Nebraska Cornhuskers: Five to Watch in 2026
By Peter Mann
There are big boots to fill in Nebraska when the 2026 season kicks off on 5 September, and the Ohio Bobcats visit the fortress that is Memorial Stadium. Having started the 2025 campaign 5-1, much was expected of Matt Rhule’s charges, but the wheels came off in the second half of the season, coinciding with an injury to then-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.
That came in the week nine loss to USC Trojans, with rookie quarterback, TJ Lateef, stepping into the breach and closing with stats of 722yds, 4TDs (passing), 98yds, 3TDs (rushing), a reasonable return to finish a season that petered out into a 7-6 campaign.
Much has changed at the Memorial since then as well, Raiola entered the transferred portal and will start 2026 with the Oregon Ducks, whilst a number of his supporting cast have been drafted into the NFL, including wide receivers Emmett Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs) and free agents Dane Key (Denver Broncos), defensive back DeShon Singleton (Kansas City Chiefs) and linebacker Dasan McCullough (Denver Broncos), along with another defensive back, Ceyair Wright (Cincinnati Bengals)
Look out for the Huskers reunion at Arrowhead on the opening weekend of the NFL season, whilst at the Memorial Stadium, the following five will be key to success for Rhule’s Big10 and National Championship ambitions…
A 6ft 7 in, 265-lb powerhouse of a defensive end, Nwaneri is set to give his best years to the Big Red of Nebraska. After a season with the Missouri Tigers, Nwaneri entered the transfer portal in the winter of 2024, committing to Nebraska just days later.
In his thirteen games in 2025, Nwaneri totalled 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries, of which one was returned for a Cornhusker score, a 29-yarder against Houston Christian, showing the reasons why, out of High School (Lee’s Summit North), he was the #1 edge rusher nationally and #7 overall recruit.
Lindenmeyer redshirted his first season in Nebraska (2022). Since then, he has come on leaps and bounds, playing every game the following season (2023), and is now a recipient of a plethora of awards, including the Arthur Ashe Jnr Sports Scholar for three straight years, 2024-26.
A Nebraska native, attending Papillion-La Vista Senior High, last season saw career highs of 29 receptions, 312 yds (rec) and two touchdowns as he brushed shoulders with Big-Ten accolades and made him a continued force to be reckoned with, and certainly a one-to-watch in 2026.
A Florida native, Barney was a multi-positional footballer for Miami Palmetto Senior High (Pinecrest) and had offers from numerous college programs, ultimately choosing Nebraska at the start of 2024.
Used as both a wide receiver and a returns specialist, Barney is a valuable asset to the Cornhuskers, showing his worth over the past two seasons, with last season’s sophomore year proving such. Starting all thirteen of the Cornhuskers games, he either led or tied for the program across a number of departments, and his punt returns- well, not only was the thirteenth best nationally (and fifteenth for combined kick yards returns), Barney’s punt return total exceeded Nebraska’s total for the past four seasons, combined.
He totalled 270 punt return yards, five receiving TDs, 45 receptions, 484 receiving yards, 275 kick-off return yards, 1,049 all-purpose yards, shining in the game against Michigan, in what was the second, 100-yard receiving game of his career (to date) – 120yds, 2TDs (receiving), including a 52yd Hail Mary at the end of the first half, a career high. His presence will be much valued during the 2026 season.
Like running back Emmett Johnson, there’s a bright future in the game for Cornhuskers’ wide receiver Nyziah Hunter, and a lot of eyes will be on his progression over the next two years.
Initially with the California Golden Bears and redshirting in 2023, Hunter impressed in his first season in Cali, posting 40 receptions, 578 yards, 5 TDs, adding those to an already standout High School football career.
Transferring to Nebraska the week before Christmas 2024, Hunter’s 2025 sophomore year saw him start twelve straight games, missing the bowl through injury, but he had already impressed, bulldozing his way to 617 yards, 5 TDs (receiving), and leading the Cornhuskers in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
With Colandrea (below) the likely starting quarterback for the Cornhuskers in 2026, the likes of wide receivers Jacory Barney and Nyziah Hunter, and running backs Isaiah Mozee, Kwinten Ives and Mekhi Nelson, could have a field day at the Memorial and beyond.
For the better part of a decade, between 2013 and 2021, the starting quarterback position at Memorial Stadium was owned pretty much by two individuals, first Tommy Armstrong (2013-16), then Adrian Martinez (2018-21), but since then, maybe a bit of a poisoned chalice, with Dylan Raiola the fifth, and TJ Lateef, the sixth starter in Lincoln.
Step forward, 205 lbs, 6ft, Lakewood High School graduate, Anthony Colandrea, who is taking in his THIRD college program since 2023, having previously registered two seasons with Virginia Cavaliers, registering 4,083 yds, 26 TDs (passing), 502 yds, 2 TDs (rushing) from nineteen games (seventeen starts).
Colandrea then transferred to UNLV Rebels, where he shone, leading them to a 9-4 season and posting impressive numbers of 3,459yds, 23TDs (passing), 649yds, 10TDs (rushing) – it’s a calibre of gunslinging the Cornhuskers have missed in their arsenal and, if he continues in that vein (Lateef, hold his beer), the future is a bright one…
Peter Mann
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter