Program Context
Program bet on stability over results
A 19-19 coach with no ranked wins got a 2-year extension through 2032 AND a personal $5M NIL/IP deal — Nebraska is explicitly betting on long-term program building over short-term results.
BIG TEN FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 8 OF 18
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
2026 Season Snapshot • Lincoln, Nebraska
7-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
B1G
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for Nebraska.
Loading schedule…
HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Matt Rhule — 4th season at Nebraska
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
66–62 college (11–27 NFL); 19–19 at Nebraska
Built programs at Temple (AAC title, 2016) and Baylor (Sugar Bowl, 2019) before an 11-27 stint as Carolina Panthers HC. Delivered Nebraska's first winning season in 8 years and first bowl win since 2015 in 2024. Extended through 2032 in Oct. 2025 even while sitting at 19-19 without a win over a ranked opponent.
NEBRASKA ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 7-6 (4-5 Big Ten), capped by a 22-44 Las Vegas Bowl loss to Utah. Nebraska has matched or improved its win total every season under Rhule but still hasn't beaten a ranked opponent in his tenure — a specific, trackable gap in an otherwise steadily improving program.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$13.5M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Donor-funded (via Rhule
LLC deal) Coach salary per Omaha World-Herald documents (CBS Sports/Athletic Business): $8.5M base 2026 salary PLUS a separate, donor-funded $5M one-time payment to Rhule's LLC for his personal NIL/IP rights (podcast, likeness, merchandise), pushing his total 2026 compensation to $13.5M — one of the more unusual coach-compensation structures in the sport.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- Program bet on stability over results: A 19-19 coach with no ranked wins got a 2-year extension through 2032 AND a personal $5M NIL/IP deal — Nebraska is explicitly betting on long-term program building over short-term results.
- Total QB reset after a five-star departure: Dylan Raiola (5-star, 2024) transferred to Oregon; Nebraska replaced him with UNLV grad transfer Anthony Colandrea rather than another blue-chip recruit — a real shift toward proven-production portal QBs.
- Running back room is a total unknown: Nebraska's returning backs have combined for just 86 total career FBS carries after 2025 workhorse Emmett Johnson left for the NFL — one of the least proven backfields in the conference.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Dana Holgorsen • Glenn Thomas — 2nd/3rd season • Up- tempo spread
Holgorsen's system produced an All-American-caliber season from RB Emmett Johnson in 2025 despite modest recruiting hype. Now hands the offense to Colandrea, whose mobility and 3-year starting track record at UNLV (nearly 3,500 yards in 2025) fit Holgorsen's tempo-driven approach better than Raiola's more traditional pocket profile.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Rob Aurich — 1st season • Base 4-2-5
New hire installing a scheme change after Nebraska struggled to generate pass rush in 2025 despite returning talent on the edge (Williams Nwaneri, Cameron Lenhardt). A real installation variable heading into a tough 2026 slate.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
7–6 (4–5 Big Ten)
Las Vegas Bowl: L 22-44 vs. Utah. TJ Lateef started the final four games after Raiola's season-ending injury; that late-season audition directly shaped the 2026 QB competition, though ultimately lost out to the veteran transfer.
HOME FIELD
Memorial Stadium
Artificial turf (FieldTurf), Lincoln. The site of the NCAA's longest sellout streak in the sport — a genuinely deafening home environment regardless of the team's on-field results, one of the most reliable home-field factors in this guide.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Anthony Colandrea | Sr | ★★★★★ | UNLV grad transfer (247Sports/On3 No. 20 portal QB); 3-year starter with nearly 3,500 passing yards and legitimate rushing ability in 2025. Replaces five-star Dylan Raiola, who transferred to Oregon. |
| RB1 | Isaiah Mozee | Soph | ★★★★★ | Converted from a three-star high school receiver (3,241 rec yds, 42 TD) after Nebraska's RB depth forced a position change; the room's best receiving threat but has just 26 career carries. |
| WR1 | Nyziah Hunter | Sr | ★★★★★ | Led Nebraska in 2025 (43 rec, 617 yds); one of the fastest receivers in the country with multiple long touchdowns. The clear top target for the new QB. |
| WR2 | Jacory Barney Jr. | Jr | ★★★★★ | Former four-star (Florida, 2024); broke out with 55 catches as a true freshman before a sophomore dip (45 catches, partly inflated by a 52-yard Hail Mary vs. Michigan). Looking to rebound in 2026. |
QB1Anthony ColandreaSr★★★★★
UNLV grad transfer (247Sports/On3 No. 20 portal QB); 3-year starter with nearly 3,500 passing yards and legitimate rushing ability in 2025. Replaces five-star Dylan Raiola, who transferred to Oregon.
RB1Isaiah MozeeSoph★★★★★
Converted from a three-star high school receiver (3,241 rec yds, 42 TD) after Nebraska's RB depth forced a position change; the room's best receiving threat but has just 26 career carries.
WR1Nyziah HunterSr★★★★★
Led Nebraska in 2025 (43 rec, 617 yds); one of the fastest receivers in the country with multiple long touchdowns. The clear top target for the new QB.
WR2Jacory Barney Jr.Jr★★★★★
Former four-star (Florida, 2024); broke out with 55 catches as a true freshman before a sophomore dip (45 catches, partly inflated by a 52-yard Hail Mary vs. Michigan). Looking to rebound in 2026.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Evans | C | — | ★★★★★ | Nebraska's most experienced returning lineman and a real Rimington Award contender; challenged the O-line to be "dominant and physical" at Big Ten Media Days, the clear anchor of a heavily rebuilt unit. |
| Brendan Black | OG | — | ★★★★★ | Iowa State transfer (30 career starts); brought in specifically to replace Rocco Spindler, who exhausted his eligibility after 2025 and went undrafted. |
Justin EvansC—★★★★★
Nebraska's most experienced returning lineman and a real Rimington Award contender; challenged the O-line to be "dominant and physical" at Big Ten Media Days, the clear anchor of a heavily rebuilt unit.
Brendan BlackOG—★★★★★
Iowa State transfer (30 career starts); brought in specifically to replace Rocco Spindler, who exhausted his eligibility after 2025 and went undrafted.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- Just 2 returning starters with real multi-game experience (48% tackle / 44% guard continuity per roster metrics) — a genuine question mark protecting a new starting QB.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Williams Nwaneri | DE | Returning starter off the edge; part of a pass rush that struggled to generate pressure in 2025 despite the talent, now under a new DC installing a new scheme. |
| Riley Van Poppel | DT | Returning starter at defensive tackle, one of the more experienced pieces on the new-look defensive front. |
Williams NwaneriDE
Returning starter off the edge; part of a pass rush that struggled to generate pressure in 2025 despite the talent, now under a new DC installing a new scheme.
Riley Van PoppelDT
Returning starter at defensive tackle, one of the more experienced pieces on the new-look defensive front.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Marques Watson-Trent returns as a key returning piece at linebacker, playing behind a retooled defensive line under new DC Rob Aurich's 4-2-5.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Marshall | CB | ★★★★★ | Projected Week 1 starter at cornerback alongside Victor Evans III, part of what beat writers call a "pretty solid" secondary group adjusting to Rob Aurich's new scheme. |
| Dwayne McDougle | S | ★★★★★ | Projected Week 1 starter at safety alongside Jamir Conn, giving Nebraska a proven senior pairing on the back end. |
Andrew MarshallCB★★★★★
Projected Week 1 starter at cornerback alongside Victor Evans III, part of what beat writers call a "pretty solid" secondary group adjusting to Rob Aurich's new scheme.
Dwayne McDougleS★★★★★
Projected Week 1 starter at safety alongside Jamir Conn, giving Nebraska a proven senior pairing on the back end.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: No major specialist storylines flagged for 2026. Nebraska's home-field advantage (the nation's longest active sellout streak) remains the program's most reliable structural edge regardless of specific specialist personnel.
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
4-9
30.8% cover rate — 78th of 82
2025 Straight up
7-6
Point differential +53
Scoring environment
53.3
Combined points per game — 34th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-4 · 1-3
Totals 10-3 O/U (6-1 home, 3-1 road)
Points scored / allowed
28.7 per game scored (41st) · 24.6 allowed (46th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +4.1 (40th) · Strength of schedule -0.5
- Home / road: Home 3-4 ATS, road 1-3 ATS (neutral-site games excluded).
- Home / road: Totals 10-3 O/U — 6-1 at home, 3-1 on the road.
- Trend: 2025 ATS 4-9 (30.8% cover rate) across 13 games.
- Trend: Averaged 28.7 points and allowed 24.6, a 53.3 combined per-game scoring environment.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
-1.8
52nd of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-0.2
45th of 82
Defensive SRS
+1.1
47th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+4.1 · 40th of 82
Against the spread
4-9 (30.8%) · 78th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
53.3 · 34th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Notes
Saved Just J research for Nebraska.
Quarterback
Total QB reset after a five-star departure
Dylan Raiola (5-star, 2024) transferred to Oregon; Nebraska replaced him with UNLV grad transfer Anthony Colandrea rather than another blue-chip recruit — a real shift toward proven-production portal QBs.
Running Game
Running back room is a total unknown
Nebraska's returning backs have combined for just 86 total career FBS carries after 2025 workhorse Emmett Johnson left for the NFL — one of the least proven backfields in the conference.
Offensive Line
Offensive line outlook
Just 2 returning starters with real multi-game experience (48% tackle / 44% guard continuity per roster metrics) — a genuine question mark protecting a new starting QB.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.