Nebraska’s quarterback room may still be sorting itself out, but Anthony Colandrea sounds like a player who already likes what he sees around him.
The UNLV transfer, who has 33 collegiate starts on his resume, is the early favorite to win the Huskers’ starting job when fall camp opens. And on Tuesday morning, he made it clear he’s not just comfortable with the new surroundings - he’s downright bullish on the group in front of him and the weapons behind it.
The strongest praise came for Nebraska’s offensive line, a unit that has been reshaped since last season. The Huskers were sacked 33 times in 13 games a year ago, one of the factors that led to the firing of the offensive line coach.
Now, with three transfer additions plus the return of Elijah Pritchett and Justin Evans, Nebraska is projecting a starting five that has combined for 108 collegiate starts. Size isn’t an issue, either: none of the projected starters is listed smaller than 6-foot-2, 315 pounds.
Colandrea didn’t sound interested in soft-pedaling that group.
"They're elite," he said. "Those guys are the real deal. It's the best five I've ever been behind, so I'm super excited to play with them."
He also pointed to the way the group fits together, which has been a recurring theme around the program all offseason.
"The biggest thing is they play together," he said. "They play together in the pass game and the run game. It looks like they've been playing for years, but all of them are new."
That same confidence carried over to Nebraska’s pass-catchers. Three players on the 2026 roster caught more than 40 passes last season, and Colandrea had no trouble naming the targets he expects to lean on.
"Those guys are studs," Colandrea said. "I'm excited.
Quinn (Clark), Kwazi (Gilmer), Jacory (Barney), Nyziah (Hunter). All of those guys can go make plays."
Those four have already put together a substantial body of work, combining for 269 receptions, 3,138 receiving yards, and 22 touchdowns. If Colandrea can get them the ball consistently, Nebraska should have a chance to create explosive plays.
His own game has a couple of obvious reference points, too. Asked who he models himself after, Colandrea named two quarterbacks who made their mark with playmaking flair.
"I always watched Johnny Manziel," Colandrea said. "And Baker Mayfield.
Those are like the two guys that I've always watched. Other than that, I just try to be myself."
That makes sense when you look at what he did at UNLV. Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns there, while also adding 649 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground. Nebraska is clearly hoping that ability to create outside structure carries over.
The challenge, of course, is that the Big Ten is not the Mountain West. Colandrea said the difference jumps out on film, especially in coverage.
"The Mountain West and the Big Ten, it's a whole different ball game," he said. "They have way better players.
So, I think they do a lot of different looks. A lot of teams can just run man (coverage).
In the Mountain West you're usually seeing a lot of zone looks, but in the Big Ten, really what you're going to get is just man."
He’s also getting comfortable with Dana Holgorsen, Nebraska’s second-year offensive coordinator, who brings 33 years of collegiate coaching experience and two head-coaching stops to the table. Colandrea said the relationship has already started to take shape.
"He's awesome," Colandrea said. "He gives me a lot of freedom with the offense to get into different plays versus different looks. I'm excited to build a relationship even more with him during camp."
There’s also the question of whether Colandrea could get another year of college football because of a recent ruling. For now, though, he says his focus isn’t drifting.
"I think it's awesome," Colandrea said. "But at the end of the day, my mindset is still the same. Just go out there and help my team win games."
That’s the kind of answer Nebraska fans will probably like hearing from the quarterback who may end up steering the offense this fall. For the moment, Colandrea is looking straight ahead to 2026.
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