Colandrea Calls Nebraska Offensive Line ‘Elite’ as Huskers Look for Major Step Forward Up Front

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Anthony
Colandrea has only been at Nebraska since January, but it hasn’t taken the
Husker quarterback long to develop a strong opinion about the five players
expected to protect him this fall.

“They’re
elite,” Colandrea said. “Those guys are the real deal.”

It may be what
you expect to hear from a guy who hopes to stay off his back in a few weeks,
but it’s still considerable praise for an offensive line entering the year with
plenty to prove. Colandrea went even further with his praise when pressed.

“I think it’s
the best five I’ve ever been behind,” Colandrea said. “I’m super excited to
play with them.”

The
quarterback’s enthusiasm comes at an important time for Nebraska. If Nebraska’s
going to take the significant step forward that head coach Matt Rhule and his
players are openly discussing this offseason, improved offensive line play will
likely be one of the biggest pieces of the equation, and the numbers show why.

Last season,
the Huskers surrendered 33 sacks across their 13 games last season, which is
good for an average of 2.54 per game. That ranked 14th among the Big Ten’s 18
teams in sacks allowed. What’s worse – only Rutgers, Illinois, Washington and
Michigan State surrendered more sack yardage than Nebraska’s 219 yards lost.
Nationally, the Huskers were tied for 112th in sacks allowed per game.

That
represented a step backward from 2024, when Nebraska allowed 28 sacks and 72
tackles for loss. That year, the Huskers ranked 78th nationally in sacks
allowed and 74th in tackles for loss allowed. Room for improvement in 2026 is
an understatement.

Despite all of
these uplifting figures, there were signs of modest improvement in other
important categories last fall. Through the regular season, opponents recorded
55 tackles for loss against the Huskers, which was a pedestrian ninth-best in
the Big Ten. However, most of those happened in league play. In the early
non-conference slate, Nebraska allowed only 15 tackles for loss, tied for
fourth-best in the conference.

The run game
also made a little progress in 2025. Nebraska upped its average rushing yards
by more than 15 yards per game despite the quarterback carousel that happened
following the injury to previous quarterback Dylan Raiola.

These aren't
overwhelming numbers, but they show an offense that was moving in the right
direction despite questionable offensive line play at best. Now, in 2026, the
team’s new signal-caller out of UNLV believes the group in front of him has
another ingredient working in its favor: cohesion.

“I think the
biggest thing is they play together,” Colandrea said of the offensive line.
“They play together in the pass game and the run game. You watch the tape,
you’re like, ‘Dang, it’s like they’ve been playing for years, but all of them
are new.’ It’s a cool deal.”

Nebraska will
also have a new voice leading the group. Geep Wade took over the offensive line
after Nebraska made a coaching change following the 2025 season. Rhule said
during fall camp that bringing in a new position coach can be difficult,
particularly when players have learned different techniques from previous
staffs or arrived through the transfer portal with their own backgrounds.

So far, though,
Rhule likes the response.

“I think Geep
is such a football guy that I think the guys gravitate towards him,” Rhule
said. “I think the players are responding to him well, but we’ll have to see
when the season comes.”

That final
qualifier is significant. Every year, Nebraska finds a way to have a reason for
optimism in August, but the offensive line will ultimately be judged by what
happens when Big Ten defensive fronts begin lining up across from it in October
and November.

Last season
offered a reminder of how quickly protection problems can derail an offense. Nebraska's
33 sacks allowed were up five from the year before, and while sacks aren't
exclusively an offensive line statistic — quarterback decisions, receivers
getting open, play design and game situations all factor into the number —
consistently keeping a more mobile Colandrea clean would give offensive
coordinator Dana Holgorsen considerably more freedom.

That could be
especially important considering what Nebraska says it wants its offense to
become. Colandrea
described the Huskers’ offensive identity with one word: “Attacking.”

“Trying to get
after defenses, not holding back,” he said. “Just really trying to get after
defenses and go score points.”

Wide receiver
Nyziah Hunter offered an even more colorful description, calling the offense
“very explosive and swaggy.”

Hunter and
Colandrea spent time together in Florida during the offseason, working
extensively on deep passes. Hunter said Colandrea's ability to extend plays and
continue looking downfield could create opportunities for big gains when plays
break down, but explosive passing plays need time to develop.

Rhule has made
it clear that another seven-win season isn't the program's goal, and his
players are echoing that sentiment throughout the opening days of fall camp. To
exceed the new status quo, Nebraska will need better protection than it
received a year ago.

Colandrea
sounds convinced the pieces are there, and by the time Nebraska reaches the
heart of its Big Ten schedule, it should be clear whether the quarterback's
glowing August assessment was another year of preseason optimism or a preview
of one of the Huskers' biggest improvements in 2026.

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