This week’s Nebraska conversation starts with a simple but slippery question: if you had to pick the single best “football player” on the roster, who gets the nod?
That’s not the same thing as ranking the most valuable players right now, and it’s not just a draft exercise either. The idea is broader than that.
Think more along the lines of who you’d want to clone, then plug into the lineup and tweak as needed. It’s as much about mentality and toughness as it is about talent.
After Nebraska’s first game, a handful of names jump out immediately. Luke Lindenmeyer, Jamir Conn, Jamal Rule, Anthony Colandrea and Justin Evans all make a strong case.
Lindenmeyer, for one, turned in what was described as the best tight end performance in both Matt Rhule and Dana Holgorsen’s careers. He piled up 16 knock downs, hauled in two passes for first downs and looked every bit like a future NFL tight end.
Rhule had high praise for Conn, too. “He’s an absolute lion.
If you could put his heart into every other player you would never think twice. He just competes on everything.
He ran down on kickoff. He was on the punt return team.
He was on the punt team. He played a lot of snaps at safety.
He’s the guy that tipped the pass on the interception…He’s my type of player.”
Rule’s early showing also put him squarely in the mix. He already looks like he could be the next great Nebraska running back, and some believe he may even be in the race to break Ahman Green’s freshman rushing record for the program.
Colandrea brings a different kind of appeal. He looks like a gamer, the sort of player who will make mistakes along the way but never seems to shy from competition.
Evans deserves mention as well. He has the highest back squat on the team and drew the most single-digit jersey votes for an offensive lineman that Rhule has ever seen. Those votes came from teammates, and Rhule even told them not to vote for offensive linemen because of the jersey-number issue.
Still, the writer’s pick lands on Janiran Bonner. The memory that keeps coming back is how visibly upset Dana Holgorsen was when Bonner suffered a season-ending injury last year.
The coaches don’t even pin him down to one position; they’ve said he is his own position. He blocks well, he has a gadget-player feel to him, and that combination makes him look like a great football player.
Elsewhere around Nebraska, Jamal Rule’s upside and Owen Chambliss’ potential return are part of this week’s 3-2-1 column, which also digs into what both could mean for the Huskers moving forward.
The recruiting trail is busy, too. Chicago Mount Carmel receiver Marshaun Thornton, the nation’s No. 11 receiver and Rivals300’s No. 62 prospect overall, told Rivals he’ll be at Nebraska this weekend for the Huskers’ night game against Bowling Green. He headlines a visitor list that gives Matt Rhule and Nebraska a strong chance to make an impression.
And on the staff side, Jamar Mozee says the job may have a different title now, but the heart of it hasn’t changed. “The relationship piece is still the relationship piece,” Mozee said Wednesday on the Nebraska Football Coaches Show. “How you treat the players and how they respect you and how you respect them will always be important.”
In Other News...
Nebraskas Defense Gets A Key Return At The Perfect Time
A timely boost is coming back to Nebraskas defense in Week 2, with Owen Chambliss confirmed to rejoin the lineup just as the Cornhuskers look to clean up some early communication issues. The linebacker arrives with real credentials, having been a First-Team All-Conference pick in the Mountain West, and his presence should give the unit a steadier middle as the season settles in.
What makes Chambliss especially valuable is the role he can play beyond making tackles. He will wear the defensive headset, a sign Nebraska wants his voice helping direct traffic and cut down on assignment mistakes, while also leaning on his pass rush, coverage and quarterback-containment ability. For a defense still finding its rhythm, getting that kind of all-around presence back now could make a noticeable difference. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Is Using This Weekend To Shape Rhules Next Few Classes
Nebraska is spending this game weekend in Lincoln the way a program trying to build something sustainable should, by getting an unusually large group of young recruits on campus and letting them see the place up close. The visitors include committed players from the 2027 class, along with a wide mix of prospects from the 2028, 2029 and 2030 classes, giving the staff a chance to introduce the next wave of targets to the environment before the process ever gets serious.
For Matt Rhules staff, the point is less about immediate decisions and more about laying groundwork that can pay off years from now. These kinds of weekends matter because they help establish relationships early, and Nebraska is clearly using the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve with players who are still a long way from signing day. [Read more 🡒]
Mac Markways Nebraska Exit Reveals Footballs Hardest Reality
For Nebraska, Mac Markways exit is a reminder that roster movement is only part of the grind in college football. The defensive tackle, who began his career at LSU before transferring to Lincoln, said persistent knee injuries kept him from playing at the level he expected, and after battling through multiple injuries he appeared in just one game this season.
Matt Rhule noted in a recent news conference that Markway still has a role around the program, which says plenty about the kind of presence he brought even when he could not stay on the field. It is the hardest part of the sport for a team to absorb and for a player to accept: when the body no longer lets the career keep pace with the ambition. [Read more 🡒]