The 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

as a member of the West Division of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

during the

2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 152nd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision. The r ...

. The team was led by fourth-year head coach

Scott Frost Scott Andrew Frost (born January 4, 1975) is a former American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2018 to 2022. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Frost played college football as a qu ...

and played its games at Memorial Stadium in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. The 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers were the first team in Division I history to lose nine games by single digits.

Previous season

The 2020 season saw a conference-only schedule and the

Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

finished with a 3-5 record and finished in fifth place for the second year in a row in the Big Ten West Division. Nebraska did not attend a bowl for the fourth year in a row, even though they could have participated.

Offseason

2021 NFL Draft

The following players declared for the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

Transfers

Outgoing

Incoming

Recruits

The Cornhuskers signed a total of 20 scholarship recruits and 20 walk-ons during national signing period.

Scholarship recruits

Walk-on recruits

Preseason

Award watch lists

Preseason Big Ten Media poll and awards

Below are the results of the preseason Big Ten media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses. For the 2021 poll, Ohio State was voted as the favorite to win both the East Division and the Big Ten Championship Game. This is the 11th iteration of the preseason media poll conducted by Cleveland.com, which polls at least one credentialed media member for each Big Ten team. Only three times in the last 11 years has the media accurately predicted the Big Ten champion. Below are the results of the annual Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year awards conducted by Cleveland.com.

Schedule

''The Big Ten released a revised conference schedule on February 5, 2021 to correct home/away matchups that were altered from the 2020 COVID-stricken season.''

Personnel

Roster

*Due to COVID-19, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season where it would not count against a student's years of eligibility. As a result, all returning players are listed as the same class as 2020.

Depth chart

Game summaries

At Illinois

vs Fordham ( FCS)

vs Buffalo

At No. 3 Oklahoma

At No. Michigan State

vs Northwestern

vs No. 9 Michigan

At Minnesota

vs Purdue

vs No. 5 Ohio State

At No. 15 Wisconsin

vs No. 17 Iowa

Big Ten Awards

Player of the Week Honors

All-Conference Awards

2021 Big Ten Offense All-Conference Teams and Awards2021 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards
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National Awards

All-America Awards

Rankings

Players drafted into the NFL

References

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Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Nebraska Cornhuskers football seasons

Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium ...