With Nebraska’s 2026 season only days from getting underway, the search is on for the players who could go from overlooked to essential in a hurry. Every roster has a few of those names - the guys who don’t start the year as fan favorites, but by the middle of the season everyone is asking how the team would survive without them.
Anthony Colandrea, Kwazi Gilmer and Jacory Barney are not part of that conversation. Those players have already broken out for Nebraska and are expected to deliver big seasons. The focus here is on the quieter candidates, the ones plenty of fans may barely register until they start making plays.
One of the clearest possibilities is Jamir Conn. After transferring to Lincoln last year from Southern Illinois, where he spent two seasons at the FCS level, Conn wasn’t on the field enough to become a full-time force in the secondary.
Still, he found a way to matter. He played in all 13 games in 2025, finished with 10 tackles, a half tackle for loss, one pass breakup and two blocked punts, and ranked second in the nation with two blocked kicks.
Now he enters the season as one of the starting safeties next to either Dwayne McDougle or Rex Guthrie, and unlike a lot of Nebraska’s defensive backfield, his spot doesn’t come with an “or” attached. He’s had a strong lead-in to the season, and the setup is there for a real breakout.
Quinn Clark brings a different kind of intrigue. Nebraska fans have long liked the frame and upside of the receiver, especially with the way he could threaten defenses in the red zone.
But the numbers haven’t caught up to the buzz just yet. Clark, the son of former Husker running back Ken Clark, has only 5 career catches for 132 yards.
That said, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said earlier this week that Clark has “come miles” from where he was when Holgorsen first got to Lincoln. Holgorsen also noted that Clark is officially a backup, but there are packages where he’ll be the top target.
That kind of usage could put him on the path to a much bigger 2026.
Then there’s Cam Lenhardt, who feels like he’s been on breakout watch forever. This is the fourth straight year he’s entered a season with the look of a player ready to take off, and the production still hasn’t matched the promise.
As a freshman in 2023, Lenhardt posted 16 tackles and 3 sacks. In each of the last two seasons, he had just one sack.
Now the fourth-year senior gets another shot, this time in a 4-2-5 scheme that could reduce the attention he draws off the edge compared with the 3-3-5 looks he’s played in throughout his career. Lenhardt is listed as a starter opposite 5th-year Anthony Jones Jr., and Nebraska is hoping the two of them can spend plenty of time around the quarterback in 2026.
In Other News...
Matt Rhule Just Set The Standard For Nebraska Year 4
Matt Rhule is heading into his fourth season at Nebraska with the kind of perspective that usually comes only after a full rebuild has been lived through, not simply talked about. The comparison to Fred Hoibergs fourth year on the basketball side is hard to miss, especially with both coaches taking over programs that needed major repair and then being asked to steady them in front of a restless fan base.
Troy Dannen has already made clear how difficult the football job looked when Rhule arrived, describing the program as fairly well broken, and Rhule has acknowledged the weight that comes with that reality. He has also pointed to Hoibergs perseverance as something he respects and can draw from, while making it clear the next step for his team is to finish better in late-season games and turn the rebuild into something that lasts. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Season Opener Puts Immediate Pressure On A New-Look Backfield
Nebraskas backfield will be one of the first real tests of the 2026 season, and the opener against Ohio arrives with both programs trying to reload on the ground. The Huskers have to move on from All-American Emmett Johnson, while Ohio is also reshaping its rushing attack after losing Sieh Bangura and the ground production Parker Navarro brought at quarterback. It is the kind of early matchup that can say plenty about how quickly a team has plugged a major roster hole.
For Nebraska, the intrigue is in who actually carries the load. Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee and true freshman Jamal Rule are the leading options, but none has entered college as a featured running back, which makes the first few weeks especially important. Ohio has more continuity with Duncan Brune back after meaningful playing time last season and UConn transfer Victor Rosa in the mix, so the Huskers new-look group may have to grow up fast if they want to keep pace in a game that could hinge on which backfield settles first. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Lindenmeyer Is Pushing For A Bigger Final Husker Role
Luke Lindenmeyer is heading into his final season at Nebraska with a clear sense of purpose, and it starts with the little things. The senior tight end has been working on his stiff-arm technique while also building chemistry with quarterback Anthony Colandrea, part of a larger push to make himself more useful in a Huskers offense that wants to become more explosive. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has challenged the tight ends to raise their level, and Lindenmeyer has taken that as a cue to sharpen his game rather than settle into a familiar role.
For Nebraska, the interest goes beyond one player adding polish to his skill set. Lindenmeyer is trying to do more than just fill snaps in his last run through the program, aiming instead to bring leadership and a steadier presence to a group that needs it. If that work translates, the Huskers could get more from the tight end position at a time when every bit of offensive growth matters, and Lindenmeyer's final season might end up carrying a larger imprint than expected. [Read more 🡒]