Nebraska continued to fill important needs out of the transfer portal, as Syracuse linebacker transfer Stefon Thompson announced his commitment to the Huskers following a weekend official visit.
The 6-foot-1, 248-pound Thompson will bring a veteran, physical presence to the Nebraska linebacker room. Across four seasons at Syracuse, Thompson appeared in 36 games, making 21 starts and amassed 169 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 20.0 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. He missed almost all of the 2022 season because of a injury suffered in the first game of the season.
Thompson will also reunite with Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White, who served in the same role at Syracuse while Thompson was with the ACC program.
The commitment gives Nebraska’s linebacker corps a boost of depth. The Huskers lost veteran linebackers Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich from last year’s team. Reimer completed his eligibility and Henrich opted to not continue his career after injuring his knee late in the season.
The Huskers will return John Bullock and last year’s break out player Mikai Gbayor, but coveted more depth out of the transfer portal for the coming season.
At Syracuse, Thompson showed his ability as an edge rusher, but also was physical in stopping the run when needed. Last year at Syracuse, Thompson played 453 snaps according to Pro Football Focus numbers, with 257 coming as an edge. Thompson tallied 11 pressures and didn’t miss a tackle during the 2023 season, according to PFF.
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Thompson was a three-star linebacker as a high school prospect and chose Syracuse over a number of MAC and Sun Belt offers. As a transfer, Thompson picked the Huskers over interest from Florida State, Kansas State and others.