Coach Matt Rhule didn’t bring a quarterback with him to Chicago to represent Nebraska football at Big Ten Media Days, but he expressed plenty of confidence in the players that make up that room on Thursday.
Two-year starter Dylan Raiola is gone, but newcomer Anthony Colandrea and bounce-back transfer Daniel Kaelin joined sophomore TJ Lateef to give the Huskers three quarterbacks with FBS playing experience.
With nearly 8,700 yards of offense and 61 total touchdowns racked up during his career between Virginia and UNLV, Colandrea is the headliner of the group.
“He’s a great yin to my yang,” Rhule said of the signal caller who hails from St. Petersburg, Fla. “I’m old school, be tough, incrementalist, get better day by day, and he’s got some swagger and some juice that is great to offset me. I can’t wait to watch him play, but I think any of those three guys can start at quarterback for us and can win for us.”
Senior tight end Luke Lindenmeyer, senior center Justin Evans and senior cornerback Andrew Marshall made the trip to Chicago with Rhule. Lindenmeyer is a fan of the way the offense has looked with Colandrea behind center.
“I feel like it’s a lot faster, it’s a lot more speed,” Lindenmeyer said. “He leads that speed very well.”
Nebraska will look to use that speed to get off to a fast start in 2026. Nebraska’s record has improved in each of Rhule’s first three seasons, from five wins to six to seven, but nobody in the program is satisfied with what they’ve accomplished thus far.
“We didn’t come to Nebraska to go 7-6,” Rhule said. “We came to compete for this (trophy), and being here today with teams who’ve won the national championship, it’s inspiring. It speaks to this conference, it speaks to the people that run it, the coaches, and the players that are in it, and we understand that we have to take a step this year.”
One way Nebraska can take the next step is by winning more games in the final stretch of the season. In 2025, the Huskers lost their final three contests, and they haven’t beaten Iowa in the annual regular season finale since 2022.
“For us, we have to be better in November,” Rhule said. “We’ve gotten off to good starts, but champions are made in those winning moments in the cold, on the road, late in the season. Those are championship moments, and for us, we have to excel in those.”
A change in defensive coordinators might help the team in 2026. The Huskers hired Rob Aurich in December after two seasons at San Diego State. Marshall said he wants the group’s identity under Aurich to be “tenacious and relentless.”
“I want them to know that we’re coming after you play in and play out,” Marshall said. “From the first play of the first quarter to the last play of the fourth quarter, we’re going to attack you and you’re going to feel it.”
Marshall is familiar with Aurich as the two spent time together when the latter served as defensive coordinator at Idaho, where the former began his career.
“I’ll be in the facilities, and I’ll walk by his office, and he’s kicked back, got a hat covering his eyes, and he’s sitting there just watching film,” Marshall said. “That tells you just the type of coach he is. He’s going to put his players in a position to achieve. With the guys we have, and the type of mindset he has, he wants to attack you, so you’re going to feel that.”
According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Nebraska ranks third in the country in returning production — seventh on defense and 14th on offense. Rhule will lean on returning starters like Lindenmeyer, Evans and Marshall to help lead the team in 2026.
“They were out there as 19-year-old kids starting for me,” Rhule said. “Now, they’re 22-year-old men, and they have to go exert their will. We will do everything we can to help them along the way.”
The Huskers may need some help as they will face several ranked opponents in 2026. This includes Oregon, Ohio State and reigning national champion Indiana — the top three teams in Cleveland.com preseason Big Ten football poll. Rhule will work to get his team ready with hopes of winning more games late in the season.
“We’ll win in November with our guys up front, we’ll win with a great offensive line, we’ll win with quarterbacks who make plays, receivers who go take that ball,” Rhule said. “We’ll win with Jacory Barney returning a punt for a touchdown. So I don’t think it’s necessarily something different, it’s just doing what we do better than we did it before.”
Nebraska begins fall camp on Wednesday.
