When Nebraska’s offense goes sideways this fall, Anthony Colandrea may be the guy who keeps the whole thing from crashing.
That’s the angle college football analyst J.D. Pickell is taking on the Huskers’ new quarterback.
He’s not focused on whether Colandrea can light it up when everything is clean and the play goes exactly as designed. He’s focused on what happens when it isn’t.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Pickell argued that Nebraska is not going to simply out-scheme every team it sees, especially with the schedule bringing plenty of perennial College Football Playoff teams into the mix. The real edge, he said, might come after the structure breaks down.
“It's not realistic to think that Nebraska is just going to be able to out-scheme everybody they play. It'd be nice, it'd be ideal, but understand now, like, if scheme is equal, and their personnel is better... You have to find ways to take some ground,” Pickell said.
He then zeroed in on the moments that decide games when the plan falls apart.
“And to me, that ground you would take is when the play breaks down, they call the right blitz, and you have the wrong protection. Can Anthony Colandrea create something out of nothing?
And it sounds kind of cliche, but I just, I think it's the truth. And it's quite frankly, something that Dylan Raiola wasn't doing for you.”
Pickell later doubled down on the same idea, saying, “Like, if the DC won pre-snap against Nebraska with pressure, you were not going to be able to get the play started.”
He also made sure to say this was not a shot at Raiola. Pickell said he believes Raiola can succeed in the right setting and could be a good fit for Oregon. But for Nebraska, he sees Colandrea as the quarterback more likely to survive chaos and turn broken plays into something useful.
“ Colandrea will at least give you a chance when those plays break down. And I'm really excited to see what that looks like, man, because, again, I feel good about what that can mean for their football team.”
Colandrea’s recent season offered a clear picture of why that belief exists. In 2025 with UNLV, he completed 65% of his passes for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also added 649 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
What stands out is that the rushing production wasn’t just a product of more opportunities. Colandrea had one fewer carry than he did at Virginia in 2024, but still finished with 400 more yards.
That’s the kind of off-schedule value Nebraska is hoping for. Raiola’s time at the helm sometimes made the offense look almost too carefully managed, with the quarterback appearing hesitant and caught overthinking mistakes. Colandrea may bring more risk, but the Huskers are betting that the extra danger comes with enough splash plays - including some that happen when the play doesn’t unfold the way it was drawn up - to make the trade worth it.
In Other News...
Nebraska Faces A High-Stakes Flip Battle As QB Buzz Explodes
Nebraskas recruiting board is getting a lot of attention right now, and not just because of the class the Huskers already have in hand. Quarterback commit Trae Taylor has been one of the biggest names in the cycle, and his rise has only sharpened the spotlight on Nebraskas broader pitch to elite prospects. A commitment like Taylors gives the program a headliner at the most important position, which matters when the staff is trying to build momentum with other top targets.
The bigger test is whether Nebraska can keep that momentum from turning into a tug-of-war, especially with other schools circling the same commitments and trying to change the conversation late. Taylors profile has only grown after a standout spring on the camp circuit, and Nebraska has been active in pursuing more talent on both sides of the ball to match that energy. With recruiting traffic picking up fast, the Huskers are suddenly operating in the kind of high-stakes environment where every relationship counts. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Wont Like What These New Blackshirts Ratings Suggest
EA Sports College Football 27 has started rolling out its ratings, and Nebraskas initial numbers give fans plenty to debate before the game even launches. The Huskers landed an 83 overall and checked in 24th nationally, with the big bright spot coming up front at center, where Justin Evans earned a 91 and a place among the games best at his position. On defense, transfer linebacker Owen Chambliss leads the way for Nebraska with an 89, but the early batch of ratings already hints at a unit still waiting for broader respect.
What may sting more for Nebraska supporters is how the Blackshirts are being viewed as a whole. No Husker defender cracked the top-tier player lists, and that kind of omission tends to fuel the same preseason conversation every year: whether the talent is being overlooked or whether the roster still has to prove it on the field. Even the programs home-field edge got a quieter treatment this time, with Memorial Stadium left out of the games initial toughest places to play list again. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Are Reconsidering One Uniform Change They Hated
Nebraskas new uniforms for the 2026 season did not get much love when they were first unveiled, with plenty of fans reacting as if the school had stepped too far outside its comfort zone. But the backlash started to ease once the look was shown in a sneak peek of EA Sports College Football 27, where the digital version seemed to land a little better than the real-life reveal did.
The universitys early look at the Huskers entrance and gameplay inside the game also gave fans more to talk about, from the presentation to the way the uniforms fit into the full Nebraska experience. Some supporters still are not sold, while others seem willing to give the new look a chance, which is usually how these things go when a traditional program changes something this visible. [Read more 🡒]