Stukenholtz: Ready to Love a New QB1

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

As the new season approaches, I’m sure you feel like me – enough
with the words, let’s watch some actual football! At this point, no player,
coach, podcast, radio show, or your favorite Huskers Illustrated columnist
could tell you anything new about this season that you haven’t already heard one
time or ten. Everything’s been said by the time you finally get to game week.

I won’t try to convince you otherwise, either. What I will
do, in this one last thought exercise before the opener, is remind you of something
– actually, someone – who was talked about ad nauseum for weeks, maybe months. And
the funny thing is, he isn’t even in Lincoln anymore.

It’s Dylan Raiola.

Legacy. Pedigree. Savior. Chosen One. The next big thing.
And he would finally lead the Huskers back to the top.

Nebraska had turned ugly as a program. If major college football
programs were stereotypical high school students, NU would be snickered at in class
or stuffed into a locker. Not many friends, just other kids who laughed at
their pain. They were the girl nobody wanted to ask to homecoming.

Then, out of the blue, the big-time jock at school
approached, took off the glasses, and made the Husker program and all its fans
feel pretty. Even though he had his pick of dates to the dance, he picked Nebraska.

Sure, there were some good times. Game one vs UTEP and the layered
downfield throws. The first half against Colorado. Blowing out Wisconsin to
finally get back to bowl eligibility. The Pinstripe Bowl victory. Then the comeback
wins in 2025 over Maryland and Northwestern.

There was always another shoe to drop, though. The bad
interception against Rutgers in 2024 that led to Raiola being too careful, too
conservative. The late fumble at Iowa in a 10-10 tie. All the sacks allowed to
Minnesota last season, mostly on the QB and not the line. Indecisiveness in the
pocket, eventually leading to a broken ankle after holding onto the ball too
long.

There are also the intangibles, those harder-to-quantify qualities.
Sometimes they were characterized as assets, like his ability to play as a true
freshman or his instant leadership role within the program. In hindsight, were
those maybe disadvantages instead? Matt Rhule (rightly) brought him in as a
late flip from Georgia, but he had no real competition. He didn’t really earn
the right to be a leader; it was sort of handed to him based on his five-star
status and his last name. Dylan has skills; don’t get me wrong, it just felt
rushed.

I don’t think we’ll fully understand what the net positive
or negative Nebraska gained or lost from its pursuit and employment of Raiola
for a few years. Even then, there will of course be debate. (There are still “Bo-lievers”
out there, right?)

Now that he’s gone, it’s time to move on. Gotta get back out
there. Plenty of fish in the sea. Surely someone out there is a QB match for
Nebraska. An experienced passer who has loved and lost, but is ready to commit
himself to a new, fresh relationship.

It’s Anthony Colandrea.

Swag through the roof. Confident. Capable. Versatile. And
seemingly ready to lead.

Matt Rhule admitted that he knew Colandrea was their guy as
soon as he got out of the car that delivered him to the 50-yard line of Memorial
Stadium on his December recruiting visit. Straight vibes-based recruiting. And
hey, it’s 2026; who’s to say that’s not the way of the future, going with your
gut?

That’s all talking season, remember? Now, he must win games.
Bonus points if he wins by doing stuff his predecessor could not. Imagine the
Tommy Armstrong QB draw to give Nebraska the 4th quarter lead over Oregon in 2016.
Or by unleashing a deep bomb to Jacory Barney or one of his receiver room brethren.

This QB relationship feels more natural to me. It feels less
forced. While Raiola was and is good with the media, that mostly meant talking
without saying anything. He was playing the part of quarterback that he imagined
fans liking, but I rarely got the sense that he was being himself, as in the
raw, non-impersonating version of Dylan.

Can Colandrea deliver in big moments? Will he so thoroughly
dominate early in the season to the point where talk radio guys will ask if we
should admit he’s for real?

Knowing we can quantify the new QB’s statistics will
make some comparisons easy. The things you can’t see, however, will be more
interesting to me and quite possibly more important to the season.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos