Pro Athletes Highlight Husker Summer Grads

A total of 18 current and former Husker student-athletes across all sports will receive their degrees during University of Nebraska-Lincoln Summer Commencement ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 9 a.m.

A trio of Nebraska football players headline the list of graduates, led by current Kansas City Chief Emmett Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.). The first-team All-American, who was also the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year in 2025, will claim his bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations. Another NFL hopeful, Dasan McCullough (Kansas City, Kan.) will earn his degree while also battling for a spot on the Denver Broncos roster at outside linebacker. Offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula (Lincoln, Neb.) will earn his degree in management prior to entering his fourth season on the field for the Huskers.

A trio of Husker baseball players strengthen the list of graduates, including 2026 Brooks Wallace Award winner Dylan Carey (Castle Rock, Colo.). An All-American and 2026 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Carey scoops up his bachelor’s degree in management after starting his professional career with New York Mets Class A affiliate St. Lucie.  Pitcher Jalen Worthley (Lincoln, Neb.) adds a degree as an advertising and public relations major after starting his pro career with the Lexington Legends in the Atlantic League this summer. Pitcher Cooper Katskee (Greenwood Village, Colo.) adds a degree as a psychology major.

A trio of tennis student-athletes led by men Nikolay Sysoev (Moscow, Russia) and Joan Torres Espinosa (Alicante, Spain) in addition to standout women’s player Reya Lee Coe (Dallas, Texas) add to the Husker graduates, along with two members of the women's track and field program, Kellyn Kortemeyer (Custer, S.D.) and Sakena Massiah (Bridgetown, Barbados).

The Husker men’s basketball program contributes a pair of graduates with Kendall Blue (Woodbury, Minn.) and Braxton Meah (Layton, Utah), earning their degrees, while the Nebraska wrestling team added two grads of its own led by All-American Chance Lamer (Corvallis, Ore.) and Brandyn Van Tassell (Mapleton, Utah). Lamer finished fourth for the Big Red at the 2026 NCAA Championships at 149 pounds.

Volleyball’s Allie Sczech (Sugar Land, Texas), men’s gymnast Jack Critz (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and women’s golfer Arden Louchheim (Park City, Utah) round out the group of Husker summer graduates.

Overall, the 18 Husker graduates in August came to Nebraska from nine states and three foreign countries. Over the last three graduations (December 2025, May 2026, August 2026), a total of 108 Husker student-athletes from 28 states and 11 foreign countries have earned their degrees from the University of Nebraska.

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation, while leading the nation with 19 NCAA Impact Awards (formerly known as Today’s Top 10) across all sports. Nebraska also leads the Big Ten and ranks second in NCAA Division I with 384 College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans across all sports. In addition, 110 Nebraska student-athletes all time have earned prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.

August 2026 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (18)
Student-Athlete (Sport) - Hometown (Major)
Kendall Blue (Men’s Basketball) - Woodbury, Minnesota (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Dylan Carey (Baseball) - Castle Rock, Colorado (Management)
Reya Lee Coe (Women’s Tennis) - Dallas, Texas (Criminology & Criminal Justice)
Jack Critz (Men’s Gymnastics) - Huntington Beach, California (English)
Gunnar Gottula (Football) - Lincoln, Nebraska (Management)
Emmett Johnson (Football) - Minneapolis, Minnesota (Advertising & Public Relations)
Cooper Katskee (Baseball) - Greenwood Village, Colorado (Psychology)
Kellyn Kortemeyer (Women’s Track & Field) - Custer, South Dakota (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Chance Lamer (Wrestling) - Corvallis, Oregon (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Arden Louchheim (Women’s Golf) - Park City, Utah (Sports Media & Communications)
Sakena Massiah (Women’s Track & Field) - Bridgetown, Barbados (Applied Science-Master's)
Dasan McCullough (Football) - Kansas City, Kansas (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Braxton Meah (Men’s Basketball) - Layton, Utah (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Allie Sczech (Volleyball) - Sugar Land, Texas (Journalism & Mass Communications-Master’s)
Nikolay Sysoev (Men’s Tennis) - Moscow, Russia (Management)
Joan Torres Espinosa (Men’s Tennis) - Alicante, Spain (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Brandyn Van Tassell (Wrestling) - Mapleton, Utah (Animal Science)
Jalen Worthley (Baseball) - Lincoln, Nebraska (Advertising & Public Relations)