The 2026 Nebraska football season is closing in, and with recruiting for the 2027 class mostly wrapped up, attention is shifting to fall camp and the battles that will shape the Huskers’ year.
The biggest questions are spread across both sides of the ball, but a few spots stand out above the rest. Here are five position groups that could have the biggest impact on Nebraska’s season.
At quarterback, the job looks like Anthony Colandrea’s to lose, even if TJ Lateef is still in the conversation. Matt Rhule pointed to both passers when discussing what he likes about the room, but Lateef would need a huge camp to really force the issue.
There’s also the usual sophomore-year jump to consider, and while Lateef didn’t make that leap this spring, a strong fall could change the picture. Colandrea, the former Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, was not ranked by one college football expert among the top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten, so Nebraska will need him to beat expectations if the Huskers are going to do the same.
The running back room has become even more interesting with Mekhi Nelson’s arrest throwing things into flux. That makes Jamal Rule’s push for the starting job more important than ever.
Isaiah Mozee also has a real chance to factor in after a productive small sample last season, when he posted 270 total yards on 40 touches and averaged 4.4 yards per rush on 26 carries. Mozee has added bulk, and the former four-star recruit came to Nebraska as a wide receiver before making the switch.
Rule looks more like the lead-back type, while Mozee and Rhule could form a strong 1-2 punch. If Nelson is still around, he and Rule could be one of the better rushing tandems in the Big Ten - but that remains uncertain because of Nelson’s legal issues.
Tight end is another spot where Nebraska needs more answers. Luke Lindenmeyer was a bright spot last season, finishing with 29 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, the Huskers need more than one reliable option here. Carter Nelson, a former top-100 commitment, has not produced much over his first two seasons, and injuries played a part in 2025.
He did catch a touchdown in 2024 and contribute on special teams, but the TE2 role is far from settled. Freshman Luke Sorensen is pushing for it, bringing solid blocking and more receiving ability than he’s often credited for.
Sorensen could eventually take over Lindenmeyer’s traditional tight end role, while Nelson may still fit as a move tight end if he can make an impact as both a receiver and blocker this season.
On the edge, Nebraska needs more pressure. The Huskers’ top four pass rushers combined for only eight sacks last season, and that simply won’t cut it.
The move to the 4-2-5 under Rob Aurich is expected to help the pass defense, but the bigger issue remains getting after the quarterback. Matt Rhule has said Nebraska has to affect opposing quarterbacks, and that hasn’t happened enough.
Williams Nwaneri, Kade Pietrzak, Anthony Jones, and Cameron Lenhardt should all see plenty of snaps, but Nebraska needs at least one or two of them to become dependable threats in the backfield.
Linebacker may not have as many snaps available, but it could still matter a lot because of the depth Nebraska has assembled. The Huskers added three transfer linebackers to a group of highly touted recruits, and that depth could be valuable with Owen Chambliss dealing with a toe injury.
Vincent Shavers took another step last season, finishing with 61 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and a sack, and he looks like a player moving toward All-Big Ten status. Dexter Foster is another name to watch after two seasons at Oregon State, where he played in 19 games with 11 starts and totaled 95 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and one pass breakup.
He’s one of the more underrated players on the roster. Nebraska needs three or four linebackers to emerge here, because getting by with only two over a Big Ten season won’t be enough.
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Nebraska Just Hit A Recruiting Mark Husker Fans Rarely See
Nebraskas 2027 recruiting class has given Husker fans something they have not seen much of in recent years: a group with real national weight. Rivals currently has the class at No. 18 with 22 verbal commitments, and the headliners already give it a different look, with a five-star quarterback, a top safety and a highly regarded interior lineman among the pledges.
For a program still trying to turn recruiting momentum into sustained on-field progress under Matt Rhule, the bigger question is what comes next. Nebraska has been here before with classes that looked promising on paper, and the difference between a strong cycle and a meaningful one will come down to keeping this group together and developing it once it arrives in Lincoln. [Read more 🡒]
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Nebraskas push on the recruiting trail still has some real momentum, even as the offseason conversation around the offense turns more skeptical. Five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson remains in the mix for the Huskers after spending time around the program, and his comments about the coaching staff and the way Nebraska has handled his recruitment suggest this is not a done deal for LSU by any stretch.
The appeal appears to go beyond a quick pitch, with Hudson pointing to the relationships Nebraska has built with him and his family and the consistency of that approach. At the same time, the quarterback side of the picture is drawing less confidence, since expected starter Anthony Colandrea was left out of Ari Wassermans top 10 Big Ten quarterback rankings, a reminder that Nebraska still has questions to answer even as it tries to land a premier target. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhules Biggest Nebraska Gamble Might Decide Everything
Matt Rhule sounds more confident about Nebraskas offensive line than he has in a while, and it is easy to see why. The Huskers have leaned into experience up front, bringing in a group of transfers to stabilize a unit that has been a season-long concern, while also turning the coaching job over to Geep Wade, a fresh voice tasked with sorting out the details and getting the group ready for a demanding fall.
The projected five gives Nebraska a mix of size, pedigree and urgency, with several Power Four newcomers expected to anchor the line and a handful of others pushing for snaps behind them. But the real test is not just whether the starters look the part in August, it is whether the Huskers can keep enough bodies ready when the schedule starts taking a toll, because Rhule has already lived through what happens when that room gets thin. [Read more 🡒]