finish with efficiency. Rice has a path to a lot of playing time, especially when Nebraska goes with smaller lineups.
Kadyn Betts - Senior
Hoiberg has coveted Betts since his high school days in Colorado. It is good that the coaching staff finally got a player they believe they can win with, but Betts hasn’t been good in his limited college minutes, and it would be a huge surprise if Betts got meaningful minutes.
Small Forward:
Braden Frager - Junior
The reigning sixth man of the year in the Big Ten is ready for a huge year. Frager is one of the more athletic players in the Big Ten and should be a first-team all-conference player this year. The sophomore is an elite scorer. He can shoot from deep, put the ball on the floor, get to the rim, and dunk on anyone.
The coaching staff says the defense and all-around game have improved; if that is true, Frager will be an All-American and may only be in Lincoln for this season before heading to the NBA.
Cale Jacobson- Senior
Jacobson could be listed at all 5 positions because he will play all five positions. The senior is the most important piece of the puzzle for the Huskers this year. He is not as good as Sam Hoiberg was, but he does a lot of the same things.
He is an excellent defender who always seems to make a play, can get to the rim, make a three, and is an adept passer and rebounder. His offense isn’t great, but Jacobson always does enough to warrant his playing time, and everything he does leads to Nebraska winning.
Jacob Lanier - Freshman
Take note of the name because I promise this will not be the last time you see it. Lanier is poised for a standout Freshman season and was the prized recruit for coach Hoiberg.
The offense is real: Lanier can get to the rim, shoot at a high percentage from deep, and has the chops of an elite defender. He is a freshman, and there will be ups and downs, but Lanier will put Hoiberg in a position to keep him on the floor all season.
Collin Rice - Freshman
All of the recruiting sites list Rice as a small forward, but he has grown to 6’9” and is going to play both positions while a Husker. The best path to playing time is as a small-ball 4 who can stretch the floor. Nebraska currently has too much wing talent for him to crack that rotation.
Will Cooper- Junior
Cooper is a true wildcard because no one knows if he will get on the floor or have an impact if he does. Cooper is in his second season in the Nebraska program after transferring in from Air Force after his Freshman season. Air Force was not a good team, and Cooper played a lot of minutes for the Falcons, showing his shooting ability. He likely won’t provide much else, but he is a good shooter.
Shooting Guard:
Pryce Sandfort- Senior
Sandfort is one of the best players in the entire Big Ten and will push for Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American nod. Those would be two more things the star could add to his resume as a Husker. His 129 threes are the most in a season by a Nebraska player and second most in any Big Ten Season. His 8 threes in one game tie the Nebraska record, and Sandfort was the star in both of Nebraska's NCAA Tournament wins, which were also firsts.
Sandfort has improved his defense, rebounding, and ball handling. He was already a good passer when he came to Nebraska. His improved skills have made him an NBA prospect, and he will definitely play in the league. Nebraska fans should be thankful Sandfort missed the NBA workouts recovering from a hernia, because players as good as he are unlikely to stick around long.
Connor Essegian- Senior
The question is, how many minutes does Essegian get this year? The answer is usually that Connor will determine that based on how well he shoots. The senior guard is a great shooter and can change a game quickly with his ability to get hot from outside. The unfortunate part is that he offers nothing on the rebounding or defensive end of the ball. His minutes could range from 2-20 depending on the situation and how Essegian is playing.
Jacob Lanier - Freshman
The star Freshman has positional flexibility, and that flexibility will be necessary to keep him on the floor as much as possible. Coach Hoiberg and the rest of the Nebraska media have made sure to mention Lanier in most of their interviews and writings. The freshman is going to play, and it is going to be at a lot of different positions.
Cale Jacobson- Senior
As I mentioned, I'm confident Jacobson will play all 5 positions. I am also confident in saying that the guard will be the last option at Shooting guard. Jacobson is a good player and a great fit at Nebraska, but his skill set is better suited to other spots, mainly wing and point guard. Either way, the Senior is going to get plenty of minutes.
Point Guard:
Trevan Leonhardt- Senior
The transfer guard from Utah Valley was the prize of the Nebraska transfer class. Nebraska zeroed in on him as soon as he entered the portal, and for good reason. Leonhardt stuffed a stat sheet averaging over 11 points, over 5 rebounds, and exactly 6 assists per night. The assist numbers put the point guard in the top 25 of assists per game last season.
The point guard can also make threes and shot 37% from deep last year. The passing numbers speak for themselves, but the biggest thing about Leonhardt that few are talking about is his ability on the defensive end. The point guard is a great defender who also carries a 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is a very competent 4th scoring option but an excellent pass-and-defense-first point guard.
Cale Jacobson- Senior
Point guard is the position Jacobson will get the most run at, especially late in games. Anyone who has watched a Hoiberg-coached team knows he has no problem running two point guards, sometimes even three, in end-of-game situations if the game, time, and score call for it.
Taj DeGourville- Junior
DeGourville is the most interesting piece on the roster because of what he does well and what he still needs to work on. The point guard from San Diego State was a highly recruited and highly regarded player in the transfer portal because of his ability to defend. The point guard is ranked as one of the best individual defenders in the college game, and playing at San Diego State, he is battle-tested.
Offense is the question mark.DeGourville shot 35% from deep last season but was an inefficient offensive player overall. DeGourville offers a lot of value running the offense, and his defensive ability is what will get him on the floor. Anything he provides offensively is a plus.
Jacob Lanier- Freshman
This has been mentioned about Lanier, but he is another player who will have positional flexibility. He is best suited to play wing and off guard, but in a pinch or in certain scenarios, he can fill in admirably as the last point guard. Most of his minutes will come at other positions, though.
It’s less than 50 days until the season really begins. Depth charts are always subject to change, but Nebraska's is likely to look similar to many others. The Huskers and their coaching staff love the positional flexibility these players provide. Nebraska has a deep roster and appears to be on track for a better season than last year.
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