A Nebraska defender has received his release from the Nebraska football program and will transfer.

Outside linebacker Guy Thomas has asked for and received a full release to transfer, a Nebraska spokesman told Husker247.

Thomas, a native of Miami, Florida, appeared in four games this season for the Huskers, making four tackles. Thomas made his first career tackle in Nebraska’s game against Michigan earlier this season. He added three tackles in the Huskers’ blowout win over Bethune-Cookman in October.

The redshirt freshman was a signing day win for the Huskers, who held off Louisville and Pittsburgh to keep Thomas in the class. He was expected to provide near-immediate pass rushing help in Nebraska's 3-4 defense as a 247Sports Composite 3-star prospect out of national powerhouse program Booker T. Washington in Miami. As a true freshman last season, Thomas traveled to road trips early in the season, but Nebraska ultimately decided to redshirt the outside linebacker.

Even with the Big Red needing help at outside linebacker to generate a pass rush this season, Thomas wasn't able to work his way into significant playing time, working primarily on special teams. Nebraska moved safety JoJo Domann to outside linebacker midway through the season with some success, leaving Thomas out of the mix.

Thomas is the latest member of Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class to leave the program. All totaled, eight members of the class who signed and made it to campus have transferred. Two more members of the 20-man signing class, Elijah Blades and Deiontae Watts, never enrolled at Nebraska.

Nebraska signed four linebackers in its 2017 recruiting class -- Avery Roberts, Willie Hampton, Andrew Ward and Thomas. All four are already no longer in the program.