Nebraska standout wide receiver J.D. Spielman is leaving the school as Huskers Online’s Sean Callahan confirmed he has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
The occurrence of a student-athlete entering the portal has become commonplace in college football, but with the 2015 Minnesota Mr. Football having established roots in Minnesota, it’s natural to see rumors pop up he could be coming home to play with the Gophers.
He'll have to get a waiver to play next season. But transferring close to home during a pandemic would be a pretty good case to make, IMO.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 8, 2020
Spielman has been a dynamic force for Nebraska since stepping on campus as the only receiver in school history to record three straight 800-yard seasons while ranking third in both career receptions and receiving yards.
But that individual success hasn’t pushed the Cornhuskers over the top as Nebraska has gone 13-23 in those three seasons including 5-7 last year.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost announced Spielman had returned home in March for “an undisclosed health matter” but expected him to return for summer conditioning.
The matter of where Spielman lands is interesting. His father, Rick, is the general manager of the Vikings and the Gophers might have an opening at wide receiver in the likely event projected first-round pick Rashod Bateman decides to go pro after this season.
There’s also the chance that Spielman could be immediately eligible if he were on track to graduate this summer according to KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson, but that is unknown and it’s expected he’ll have to sit out a year under transfer rules without a waiver.
As a player who has lined up all over the field and made plays, Spielman shouldn’t have a shortage of suitors and the Gophers’ recent success on the field should put them in that group.
