Quarterback Noah Vedral has been ruled immediately eligible to play for Nebraska and is in uniform Saturday at Northwestern as the Cornhuskers seek their first win under coach Scott Frost.
Vedral followed Frost to Lincoln as a transfer from UCF. The sophomore served as the top backup to McKenzie Milton and accounted for three touchdowns last season, completing 22 of 29 passes for 276 yards and rushing for 77 yards.
He was cleared late this week after first exploring a waiver more than six months ago to avoid a year in residence, standard for major-college football transfers. Nebraska renewed its effort in the Vedral case after quarterback Tristan Gebbia transferred in August upon losing a battle to Adrian Martinez for the starting job.
Gebbia’s transfer left Nebraska with one scholarship quarterback ahead of the season opener, in which Martinez suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter against Colorado. Walk-on Andrew Bunch started the next game, a Nebraska loss to Troy, before Martinez returned against Michigan in Week 4.
The addition of Vedral adds depth behind Martinez, who has topped 300 passing yards each of the past two weeks in Nebraska losses to Purdue and Wisconsin.
Kickoff on Saturday is set for noon ET on ABC.
Vedral has not redshirted and could play in up to four games this year and preserve a season of eligibility. From Wahoo, Nebraska, he is the son of former Nebraska tight end Mike Vedral. Three of Noah Vedral’s uncles also played for the Huskers in the 1990s.