Paul Mubenga hasn’t needed long to feel settled at Nebraska, and the reason goes well beyond just recognizing a couple of faces.
The LSU transfer says the Huskers’ offensive line has already taken on the feel of a group that’s been together for years, and that kind of comfort has come from the way the room operates every day.
“As of now, everything just clicks. I can talk to them. They can correct me, I can correct them and that's the only way I want it,” Mubenga said of the Husker offensive line.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea has played a part in building that chemistry, too.
“A quarterback that always takes us out. Make sure we eat together.
And as an O-line group, we always do something together,” Mubenga said. “That bond made us easily feel like we've been here four years.
That's really something that you don't see in a lot of places, but definitely here it was emphasized from Day 1.”
The easiest connection for Mubenga, though, has been with left tackle Elijah Pritchett, a relationship that was already in place before Mubenga got to Lincoln. The two knew each other from Pritchett’s time at Alabama, and their link grew quickly during Mubenga’s portal visit. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen even joked he had never heard Pritchett talk, then said that night they couldn’t get him to shut up.
For Mubenga, that familiarity matters because it comes with a competitive edge.
“Then coming here, it feels like home having somebody that pushes me as well. He knows what we can do together,” Mubenga said.
“It didn't feel like I came into a strange situation. It just felt like it was home coming into guys who obviously elevate me as a player and push me to the best of my ability.”
That same idea - no egos, but plenty of pressure to keep getting better - has been the constant message around this Nebraska team.
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