Mike Riley, during a phone interview with a Journal Star reporter on Wednesday afternoon, didn't name names of potential transfers, but believed five would be the top-end number for those possibly departing.
It's always a fluid situation, of course, but the Husker head coach felt he has had some productive talks this week with some of those players pondering their football futures.
"These are not bad conversations," Riley said. "Some of them, most of them, have to do with opportunity. A guy not playing as much as he wants to play. Most of the conversations are not adversarial. They're, 'How can we help this deal?'
"Obviously if they want to stay and continue to compete and see where they can go, I'm all for them. If they want to look for another opportunity that might provide them more playing time, then I'm for them too. It's kind of just figuring out what's best for them to do, and then pointing out the fact that things may not change here (in regards to playing time). I don't have a crystal ball. So I'm not sure what will happen. And then balancing that with you've got to be careful what you're getting into. It's got to be the right fit, the right kind of program and the best school for you."