Big Ten Media Days are underway in Chicago, and that means football season is finally starting to peek over the horizon. Nebraska’s coaches report Aug. 2, the players follow on Aug. 5, and Fan Day is set for Aug. 8 in Lincoln. With all that comes the same big question hanging over this team: what gets fixed first, and which side of the ball ends up looking most improved by the end of 2026?
For Nebraska, the spotlight lands hard on the Blackshirts - and more specifically, on a linebacker room that has been rebuilt in a major way. Last season’s red zone defense was rough, and quarterbacks found plenty of room to operate against the Huskers.
The run defense gave up 4.8 yards per carry, and opposing quarterbacks ran the ball successfully 30 times against Nebraska. Even the field-goal number - 16 of 19 made against the Cornhuskers - was part of the overall picture, though that one matters less in the bigger defensive conversation.
The encouraging part is that several of those issues look fixable, which helps explain why the linebacker group changed so dramatically this offseason. The top three linebackers appear to be built from the same mold: all three are listed at 6-foot-3 and around 230 pounds.
At the top of that reshaped group is transfer Owen Chambliss, a junior from San Diego State. He looks like the natural bridge into Rob Aurich’s defense, the player most ready to help the others get comfortable with the terminology and the style. Chambliss led the Aztecs with 110 tackles, and Nebraska needs that kind of edge from him.
Another portal addition is Dexter Foster, who came over from Oregon State. Foster is listed at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, and in the seven games he started last year he totaled 52 tackles, including three for loss. In terms of ability, he looks like the next-best piece in the room behind Chambliss.
Nebraska also has a returning piece who should matter a lot: Junior Vincent Shavers Jr. He started every game last season, finished with 61 total tackles and 29 solo tackles, and showed a knack for impact plays.
One example was his forced fumble late in the first half against Cincinnati. That kind of playmaking is exactly what Nebraska needs more of from him.
Then there’s sophomore Dawson Merritt, another returning linebacker who doesn’t always get the same attention but showed real promise before injury cut his season short. He missed November and the bowl game, but the football IQ stood out. That part may not be a surprise, either, since his father is a defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
All of this puts a lot on Nebraska linebacker coach Rob Dvorak. It’s his fourth year with the program, and he has been with Matt Rhule since the Carolina Panthers days.
His track record includes helping turn a walk-on into a player who earned Big Ten honors in 2023 and 2024. Now the expectation is different: Nebraska needs him to get the most out of the starters in this room.
That’s where the real pressure sits for the Blackshirts. Nebraska can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if the linebacker group doesn’t come together, that light could end up looking a lot more like a train coming straight at a defense that can’t get off the tracks. The schedule won’t make things easier, either, with Oregon and Indiana among the teams that will be chasing points for playoff positioning.
For Nebraska, 2026 feels like the right time for the Blackshirts to show real growth. If that happens, this rebuilt linebacker room will be a huge reason why.
In Other News...
Nebraska May Have To Sacrifice Tradition To Stay Relevant
The arms race in college footballs new revenue world keeps nudging tradition into the background, and Nebraska is no exception. After Ohio State landed a jersey patch agreement reportedly worth about $17 million a year with JPMorgan Chase, a deal that may also carry NIL opportunities for athletes, the Cornhuskers are expected to explore a similar path as they look for ways to keep pace in a sport where branding and money now travel together.
For Nebraska, the conversation quickly turns from whether to do it to who could realistically do it. Runza has been floated as the most obvious local fit, while Mutual of Omaha has also come up as a more national option, but the bigger question is whether any partner can bring the kind of financial muscle needed to matter at the top end of the sport. That is where the tension sits for Nebraska, a program with deep identity and loyal support, now weighing how much of that tradition it may have to bend to stay relevant. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Enters A Season That Could Change Everything At USC
Big Ten Media Days are set to put several coaches under the microscope, and Matt Rhule will be one of the names Nebraska followers watch most closely. The Huskers are being mentioned in the same breath as Maryland, Wisconsin and USC in a broader look at coaches facing pressure entering the 2026 season, which says plenty about how much the next year matters in Lincoln.
Rhule has not done enough yet to quiet the noise, and Nebraska fans are still waiting for the kind of steady winning run that changes the tone around the program. His future will be judged by whether the Huskers can take a real step forward this fall, with the bar set at more than seven wins and the sense growing that the margin for error is getting smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas New Receiver Sees Something In Lincoln Fans Will Love
Kwazi Gilmers move from UCLA to Nebraska came with the kind of pitch that tends to resonate in Lincoln: a program with a big-stage feel, strong support around the team and a receivers coach he believes can help unlock his next step. Gilmer pointed to Daikiel Shorts as a major influence in his decision, and the fit makes sense for a pass catcher looking for a clearer path to growth after changing schools.
Gilmer also arrives with a quarterback situation he feels good about, saying he has confidence in Anthony Colandrea as he settles in with the Huskers. For Nebraska, that matters because the transfer is not just talking about opportunity, but about a place where he expects to develop and contribute right away, with the kind of fan backing and facility support that can make a new start feel a little bigger. [Read more 🡒]