The Cornhuskers finished the 2016 season 9–4, 6–3 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. The Cornhuskers received an invite to the Music City Bowl where they lost to Tennessee.
Offseason
Departures
Transfers
Outgoing
Incoming
Coaching departures & replacements
Other Headlines
February 22 – WR coach Keith Williams plead no contest to a criminal charge of driving under the influence, steming from his August 14, 2016 car accident and arrest. It is his third DUI conviction in 13 years but his first in Nebraska. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 3 years of probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, with his driver's license revoked and given the option to apply to have his jail sentence converted to house arrest. His jail sentence was converted to house arrest on March 1.
May 26 – Junior WR Stanley Morgan Jr. and Junior DB Antonio Reed were arrested and charged in Port Orange, Florida with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, following a traffic stop. Charges against Morgan were dropped on July 17 after he successfully completed a drug treatment program.
June 10 – Freshman early-enrollee WR Keyshawn Johnson Jr. was cited for possession of marijuana in his dorm room by UNL campus police. On June 20, Johnson reportedly had left the program on a "leave of absence" and will likely not participate with the team during the season, potentially returning in January after the season.
July 8 – Nebraska defensive analysis and former safeties assistant coach Bob Elliott passed way in hospice care at age 64. Elliott had been hired as the team's safeties coach in mid-February 2017 but had stepped down from his position to an off-field analysis position on June 20 for "personal reasons." He had been diagnosed in 1998 with polycythemia vera and received a blood marrow transplant soon after. He had been suffering from health issues in recent years that had limited him to an off-field role for the 2015 and 2016 seasons at Notre Dame before coming to Nebraska.
July 16 – Incoming freshmen CB Elijah Blades and DL Deiontae Watts failed to academically qualify to attend Nebraska, and joined junior colleges as a result.
Recruiting
Position key
Recruits
As of National Signing Day, Nebraska's 2017 recruiting class consisted of 20 commits, 8 walk-ons, and 1 JUCO walk-on transfer. On, February 16, 2017, Kade Warner, son of NFL Hall of FamerKurt Warner, joined the team as a preferred walk-on. 5 non-recruited walk-ons joined the team via tryout on March 29, 2017. One additional preferred walk-on was added in late April.
