Nebraska is about three weeks from kicking off the 2026 season, and after Saturday’s scrimmage, there’s already a clearer picture of what this team might be. Matt Rhule said the Huskers ran about 120 plays, and the second week of fall camp has brought a few themes into focus: this group looks deeper, older and a lot more settled than the one that limped to the finish of 2025.
That matters because Nebraska closed last season on a three-game skid, the kind of finish that rattled a fan base that was already running on fumes. Rhule has spent the offseason reshaping the staff, adding two offensive line coaches, a new defensive line coach, a new EDGE coach and a new defensive coordinator.
He also dipped into the transfer portal to patch holes and raise the ceiling. On paper, this has the feel of his strongest Nebraska team yet.
Rhule seems to believe that, too. He has said this is his best team at Nebraska, and the Big Ten Network essentially echoed that sentiment during its stop in Lincoln on the fall camp tour.
The schedule is still the big obstacle, but the roster itself looks like it has a real chance to move the needle. Nine or 10 wins still feels like a steep climb.
Seven or eight wins is a much more realistic target, and even that would count as meaningful progress.
Up front, Nebraska appears to have made the kind of jump fans have been waiting for. Everybody seems to agree the offensive line will be better, from Rhule and Dana Holgorsen to local observers and outside evaluators like Phil Steele.
Geep Wade added three portal starters who arrived with nearly 60 combined starts from the Big 12 and SEC, and that kind of experience matters. Rhule also said Gunnar Gottula is playing the best football of his life.
If he wins a starting job, so be it. Nebraska needs its best five - or maybe best eight or nine by the end of the year - and this line finally feels like it has some depth.
There’s also more confidence in the backfield than the public seems to have. Holgorsen joked that Nebraska was going to bring in two more transfer portal running backs this week, but the point underneath the joke was clear: the outside worry about the room is bigger than the internal concern.
Tikey Hayes was a good pickup, but he won’t have to carry the load. Jamal Rule is going to play.
Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson showed what they can do in the Las Vegas Bowl, and Holgorsen made it clear he trusts the whole group. He even singled out Rule’s pass protection, which is often the last box a freshman has to check before earning meaningful snaps.
At quarterback, Anthony Colandrea has already made an impression. Holgorsen said Colandrea surprised him with how well he processes defenses, and he called him the fastest quarterback he’s ever seen.
That combination changes the conversation around the offense. Last season, plenty of the blame fell on the line, or on Dylan Raiola’s lack of mobility, but Holgorsen’s comments suggest processing speed was just as big a problem.
Colandrea brings a different profile: he can run, he can throw, and he can read what’s in front of him.
Defensively, Rob Aurich looks like a strong fit for the job. The biggest knock on him from Nebraska fans is probably that he comes from the Mountain West, but the results speak for themselves.
His defense improved from 97th in scoring to 6th in his first season in that role, and at Idaho he cut the scoring average by a touchdown in his first year as defensive coordinator. Now he gets better players, and Nebraska is betting he can do what John Butler struggled to do in 2025: put those players in the right spots and help them play up to their ability.
In Other News...
Emmett Johnson Showed Chiefs Fans Why Nebraska Believed In Him
Emmett Johnson got his first real preseason spotlight with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the former Nebraska running back gave plenty of reason to think he belongs on an NFL roster. In the Chiefs' opening preseason game, the late 2026 draft pick started at running back and handled 12 carries for 59 yards while adding three catches for 10 yards, showing the kind of versatility that made Nebraska believe in him in the first place.
The box score did not capture every bit of his day, either, with some key runs wiped out by penalties and a touchdown run coming off the board. Even so, Johnson looked like a back who could grow into a useful role behind Kenneth Walker III, and he admitted afterward that pass protection is still an area he needs to sharpen. For a player trying to carve out a place in a crowded backfield, that next step may matter just as much as the burst and balance he already brought to the field. [Read more 🡒]
Former Nebraska Standout Put His NFL Push On Hold For One Reason
Ceyair Wrights NFL push hit pause during Bengals fall camp when the former Nebraska standout stepped away to chase an acting opportunity. Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor confirmed the move and said it was not an easy decision for Wright, whose path has long included both football and acting.
Wright is no stranger to the screen, with prior work that includes Space Jam 2 and Grown-ish, and he has made it clear he wants to keep both doors open. For now, the timing is set by the project in front of him, with a return to football expected after filming wraps in October. [Read more 🡒]