July is the offseason for every Husker sport, but it also has a way of resetting the conversation. The World Cup final is in the books, football camps are getting closer, and the speculation machine is already humming on the basketball side. It’s the stretch of the calendar that invites big dreams and familiar doubts all at once.
And that’s really the mood around Nebraska right now: full-throttle optimism on one side, and the old “do I have to do this again?” feeling on the other. Are you buying in again, or are you bracing for another middling football season?
One thing the Huskers do have going for them is a quarterback who can make something out of nothing. Anthony Colandrea enters the 2026 season on an elite list, sitting ninth among FBS quarterbacks in yards per scramble at 8.8 yards per scramble.
The recruiting board is busy too, especially when it comes to pass-catchers. Nebraska’s push for wideouts and tight ends in the 2027 class continues as it tries to land premium targets for blue-chip quarterback Trae Taylor, though the job is far from finished.
The Huskers are also making noise with younger prospects, including a run at a 2028 four-star tight end as Nebraska works itself into the mix for another top-end recruit.
As fall camp approaches, Nebraska is entering its fourth season with Matt Rhule, and there are still plenty of questions to sort through. Position battles remain unresolved, new coaches are in the picture, and yet there are also a few groups that could help set the tone for the whole team.
That includes a veteran tight end in Lindenmeyer, whose path from walk-on to every-down starter has turned him into one of the offense’s most indispensable pieces. Jacory Barney belongs in that conversation too, with the third-year junior expected to bring the explosives on offense and special teams in 2026.
There’s also a broader theme hanging over the roster: development. In one look at 11 Huskers who could make a difference in 2026, the focus was on players who have been watched and waited on for a breakout.
The question is what has held them back, especially with Rhule’s long-running message that Nebraska wants to be a developmental program. Over the last three years, that hasn’t happened.
Elsewhere in the sports world, Spain climbed back to the top of soccer by beating Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday, with Ferran Torres’ first goal of this year’s World Cup delivering the decisive blow. It was the goal of his life, and it sent Spain to its second title.
Argentina, meanwhile, finally ran into a comeback it couldn’t complete against Spain in East Rutherford, NJ.
And at the British Open, Ryan Fox put together the week of his life. Before this tournament, he had never finished higher than T16 in a major. Then he rolled into Royal Birkdale, stayed clear of the rules drama that had followed the event all week, and won the Claret Jug while also sharing the record for the lowest score in a men’s major round.
In Other News...
Adrian Martinez Is Still Repping Nebraska In A Big Way
Adrian Martinez is spending part of his offseason back in Nebraska, and he is not doing it quietly. The former Cornhusker quarterback has been training alongside former North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton while both prepare for the 2026 NFL season, and the two have even been working out with high school players at Gretna East, turning their own prep into a teaching moment for the next wave of quarterbacks.
For Nebraska fans, it is a familiar sight with a new twist: Martinez still carrying himself like a program ambassador while chasing his next NFL opportunity, and Payton doing the same as he tries to carve out his own place at the pro level. Before the drills began, Martinez also spoke with the Gretna East players about injuries and adversity, a reminder that the path from college standout to NFL roster hopeful is rarely smooth, even for quarterbacks who already know what it means to lead. [Read more 🡒]
PFF Just Sent Nebraska Fans A Big Anthony Colandrea Message
Anthony Colandrea arrives in Lincoln with a rsum that already has Big Ten people paying attention. After a strong 2025 season at UNLV, the former Virginia quarterback is stepping in as Nebraskas starter for 2026, and Pro Football Focus slotted him as the No. 3 quarterback in the conference heading into the year. For a program looking to get more out of its offense, that kind of outside respect matters, especially with Colandreas dual-threat ability giving the Huskers a different kind of presence under center.
The challenge now is turning that promise into production against a much tougher schedule. Colandreas arm and legs both flashed last season, and Nebraska is banking on him to raise the ceiling of the offense, but the margin for error gets thinner in the Big Ten. The biggest question hanging over his season is the one that has followed him before: whether he can keep the ball out of harms way enough to let the rest of the talent around him show up. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Cannot Keep Dodging This Running Back Question Much Longer
Nebraska has spent the better part of the summer with an uncomfortable question hanging over its running back room, and Mekhi Nelsons situation has only made it harder to ignore. Nelson was arrested in Florida on battery charges, then saw prosecutors decline to file charges, but the on-field side of the equation has remained murky as he has not taken part in team activities since the arrest.
The longer the silence lasts, the more it shapes the conversation around a position group that could use clarity before the season starts to take shape. Nebraska is expected to address Nelsons status publicly soon, and with Big Ten Media Days approaching, the program will likely have to explain where things stand and what it means for a depth chart that is already not especially deep behind Emmett Johnson. [Read more 🡒]