Tuesday Afternoon Sports – Nelson Declares for NFL Draft, Watt Set to Retire, Husker Volleyball & Football Add Transfers, Local Sports Schedule and Week Preview

NELSON JOINS OTHER HUSKERS IN DECLARING FOR NFL DRAFT:

Garrett Nelson, team captain in 2022 and leader of the Nebraska defense, has declared for the NFL draft. He was one of few Huskers who made all conference honors, being selected to All-Big Ten second team by coaches and media.

Nelson started and played in every game in 2021 and 2022, and all 8 games in the 2020 Covid season. He started in 32 games over the course of his Husker career.

Nelson joins outside EDGE rusher Ochaun Mathis and tight ends Chancellor Brewington and Travis Vokalek as Huskers declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. 

J.J. WATT RETIRING FROM NFL:

Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt announced today that this will be his final NFL season.

Watt’s last two games will be on the road, at the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday and then at the San Francisco 49ers in the Cardinals’ regular-season finale.

Watt has 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 33 total tackles through 14 games this year.

The 33-year-old got off to a blistering start when he entered the NFL in 2011. Through his first five years, he was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-Pro and led the league in sacks twice. His three DPOY nods are tied for the most all-time with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald.

Watt’s 111.5 career sacks ranks him 26th all time. 

HUSKER VOLLEYBALL ADDS FLORIDA TRANSFER:

The Nebraska volleyball program announced the addition of Florida transfer Merritt Beason on Friday. Beason, a 6-3 opposite hitter, will join the Huskers after playing the last two seasons at Florida, where she was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Southeast Region honoree in 2022, as well as an All-SEC Freshman Team selection in 2021.

As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason helped the Gators win a share of the SEC Championship by averaging 3.35 kills per set with a .261 hitting percentage.

As a freshman for the Gators in 2021, Beason had a season-high 16 kills on .462 hitting with seven digs against Minnesota in just her fifth collegiate match.

HUSKER PIPELINE ADDS ARIZONA STATE TRANSFER FOR CHRISTMAS:

Nebraska added a major piece to its offensive line for the 2023 football season. Arizona State’s Ben Scott announced on Friday his plans to transfer to Nebraska.

The addition of Scott marks one of the first proven Power Five offensive line pieces NU has gotten in the transfer portal era. It’s also now the 20th scholarship roster addition Rhule and his staff have made since Dec. 6 and the sixth scholarship offensive lineman.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Scott started all 13 games for ASU at right tackle in 2021 and 11 games at center in 2022. He has logged 28 starts over the last three seasons and 1,776 total snaps in three seasons.

FORMER BLACKSHIRT COORDINATOR FINDS NEW GIG IN BOISE:

Former Nebraska defensive coordinator Erik Chinander has landed a new job: He is being hired as Boise State’s DL coach and defensive run game coordinator.

Chinander was fired as the Huskers’ DC after four games in 2022 by former interim coach Mickey Joseph.

Chinander spent four plus seasons as the Huskers’ DC. He arrived with Scott Frost in 2018 when the two made the move from UCF. Chinander was a Broyles Award nominee for the nation’s most outstanding assistant coach in 2016 with UCF and Nebraska in 2021. He was named one of Rivals’ Top 25 Recruiters of the Year in 2021.

He helped the Huskers rank in the top 20 nationally in takeaways on three separate occasions, including two top-five rankings, and he helped guide 26 players to All-Big Ten honors.

BRONCOS FIRE HACKETT:

The Denver Broncos fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday with two games left in the season.

Team owner and CEO Greg Penner said he’ll lead the search for a new coach with assistance from GM George Paton. Firing Hackett with two games left in a lost season allows Penner to begin his search for a replacement immediately.

Players were told during a team meeting Monday that senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg, who was hired by Hackett in September to help him with game operations and clock management, will serve as interim head coach.

The group involving Walmart heir Rob Walton, his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner, purchased the Broncos for $4.65 billion last summer, a global record for a professional sports franchise, and Rob Walton said after the league’s approval that he aimed to make the Broncos perennial championship contenders again.

NCAA BOWL GAME SCORES/SCHEDULE:

MONDAY:

Quick Lane Bowl: New Mexico State 24-19 Bowling Green

TUESDAY:

Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern v. Buffalo – 11 AM

First Responder Bowl: Memphis v. Utah State – 2:15 PM

Birmingham Bowl: Coastal Carolina v. East Carolina – 5:45 PM

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Wisconsin v. Oklahoma State – 9:15 PM

NFL SCORES/SCHEDULE:

MONDAY:

Los Angeles Chargers 20-3 Indianapolis Colts

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • NSAA MORATORIUM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • NSAA MORATORIUM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Girls Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament @ Kearney High School:
    • #6 Kearney v. #11 Fremont – 2 PM
  • Boys Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament @ Kearney High School:
    • #6 Kearney v. #11 Fremont – 3:45 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Girls Basketball v. Fremont (1:45 PM – 3:45 PM)
  • Kearney Boys Basketball v. Fremont (3:45 PM – 5:45 PM)
  • Nebraska Women’s Basketball v. Michigan (5:45 PM – 9 PM)

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Girls Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
  • Boys Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Basketball: Amherst Holiday Tournament
    • York v. Hastings St. Cecilia – 1:30 PM
    • Amherst v. Kearney Catholic – 4:45 PM
  • Boys Basketball: Amherst Holiday Tournament
    • York v. Hastings St. Cecilia – 3 PM
    • Amherst v. Kearney Catholic – 6:30 PM
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Girls Basketball v. TBA (TBD)
  • Kearney Boys Basketball v. TBA (TBD)
  • Nebraska Men’s Basketball v. Iowa (5 PM – 8:45 PM)

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Girls Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal @ Lincoln North Star
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
  • Boys Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament @ Lincoln East
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Basketball: Amherst Holiday Tournament
    • TBD (Consolation 11 AM / Final 2 PM)
  • Boys Basketball: Amherst Holiday Tournament
    • TBD (Consolation 12:30 PM / Final 3:30 PM)
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Girls Basketball v. TBA (TBD)
  • Kearney Boys Basketball v. TBA (TBD)
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Girls Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament Final @ Lincoln North Star
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
  • Boys Basketball: Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament @ Lincoln East
    • #6 Kearney v. TBA
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Women’s Basketball: @ Lincoln University – 1 PM
  • Men’s Basketball: @ Lincoln University – 3 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Girls Basketball v. TBA (TBD)
  • Kearney Boys Basketball v. TBA (TBD)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Women’s Basketball @ Indiana (12 PM – 3 PM)