Nebraska’s first official depth chart of 2026 didn’t blow the doors off the room, but it did clarify a few battles that mattered most heading into Saturday’s opener against Ohio.
The cleanest takeaway came up front on offense. Gunnar Gottula is the No. 1 right tackle, and Nebraska didn’t attach an “OR” to his name.
Tree Babalade sits behind him, with Preston Taumua also listed in the mix. Babalade arrived through the portal with plenty of experience and looked like a strong candidate to win the job, but Gottula has emerged as the veteran who got there first.
After missing nearly half of last season and spring ball because of a knee injury, he has taken control of the spot.
There’s also movement on the left side. Freshman Hayden Ainsworth is listed as an “OR” with Taumua behind starter Elijah Pritchett.
Taumua is in his third year in the program, so Ainsworth already pushing him is notable. It also reinforces the depth Nebraska is building on the offensive line, and it would not be a shock if the freshman works his way onto the field early if his progress continues.
Defensive tackle offered another interesting read. Owen Stoudmire is listed as a starter, with Riley Van Poppel behind him.
On the other side, Jahsear Whittington is the starter ahead of “ORs” Tyson Terry and Sua Lefotu. Van Poppel is in his fourth season and has three career starts, so there was a real chance he would grab a starting job.
Instead, the sixth-year transfer from Boston College has earned the spot, which makes Stoudmire’s presence at the top less of a surprise. The next question is whether Van Poppel can keep climbing once the games begin.
The biggest eyebrow-raiser on defense is at defensive end, where Cameron Lenhardt is listed ahead of Williams Nwaneri. Lenhardt has 13 career starts, including seven last season, while Nwaneri started nine games for Nebraska in 2025.
That makes this one worth a second look. Nwaneri arrived with serious buzz after a season at Missouri, so seeing him behind Lenhardt stands out.
But it also reflects how much Lenhardt may have improved. In his fourth year in the program, he has already shown he can produce, and for now Nebraska has him at the top.
Quarterback is settled at the top with UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea as the starter. The bigger open question is QB2, where TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin are listed as “ORs.”
That battle matters because if anything happens to Colandrea, one of them will have to take over and run the offense. For now, Nebraska still has time to sort it out, and that competition figures to carry into the early part of the season.
Elsewhere, the depth chart shows a number of jobs still up for grabs. Three players remain in the running at running back.
Cornerback, safety, linebacker and placekicker all have an “OR” at the top. Lower on the chart, there are more “ORs” at tight end, wide receiver and defensive end.
That doesn’t necessarily signal trouble this early in the year. It just means Nebraska has a lot of players still fighting for starting roles and snaps.
Overall, the first official look lines up pretty well with what had been expected after fall camp. The main things to watch now are whether Ainsworth keeps pushing, whether Lenhardt and Stoudmire can hang onto their jobs, and who wins the quarterback backup battle.
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