Nebraska football is about to get back to work, and fall camp should tell us plenty about where this team really stands.
The Huskers report in 15 days, with camp opening on July 31st and the 2026 season not far behind. Even this late in the process, Nebraska is still tweaking the roster.
This week, the Huskers added Tikey Hayes, a former four-star recruit who signed with Penn State out of high school. Hayes logged only three carries last season for 18 yards, but he was essentially third on the depth chart behind two NFL running backs.
That addition only sharpens the biggest question in the backfield: what does the running back room actually look like now?
Hayes could walk in and push for a major role, as some fans and analysts, including Steve Sipple, have suggested. He’s not the only one in the mix, though.
Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee also arrive with limited experience, Jamal Rule is a freshman, and those four feel like the leading names. Kwinten Ives shouldn’t be forgotten either, even if he often is.
Nelson’s situation remains a key part of the conversation. The charges against him were dropped, though that does not guarantee there won’t be any punishment.
If he is cleared to play this season, he still looks like the best back on the roster in my book. Rule, Nelson, Hayes, and Mozee should all see the field, but the bulk of the carries still feels likely to go to Rule and Nelson.
Hayes, though, could make the whole thing more interesting. And there’s another layer here: every running back on the roster except Ives will have at least three seasons left.
Quarterback is another spot that could get a lot more interesting once camp starts. Most people have already penciled in Anthony Colandrea as the starter, but Matt Rhule has not gone that far. When he recently talked about the athleticism in the quarterback room, he mentioned Lateef, not just Colandrea.
Lateef did not appear to take a major step in the spring, but spring ball and fall camp are different animals. The first week will matter. The real question is whether Lateef or Daniel Kaelin can turn this into an actual competition instead of a simple handoff.
Special teams also deserves a close look after a notable offseason change. Mike Ekeler’s departure was one of the more controversial developments of the year. Rhule offered him a job as one of the highest-paid special teams coaches in the country, but Ekeler left for USC instead.
Now Brett Maher and Nick Humphrey are in charge, with Maher serving as special teams coordinator and Humphrey as co-coordinator. Maher was the assistant special teams coach last season, while Humphrey worked as an analyst.
The unit still has some reasons for optimism, with Jacory Barney earning preseason All-American honors, the punter and kicker returning, and Jack Willis arriving as one of the best long-snappers in the portal. Even so, the coaching setup has to hold steady.
In a season where the margins are razor-thin, that third phase of the game matters a lot.
Up front, Nebraska has another major issue to settle: can the offensive line finally be respectable?
Last season’s sack numbers were ugly. Not every one of them was on the line, but enough were.
It was a bad look. Only two starters are expected back, Elijah Pritchett and Justin Evans.
Evans was named a Fourth-Team Preseason All-American and, according to Pro Football Focus, the top-rated center returning.
There are still pieces to work with. Brendan Black has over 30 starts at Iowa State.
Paul Mubenga and Tree Babalade have combined for 26 career starts, with at least 11 each. Geep Wade should also provide a real upgrade, just as he upgraded three starting spots with transfer portal additions.
If Nebraska wants to raise its win total, better quarterback play has to come with better line play. That part of the equation should be addressed this season.
The defense, meanwhile, is supposed to get back to what Nebraska under Matt Rhule usually looks like.
Rhule’s teams have generally defended well. The Huskers finished 17th in scoring defense in 2024 and 13th in 2023.
Then came the drop-off under John Butler, when the personnel fit never really clicked. That led to the hiring of Rob Aurich, who brings a reputation as a bright mind.
Phil Steele also gave Nebraska high marks.
Aurich has already shown he can reshape a defense, doing it at San Diego State and Idaho. This Nebraska unit is also one of the most experienced in the country, which should help it absorb the new scheme.
Fall camp will matter a lot there, too. Nebraska needs to hit the ground running.
North Dakota has a better offense than many people realize, and Maryland and Indiana quarterbacks will challenge the Huskers early in Big Ten play. The teaching and installation in camp will be critical.
If Nebraska is going to reach eight wins, getting the defense back to form will be a major reason why.
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Scott Frost Nebraska Feud Takes Another Bitter Turn In Court
A Lincoln judge has kept part of Scott Frosts lawsuit against the University of Nebraska alive, allowing the former Cornhuskers coach to continue pressing his claim over the way the school handled his buyout payments for tax purposes. The dispute centers on Nebraska including his 2025 and 2026 buyout money on his 2022 W-2, a move Frost says put him in a difficult position over income he had not yet received.
Frost is seeking $5 million in damages, and the case now moves forward with the university still in it after the court declined to throw out the entire matter. The judge did not grant Frosts request for declaratory relief at this stage, leaving the broader fight unresolved as the feud between Frost and his former employer shifts deeper into court. [Read more 🡒]
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The list does not stop there. Xavier Watts, another Nebraska high school product, developed into a decorated safety at Notre Dame, while Ernest Hausmanns path was even more complicated after he initially signed with Nebraska and later moved on. Hausmanns rise elsewhere only adds to the frustration for Husker fans, because these are the kinds of homegrown players Nebraska has long needed to keep close. [Read more 🡒]