Nebraska’s offensive line is entering 2026 with a different kind of hope attached to it, and it starts with Geep Wade.
For a program that has spent years cycling through blown protections, false starts, and very little national recognition up front, the Wade hire feels less like a routine staffing move and more like damage control. Nebraska didn’t just add an offensive line coach. It brought in someone who is expected to repair a unit that has been broken for a while.
Wade’s arrival matters because Nebraska has not produced a lineman who truly moved the national needle in years. The selling point here is development, not just recruitment.
That distinction is the whole story. He’s also working alongside new run-game coordinator Lonnie Teasley, who helped South Carolina push toward 400 rushing yards a game in 2024 before an offseason coaching change sent him to Lincoln.
Between the two of them, Nebraska has rebuilt the room almost entirely through the transfer portal.
The projected starting five looks far more seasoned than the group Nebraska has rolled out in recent seasons. Paul Mubenga, a 6-foot-5, 317-pound left guard from LSU, started 11 games for the Tigers and brings SEC experience to a spot that needed it.
Brendan Black arrives at right guard with 30 career starts from Iowa State. Tree Babalade, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound right tackle from South Carolina, followed Teasley to Nebraska after starting 15 games for the Gamecocks.
They join Justin Evans at center, where he’s already on the Rimington Trophy watch list, and Elijah Pritchett at left tackle. It’s a big group, too. All five projected starters are over 300 pounds, and that kind of mass paired with experience gives Nebraska something it hasn’t had in a while: a line that looks like it might be able to hold up and do more than survive.
The bigger question is how this unit will actually play. The makeup of the group, along with Wade’s background, points toward a shift into more gap-scheme football rather than the zone-heavy approach Nebraska has leaned on.
Wade came from Georgia Tech, where Haynes King ran a heavy dose of quarterback counter behind pulling guards. If that carries over, Nebraska could lean into counter, power, and pin-and-pull concepts, while still mixing in inside and outside zone.
That wouldn’t be a return to Tom Osborne’s option offense, which depended on a different kind of personnel and playcalling. But it could mean Nebraska fans finally see more of the pulling and trapping style they haven’t had in years.
There’s depth behind the likely starters, too. Gunnar Gottula, Tyler Knaak, Sam Sledge, Grant Brix, and Jake Peters are all back, and that matters when you’re talking about a position group where 300-plus-pound bodies take a beating over a season.
The first real measuring stick may come early, when lighter competition shows up on the schedule. That’s when Nebraska will find out whether this line can fire off the ball, win the leverage battle, and clean up the penalties that have haunted it before.
If Wade gets this group moving and actually winning at the point of attack, Nebraska’s offense will look different in year four under Matt Rhule. That’s the part worth watching in 2026.
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Colandrea brings a track record that gives that argument some real fuel, including a Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year season and a reputation for playing with conviction. Raiola, meanwhile, has been viewed by some as more cautious, with questions lingering about certain throws and how expansive his game can be. None of that settles the depth-chart conversation, of course, but it shows why the comparisons are sticking and why Nebraska fans are already treating this as more than a routine offseason discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fall Camp Is Already Creating Tough Week 1 Lineup Calls
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The most intriguing calls are still happening behind the scenes, though, with the quarterback room drawing attention and the backfield shaping up as one of the more crowded spots on the field. Nebraska has multiple players in the mix at running back, and the way those reps shake out over the rest of camp could have a real impact on how the offense looks when the season finally starts. [Read more 🡒]