With Nebraska’s 2026 preseason camp less than a week away, the Huskers sent three players to Big Ten Media Days on Thursday: Andrew Marshall, Justin Evans and Luke Lindenmeyer. All three came from modest starts - Marshall as an Idaho transfer, Evans as a two-star recruit and Lindenmeyer as a walk-on - and all three now stand as major pieces for Nebraska.
Lindenmeyer, in particular, drew attention after Matt Rhule labeled the tight end the “definition of grit” and said he had the ceiling to become one of the “best tight ends” in the country. After starting for Nebraska in 2025, Lindenmeyer caught 29 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He enters 2026 as the clear TE1, carrying real expectations into the season.
Speaking with Avarie Howard of Hail Varsity, Lindenmeyer made it clear he likes the shape of Nebraska’s tight end room. “We can do it all, from Eric Ingwerson, Luke Sorensen, a new freshman, we can run, we can catch, we can run through people's faces in the run game.
Like, there's nothing we can't do.” That kind of versatility matters even more now with Anthony Colandrea arriving from the UNLV Rebels, giving Nebraska more reason to lean on tight ends in both the passing and run game.
The bigger picture for Nebraska is an offense that looks loaded enough to be dangerous if it cleans up the mistakes that hurt it a year ago. Lindenmeyer described the group as: “Dynamic, gritty, and always focused on execution.”
That execution was exactly what Nebraska lacked in 2025, especially in losses to Minnesota and USC. Against the Gophers, poor offensive line play and sloppy execution led to a 24-6 defeat.
Against USC, a costly turnover and more shaky line play sunk Nebraska in a 21-17 loss that ended its playoff hopes.
A more stable offense changes the whole conversation. Colandrea brings a different kind of problem for defenses than Dylan Raiola did, because a dual-threat quarterback forces opponents to account for movement on every snap.
Raiola offered no threat on the ground, which let defenses play more conservatively and still get stops in key situations. With Colandrea, that approach gets much tougher, even on third-and-long.
Add in a big, talented offensive line, and Nebraska has the ingredients for both a productive passing game and a strong run game.
The running back room remains the one clear question mark, but the overall talent around it should keep Nebraska fans from panicking. In the passing game, Colandrea has a strong trio to work with in Nyziah Hunter, Jacory Barney Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer.
Nebraska’s receiver group wasn’t what it was supposed to be in 2025, but Gilmer’s arrival and the added depth make this unit look better. The tight ends only strengthen that picture.
Even without Raiola, the Huskers have a chance to be dangerous through the air. The offense now belongs to Colandrea, and the possibility exists that he could end up being better for Nebraska than Raiola would have been. Nebraska has had more success with dual-threat quarterbacks in the past, and that history fits the direction this offense is taking.
Lindenmeyer, Marshall and Evans each carry their own underdog stories, but all three are now central figures for Nebraska. Lindenmeyer’s comments offered a confident snapshot of the tight end room and, by extension, the offense as a whole. For Husker fans wondering how high this group can climb, the larger question may be what Matt Rhule can do with the most talent he’s ever had in Lincoln.
In Other News...
Nebraska Suddenly Faces Roster Chaos Right As Camp Gets Underway
As fall camp gets rolling, Nebraska is among the schools suddenly having to monitor a fresh eligibility wrinkle that could reshape roster planning across college sports. A U.S. District Court judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction that extends NCAA eligibility to athletes from the high school Class of 2022 whose eligibility had expired under the old rules, giving that group a new path back into college competition.
The ruling applies broadly to the entire Class of 2022 and could trigger a surge of transfer movement just as teams are settling into preseason routines. It also adds to a growing legal patchwork around the NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule, following similar injunctions in Ohio and Tennessee, leaving Nebraska and other programs to sort through another layer of uncertainty at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Rookie Emmett Johnson Pushing For Bigger Role After Camp Surge
Kansas Citys backfield has changed quickly this summer, with the Chiefs adding Kenneth Walker and Emari Demercado and suddenly giving the running back room a different look. That shuffle has made Emmett Johnson, the rookie with Nebraska ties, a name worth watching in camp, because his path to snaps now depends less on the roster as a whole and more on how he handles the work in front of him.
Johnson is viewed by analysts as a part-time option for now, but his case is built on versatility and the kind of camp and preseason production that can alter a coachs thinking. If he shows he can help as both a runner and a receiver, he could carve out more than the limited early role many expect, which is exactly the opening young backs have to earn in Kansas City. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhule Just Hinted Nebraskas Offense Was Being Held Back
Matt Rhules latest comments offered a clearer picture of why Nebraskas offense is getting a new look under coordinator Dana Holgorsen. With Anthony Colandrea and Geep Wade now in Lincoln, Rhule said the system can better match Holgorsens preferred style, a shift that should give the Cornhuskers a more natural fit than they had before. Rhule also sounded encouraged by the current personnel, suggesting the pieces on hand give the offense a better chance to play to its strengths.
The bigger takeaway is the sense that Nebraska is trying to move beyond the offensive frustration that defined too much of the recent past. Rhules optimism about Holgorsen calling things more aggressively points to a staff that believes the playbook can open up in a way it simply could not before. For a program still searching for steadier footing on that side of the ball, the personnel change may end up mattering as much as any schematic tweak. [Read more 🡒]