Previously: Last year’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman.

One of the concerns the schools had in allowing one-time free transfers to every college athlete was the rich getting richer. It hasn't worked out that way—most of the guys who've put themselves on the market are moving down to find Playing time (by choice or otherwise), or have personal or programmatic (coach left, system changed, NFT market) reasons. There have been a few up-transfers within conferences, though hardly more than there were prior to the portal, which is a surprise considering the "NIL" market is now out in the open.

That hasn't stopped the content industry from producing enough Marxist readings on the subject to cover Europe. And while they're mostly focused on Deion Sanders going curb shopping to demeltuckerize his roster as quickly as possible, the most cited example of the rich enriching themselves is Michigan acquiring Nebraska up-and-comer Ernest Hausmann. To hear some Nebraska sites talk, this is an economic emergency. If a regular Playoff team can swipe a guy poised to become a program-defining superstar...

...then it might be nice to be that Playoff team.

[After THE JUMP: Up and coming.]

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What's his story?

Hausmann was the first commitment in Nebraska's 2022 class, pledging in March 2021. At that time he was listed about 210 pounds, and on his second position change to inside linebacker. He played cornerback (!!) as a freshman and sophomore, but first started attracting colleges' attention after putting on 15 pounds in the offseason and playing hybrid linebacker. Even then his coach had to start tagging schools on social media to generate attention, with Boston College, Michigan State, and Arizona State the three P5 schools to bite. Hometown Nebraska followed, Hausmann committed, and due to his "nose for the ball" moved to ILB as a senior. Over that time Ruud says Hausmann would just pump him for coaching tips.

The highlights from that senior season don't look like those of a low three-star. They show him playing a brawny, devastatingly effective receiver (37 catches for 600 yards and 8 TDs, plus a 57-yard end-around TD) and slipping through blocks with reptilian grace (for 77 tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 sacks, 4 PBUs, and a two fumble recoveries). But with no drama the sites had little reason to bother with reevaluations.

Unless they were a new site trying to make a splash in a crowded market.

On3 explained their outlier in an article, helpfully, about their biggest outliers.

Hausmann is a natural, explosive athlete. Most highly drafted linebackers play both ways in high school. That’s the case with Hausmann as he stars as a wide receiver and linebacker for his Columbus (Neb.) team. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Hausmann is an effortless, smooth mover who is comfortable playing in space and dropping into coverage. He closes quickly as a cover down defender and finishes with authority. We see the athleticism, ball skills and playmaking ability show up at receiver. Hausmann [is] having a productive start to his senior season, averaging over 8 tackles per game while also catching one touchdown per game thus far.

Another rogue at the time was Michigan. Mike Macdonald and George Helow tried to get the early Husker commit to reconsider.

Hausmann stuck, enrolled in Spring and was immediately identified by Nebraska coaches as the top freshman in both camps. The Huskers' LB corps was the one solid part of the roster—we were fans of Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich was a top-250 recruit in his 3rd year—so news that a 3* true freshman was forcing his way into a rotation spot said things about the true freshman. Rivals national writer Clint Cosgrove's picked Hausmann as his dark horse #5 impact freshmen for 2023. Nebraska LB coach Barrett Ruud raved.

That "we can't wait to play him" shifted in meaning when Reimer was hurt in fall camp and Hausmann was suddenly thrust into starting. He missed some tackles, sucked in on play-action, and generally looked like a 220-pound true freshman in his second year of playing linebacker. Each week Jamie Macmillan reported on our podcast's Around the Big Ten segment that the freshman was swimming. PFF said it with grades: a 62 (which is meh) against North Dakota, 65 vs Georgia Southern, 58 vs Oklahoma, 61 vs Purdue, and then really bad outings vs MANBALL running teams Illinois (35) and Minnesota (42.5). We presumed would only continue at MANBALL champion Michigan.

It did not.

PFF gave him a 70 grade for the Michigan game, which is above average. He was *noticed* in the following podcast and UFRs. Interim coach Mickey Joseph noticed everyone's notice:

“I think Barrett (Ruud) has done a very good job with (Ernest) Hausmann because he is playing at a high level, and he is getting better every week so I like where he is at right now,” former interim head coach Mickey Joseph said of Hausmann in November. “He was a puppy coming in. He is a high school kid, so he learned how to play this game at a high level, and he is playing at a high level right now and we are really excited about his future.”

Seeing our own player on the other side puts parts of that game in a new light. The one drive he sat for was the CJ Stokes one when Michigan's OL suddenly had no problem picking off LBs. I am less frustrated with Tavierre Dunlap for not getting the 2 more yards he needed after contact with #15. The sack that JJ took and the DO shot under pressure he got to Ronnie Bell were Hat+ events making life difficult on a guy who usually makes LBs who come charging up from their level like that go splat.

He had another 12 tackles the following week at Wisconsin. A review of that tape showed him getting to his spots then getting knocked around because he was a 210ish-pound linebacker playing against Wisconsin. The Iowa game was similar. The sum of all this is close to a best-case scenario for a true freshman linebacker. He played 476 snaps, the fourth-most in the country among LBs in his class, according to PFF. He made mistakes (especially in pass coverage), figured them out, made big plays in their biggest game, and came off looking like an offseason in the weight room away from stardom. He also played special teams. Then the new coaching staff was announced, and Hausmann entered the portal.

This time it was 247's turn to be the outlier. Josh Pate:

Sometimes, because so many guys are going in the portal, you put a grade on him, and then you say 'okay that's a tentative grade.' It's kind of like when you're rating tornadoes—that's an EF2, we could bump it up to an EF3 later. Well, Ernest Hausmann got *bumped up.* He was like an EF4, now he's an EF5.

They made Hausmann their #1 player in the portal, though he was later passed by 2022's #1 overall recruit Travis Hunter following Deion Sanders to Colorado.

Going into spring we figured Hausmann was more of a guy to put next to Rolder, not the type to instantly supplant former starter Nikhai Hill-Green. But camp told a different story, and when they got on the field Hausmann was the story (other than Peyton O'Leary). NHG, still dealing with last year's medical issue, transferred to Charlotte a few weeks later, around the same time Michael Barrett was giving quotes about getting chances to reprise something like his Viper role again. Jesse Minter said the starters "feel him. He's right behind them. He's not slowing down," and clearly made a distinction between the then-top four, and Rolder, Micah Pollard, and Jaydon Hood. Insiders were more direct: "He's gonna start."

What does the Scouts say?

As soon as they got him on campus Ruud was like ding ding ding a-ding-a ding ding ding.

I used to call him 'Shiny Cars' because shiny cars looks real good. So Ernest really looks the part. From an athletic standpoint I think he's just really a fluid, explosive athlete. Not only is he fast, but he moves well side-to-side. He can flip his hips, somewhat how a pass rusher would flip their hips.

Huskers Film noted Hausmann "has speed Henrich and Reimer lack" and used a couple of plays against Michigan to demonstrate. Clint Brewster of 247 said Hausmann "can match physicality with physicality and also cover deep down the field," and Raymond Lucas named him Michigan's top breakout candidate. Josh Henschke of Maize & Blue Review listed speed and athleticism as his strengths. Will Turboff of Huskers247 noted his tendency to "come out of nowhere." Draft Scout reports a 40 time clocked as low as 4.54 provided by Nebraska.

Ayeeee Ahyeeeeee!

The thing Ruud was most excited to play with was the pass-rushing. It sounds like Hausmann could do it full-time if he wanted.

This guy's a workout all the time out there on the edge; it's really really natural for him, which is not the case for a lot of linebackers. I've been around a lot of great linebackers; they were *BAD* pass-rushers. He's a natural fill to rush the passer, which in modern football that versatility's at a premium.

Nebraska blogger Jeremy Pernell wrote a long piece on Hausmann for AllHuskers (the FanNation affiliate) but when he got to scouting he suggested the pass-rushing edge position in Nebraska's defense was a possibility if ILB wasn't happening.

Put on Hausmann's tape and you immediately notice his length and how comfortable he is in space. He's a high-upside defender with sideline-to-sideline speed. The thing that's impressive is he can also get downhill and be physical at the point of attack. He's an explosive athlete for the position and should settle somewhere in the 220-pound range at Nebraska. Husker coaches like him on the inside, but he has the frame and skill set to play the weakside outside linebacker spot that Caleb Tannor currently occupies.

This, Michigan's track record for development, the complexity, and the versatility of his role were major factors in Hausmann choosing Michigan.

"I got really fond of the defense," Hausmann said. "I really like the defense. It's an NFL style and I thought being in that defense was going to help me get better as a linebacker in college football and also prepare me for the next level when that time comes.

Coverage

As you might have suspected, the true freshman was swimming in coverage when he first got on the field. Reimink noted "Opposing offenses would target him with route combinations, and he would just look lost" and that this led to a benching when Henrich returned. After Scott Frost was fired, Reimink thinks that interim DC Bill Busch "simplified things" and that this helped Hausmann come along later in the season.

The long-term prognosis here seems fine, or better than fine. Brewster thinks Ernie is going to be one of the better ones.

Hausmann is just scratching his potential as a player and flashed the ability to play sideline to sideline and drop deep into coverage very naturally.

…and that he has high draft potential.

The mental side

One of the hard parts about judging linebackers is how hard the position is to play—you have to know your system but also have to figure out the offense's system and anticipate what they're planning to do, and what they do when they go off-script. Ruud told the Lincoln Journal Star that Hausmann was picking all of it up in record time.

Something Ruud looks for in his young players is an understanding of why they line up in places in certain packages or fill certain spots, and that's something Hausmann showed over time. "He made a big jump probably from practice 10 or 11 to practice 12 or 13. All of a sudden, it just started clicking," Ruud said. - Lincoln Journal Star

Even early on, the awareness Hausmann showed seemed well beyond his experience level. There are a lot of veteran linebackers who get so focused on their zones they aren't closing on this scramble.

That was Hausmann's second game.

The maturity was all the talk at Nebraska. After the Michigan game he gave reporters one of the most insightful quotes about what's actually going on in the athlete's head:

“As you get more snaps and experience, you get more of a feeling that you belong out there. You gain confidence and can just play football.”

One, I've heard many football players say something like this, but never so concisely. Two, they're allowing a true freshman near a microphone. Michigan does attract more than its share of 19-year-olds who arrive more mature than most 39-year-olds: Avant, Darboh, Roh, Colson, Corum. Jesse Minter noted it in Hausmann.

“For us, culture so important. The fit is so important,” Minter said. “Ernest Hausmann when he visited, you would have thought he had already been here, just his mentality, his approach. He's got a very similar story to Junior Colson in his upbringing and things like that. So they really hit it off.

This was also a thing for George Helow, as was seeing him at his best in the Big House snow.

He’s a guy who is really going to fit our culture. He's really a super smart guy (with) high academics. He's tough, he’s reliable, he loves football. He played really well against us.

Etc. Hausmann was born in Uganda, was adopted when he was two, but wasn't able to come until he was five because the U.S. and Uganda don't have a streamlined process. How?

His life was changed when his adoptive parents, Bob and Teresa, had dinner with his uncle Peter, who was a missionary.

Bob and Teresa, who already had two daughters of their own, had been trying to adopt for years. They'd already had several American adoptions fall through, however. During the dinner, Peter spoke of how the AIDS epidemic had ravaged his country and orphaned thousands of children. Teresa had been an exchange student in South Africa, and the plight of the continent wasn't lost on her. She and Bob told Peter of their desire to adopt, and the idea was struck for the Hausmanns to adopt a child from Peter's village. The following day, Peter suggested his nephew, Ernest, who was 2 years old at the time.

Unfortunately, the American and Ugandan adoption agencies didn’t have a history of working together. The Hausmanns worked with two Ugandan attorneys, and after three years, Ernest became one of the first Ugandan children to be legally adopted in the United States. It took an additional three years for Ernest to become an American citizen.

As an ex-football coach, Bob made sure to introduce his new son to the game he loved. The Hausmanns are huge Husker fans and began taking Ernest to home games when he was 8. When Ernest was in the fourth grade, he started playing organized team football.

Bob is also the school principal. Happy Faculty Appreciation week.

Why Junior Colson? Well, I comped Junior to Nebraska star Lavonte David a few years ago, and that's the comparison the Huskers all made. Colson was also a supremely mature, superbly athletic adoptee (from Haiti) who was forced onto the field when he didn't yet know what he's doing. Though a grade behind, Hausmann's only eight months Colson's junior. He had a more direct line to football growing up, but has only been a linebacker for three seasons, and an inside one for two. David, who was a highly athletic though a bit undersized star for the Huskers a few years back, is another good comp for both of them if we must go with someone further along in his career.

Guru Reliability: High. Has played 476 snaps in the Big Ten, 53 of them in the Big House.

Variance: Low. Not that he's at his ceiling, or close to it yet, but he's well on his way already. it would be weird indeed if he stalls out now.

Ceiling: Very high. Already generating talk as a potential 2nd round type guy in 2026.

Flight Risk Level: None, or whatever the low is in this day and age. Put aside the fact he'd now be subject to the waiver rules, the one guy really standing in the way of his playing time just transferred, presumably because he got passed. Already ahead of functional classmate Jimmy Rolder too. Also this is a guy who was the first commit in his class to Nebraska, and stuck with that staff until they were all fired.

General Excitement Level: Very high-plus. The equivalent of getting a top-30 player, except that player comes already past his year of freshmanity.

Projection: He's going to start, and he may very well be the best of them when all's said. Yes, I say this knowing both starters return, and as the guy who really was banging the drum for Michael Barrett by season's end, and as a Partridge believer who thinks Colson is going to become the star some people already mistook him for. Maybe not all the games, but last year they only had two guys they really trusted to be out there, and Minter later admitted that got their starters too banged up. They also had to scrap the hybrid position that Barrett played about a third of the time in 2021. Michigan can now go back to playing three LBs at once when they choose to, whether that's pulling a tackle to go Mint/335/Tite, or pulling a cornerback for a Don Brown 4-2-5 against QB running teams. I'm guessing Hausmann won't have to play as much as Colson/Barrett did last year, of course. But neither will they. Expect plenty of drives with Hausmann and Rolder so the starters can rest.

Next year, the job is his. And the year after, if he doesn't get pulled away by the NFL. One factor there: He's said he is going to graduate first, and while transferring between Big Ten schools after an early spring and fall semester is about the easiest way to do it, Michigan's transfer policies still probably set him back a half a year at least. Thank you portal.