Nebraska Cornhuskers 2026 Preview: Is Matt Rhule Ready for a Year Four Breakthrough?
By Peter Mann
After consecutive improved seasons under Matt Rhule. Now entering his fourth year at the helm, Rhule will hope to complete the kind of rebuild he became known for at both Temple and Baylor.
A New York City native, Rhule arrived in Nebraska in 2022 on the back of head coaching tenures with the Temple Owls (Philadelphia) and Baylor Bears (Texas) in college football, and with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.
With both the Owls and the Bears he turned losing records in his first campaigns, into championship winning, championship contending programs; in Nebraska, after a 5-7 losing first season, his last two have seen them post 7-6 campaigns (first time they’ve had consecutive winning seasons since 2013-2014) – but for those narrow losses at home to Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans, everything could just as easily have been very different.
“With the o-line we have, with the d-line we have, with the quarterback we have, with the playmakers outside on offense, this is who we want to be, we want to be able to win the football when we want, and we want to be able to make the plays in the passing game,” Nebraska Cornhuskers HC, Matt Rhule, speaking on the recent, Big-Ten Football Media Day (full segment on the Cornhuskers website via
https://huskers.com/news/2026/07/31/huskers-at-2026-big-ten-media-days)
Can Nebraska Make Another Fast Start in 2026?
Last season, the Cornhuskers started the campaign on the road at Cincinnati Bearcats, at Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Kansas City Chiefs), before four consecutive home games, from which three victories, over Akron Zips, Houston Christian Huskies, and Michigan State Spartans, were attained.
The Huskers at this point, early October, were 4-1, going 5-1 with a victory over the Maryland Terrapins, for a stunning first half of the season; then everything changed on a sixpence- well, an injury anyway.
Then quarterback Dylan Raiola (now Oregon Ducks) broke his fibula in the loss to USC in game nine, and although backup quarterback TJ Lateef saw them through the remainder of the season, Rhule’s charges never really recovered.
This time around, the Cornhuskers will begin with three straight home games at Memorial, welcoming Ohio Bobcats, Bowling Green Falcons, and North Dakota Fighting Hawks to Memorial Stadium throughout September.
Their first ‘real’ test, however, comes in game four, and the first road trip of the season, as Rhule et al head to Michigan State Spartans in late September; a repeat of last season’s victory will go nicely and could see them lock in a 4-0 start.
“We were a young team last year, and we did some things young teams do,” continued Coach Rhule.
“We played really well at times, sometimes we didn’t play our best, and now they’re all back, and they’re a year older, and they’re kind of weathering the storm of learning how to play while playing in the Big Ten. So, I’m unbelievably excited when I watch these guys, knowing that we’ll have them all back.”
Will it be the experienced Colandrea, or rookie Lateef at quarterback?
It’s likely the Cornhuskers will choose the experience of Florida native Anthony Colandrea over the youthful exuberance of California rookie TJ Lafteef, the latter having finished the 2025 season in the quarterback position.
Lafteef, stepping up for the then-injured Dylan Raiola, made four starts in seven games played, posting 904 yards, 5TDs (pass), 120 yards, 4TDs (rush) in an impressive showing, but the criminal and criminal justice major will step aside for Colandrea.
A three-season college football veteran, now on his third roster following spells at Virginia Cavaliers and UNLV Rebels, the St. Petersburg-born gunslinger, Colandrea, majoring in child, youth, and family studies, already has thirty-three games under his belt (thirty-one starts), putting up more than forty touchdowns along the way.
Standout quarterback prospect at Lakewood High School back in Florida, Colandrea’s stats thus far have him having posted 7542yds, 29TDs (pass), 1151yds, 12TDs (rush) during his college career to date.
Meanwhile, Colandrea has been added to the watchlist for the 2026 Maxwell Award, and is one of seventeen, Big-Ten players nominated; Huskers center, Justin Evans, spoke of Colandrea on the Big-ten Media Day that; “He’s just a breath of fresh air, a new, coming in at the big position like a quarterback, it would be kind of hard to adjust to a new offense or learn a new playbook.
“But I think he’s nothing short of a pro, and he’s going to lead this team in the direction that it needs to go.”
Coach Rhule meanwhile said of Colandrea fitting into his and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s offensive system that: “I think he’s the kind of quarterback that Dana wants and thrives with.
“When I was in the NFL and watched college football, I’m a college football nut, I was like, man, every other 3rd Down gets converted with a quarterback running and, in the games we’ve won, our quarterbacks have done that.
“I think Anthony (Colandrea), his athleticism, not just in the quarterback run game, but just being able to drop back, get outside the pocket, make an explosive throw, convert a 3rd Down, I think it opens everything up for both Holgorson and all the group on offense.”
Reading between the lines, if you will, Colandrea will be first-choice quarterback for the new season, with TJ Lateef a more-than-capable, reliable backup.
Oregon and Dylan Raiola Headline Nebraska’s Midseason Schedule.
In 2025, and having begun 5-1, the sixth game being a victory at SECU Stadium, Maryland, the Cornhuskers not only lost two of their next four outings, but also lost their star quarterback as well.
Before the USC loss, the Cornhuskers went down at the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 24-6, in mid-October, with high points heading into the second half of the season being successes over the Northwestern Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins, in late October and early November, respectively.
Against USC, Raiola was on the end of a sack and fumble early in the third quarter when he suffered a broken right fibula, an injury which not only ruled him out for the remainder of the 2025 season, but also signalled the end of his career in Nebraska.
Raiola’s replacement, then freshman TJ Lateef (highlighted above), put up 722yds, 4TDs (pass), 98yds, 3TDs (rush) through the remainder of the season.
This time around, the Cornhuskers’ mid-season sees them hosting three of four games, welcoming Maryland Terrapins, Indiana Hoosiers, and Washington Huskies, throughout October, whilst the middle of the month has them on the road at…..
Raiola’s Oregon Ducks; Autzen Stadium, 17 October.
Barney, Hunter & Lindenmeyer, the glue that holds the Cornhuskers together
Junior Huskers athlete and child, youth, and family studies major, wide receiver Nyziah Hunter has put up 1195yds, 10TDs (rec), moving to Nebraska for 2025, where he’s gone on to lead them in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, while also coming up third in receptions.
Previously with the California Golden Bears, Hunter has over twenty games under his belt and will likely be a key component in Coach Rhule’s 2026 Cornhuskers challenge, alongside fellow WR, Jacory Barney Jnr.
Between them, the trio of wide receivers Jacory Barney Jnr and Nyziah Hunter, and tight end Luke Lindenmeyer, have played 90 college games over the past four years, with tight end Lindenmeyer, a Nebraska native, posting forty of those (21 starts) since 2022.
Lindenmeyer is one of over thirty players on the Cornhuskers roster who are Nebraska, born-and-bred, whilst his teammates, Barney Jnr, and Hunter, are from Florida and California, respectively.
Going into his senior year in Nebraska, where he’s majoring in finance (due to graduate this December), Lindemeyer spoke about giving back, saying, “Helping out in the community, especially Nebraska, I walked on at Nebraska and Nebraska has poured so much into me that I feel like I’m obligated to give back to them.”
Other players from Nebraska on the roster (and apologies for the list, are as follows – Daniel Kaelin (QB), Bode Soukup (QB), Conor Booth (RB), Caleb Bening (DB), Carter Nelson (TE), Vincent Genatone (RB), Trent Uhlir (LB), Christian Jones (LB), Rowdy Bauer (DB), Donovan Jones (DB), Derek Wacker (LB), Gage Stenger (LB), Cayden Echternach (TE), Kyson Gana (Long Snapper), Jase Reynolds (LB), Ethan Duda (DL), Ashton Murphy (OL), Pierce Mooberry (LB), Sam Sledge (OL), Nolan Fennessy (OL), Tyson Terry (DL), Brock Knutson (OL), Gunnar Gottula (OL), Jacob Brandl (OL), Eric Ingwerson (TE), Mason Goldman (DL), Jackson Carpenter (WR), Maurice Purify II (WR), John Hohl (PK), Conor Connealy (DL).
With an upcoming home schedule, which includes three consecutive games at their Memorial Stadium home, against Ohio Bobcats, Bowling Green Falcons, and North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Lindenmeyer added, “That’s exactly why you play in the Big Ten, for those kinds of games.
“Every game in the Big Ten, it’s tough, it’s physical.
“You’re going against some of the best d-lines and o-lines in the country.
“Just going throughout the season and being ready for those games, come October, November, having guys at depth, the wear and tear of the season is real, especially going into our fifth year.”
Junior wide receiver, Jacory Barney Jnr, has been added to the Paul Hornung Award watchlist for the second successive year; twenty-six games over the past two seasons, another child, youth, and family studies major adds a lot to the Huskers.
Across 2024-25, Barney posted stats of 931yds, 5TDs (rec), 150yds, 3TDs (rush), he, in his sophomore year last time around, led Nebraska with 270 punt yard returns (best Huskers return since 2014), along with 45 receptions, 484 receiving yards, 275 kick-off return yards, and 1049 all-purpose yards, all of which saw him ranked high, nationally.
Wrapping Things Up
After a victory at UCLA, the Cornhuskers’ 2025 finale was nothing short of a disaster, losing at Penn State Nittany Lions and Utah Utes (in the Las Vegas Bowl), as well as at home to Iowa Hawkeyes, in the Heroes Game regular-season close, sandwiched between.
Having begun the campaign 5-1, the Cornhuskers won just two more and ended the season with a 7-6 record, just; but stars did shine: players like running back Emmett Johnson (now with the Kansas City Chiefs), tight end Luke Lindemeyer, defensive back Ceyair Wright, and wide receiver Jacory Barney Jnr, to name a few.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Lindemeyer added, “We’ve got a great team. I mean, no matter what you put in front of this team, individually or team-wise, we’re going to attack it, and we’re going to attack it together.
“I think one thing we’ve been focused on, this offense is executing and finishing something that probably held us back the past two years, but with that focus we can do a lot this season.”
Coach Rhule meanwhile spoke of the Huskers’ identity, saying, “You’ve got to go prove it on the field, you know?
“I mean, I think like every team you have, you know the identity you want, but you have to be good enough to actually be able to do it versus another team, right?
“And you have to be able to go out and never beat themselves, you know, play with great execution, be really physical, make explosive plays, and win the situational battles, right?”
Meanwhile, in 2026, the final four are opposites to 2025, with Rhule taking his side on the road in three of the last four games, at Illinois Fighting Illini and Rutgers Scarlet Knights in early November, and the season finale in the rivalry game with Iowa at the end of the month.
Before Iowa, on 21 November, the Cornhuskers face their last home game of the season, welcoming Ohio State Buckeyes for a late-season dance; as for Iowa, it’ll be the 135th anniversary of the first meeting between the two programs colliding this year (a feature to preview will be published in the build-up to that 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.