5 biggest takeaways from Nebraska football fall camp after the scrimmage

Nebraska football has three weeks left before the start of the 2026 season. The wait has been long and arduous.

The Huskers have surely been itching to get back, even more than fans want them to. Nebraska football ended the 2025 season on a three-game losing streak, one that shook the confidence of the fanbase to the core.

Matt Rhule, entering his fourth season as the head coach, revamped his coaching staff in the offseason, hiring not one, but two offensive line coaches. He also brought in a new defensive line coach, a new EDGE coach, and most importantly, a new defensive coordinator.

Nebraska made some solid additions, at least we think, from the transfer portal and put together what should be Rhule’s best team on paper.

The Huskers are essentially finished with their second week of fall camp after Saturday’s scrimmage. Rhule said there were about 120 plays, and looking back at all of it, here are the biggest takeaways from fall camp so far.

Rhule likes this Nebraska football team

Nebraska fans have every right to doubt Rhule. He has improved the program since taking over, to the tune of a 19-19 record in three years and two bowl berths, with one win.

That all matters, even if it was the Pinstripe Bowl. Rhule has said this is his best team at Nebraska. The Big Ten Network essentially said the same thing during its stop in Lincoln on the fall camp tour, and outside of the schedule, everything seems set up for a breakthrough season, which might just be 7-8 wins, with one win over a ranked team.

The schedule makes nine or 10 wins almost feel impossible. Eight would be tremendous progress, and there’s a chance for the Huskers to do that. This team is talented and experienced. It’s old. We’ll see what that means in 2026.

The O-line has improved

Whether it’s Dana Holgorsen or Rhule, the local media, the Big Ten Network, or experts like Phil Steele, everyone agrees that the offensive line will be better. Geep Wade added three starters from the portal who started nearly 60 games in their career before coming to Nebraska in the Big 12 and SEC.

Gunnar Gottula is playing the best football of his life, according to Rhule. If he wins the starting job, that’s fine, too. It should be a meritocracy, and the Huskers will need 8-9 good ones before the end of the season.

Claude Mpouma might be one of them. We will need to see the results on the field to be sure, but it feels like Rhule solved one of the program’s biggest issues over the past decade.

Nebraska is confident in the running backs

Dana Holgorsen joked with the media that the Huskers were going to bring in two more transfer portal running backs this week. He was joking, but it connected on a key point: the outside is more worried about the Nebraska running back room than the Huskers.

Tikey Hayes was a nice pickup, but Nebraska won’t have to rely on him this season. Jamal Rule is going to play. Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson showed what they can do in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Holgorsen expressed confidence in all of them. He even praised Rule’s pass protection, which can be the last hurdle for a freshman getting on the field.

Anthony Colandrea is even better than expected

Colandrea surprised Holgorsen with his ability to process defenses. The Nebraska OC said his new quarterback is the fastest that he’s ever seen. For all the blame placed on the offensive line last season, or Dylan Raiola’s lack of mobility, his inability to process was an even bigger problem

Colandrea can run. He can sling it, and the dude can read defenses. Sign me up.

Rob Aurich was a perfect fit

The biggest criticism Nebraska fans have had of Aurich is that he comes from the Mountain West, where he coordinated a defense that improved from 97th in scoring to 6th in his first season. Idaho reduced its scoring average by a touchdown in his first season as defensive coordinator, so he is proven in that sense.

Aurich will have better players to work with, and most importantly, he will make the players better by putting them in positions to succeed, something John Butler struggled to do in 2025.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel.