5 things we have learned about Nebraska football so far in fall camp

Nebraska football has completed the first few days of fall camp. Pads came on Friday, and Saturday, the Huskers had fan day after another padded practice.

Head coach Matt Rhule met with the media. He announced the Damon Benning was going to join the personnel department; Rhule also talked about how much he likes this Nebraska football team.

Rhule said this is the “biggest and leanest” team he has had at Nebraska. Looking back at the first week of fall camp, we analyze five things we have learned, starting with the head coach.

Matt Rhule really likes this team

The Nebraska head coach has kept things quiet this offseason. He’s doing his best to tamp down the hype. However, it’s hard to ignore that Rhule really likes this team. He likes the quarterback. Rhule jives much better with the defensive coordinator, and he finally has an experienced team.

The Huskers return 14 starters from last season. They also added some starting-caliber players in the portal, who are mostly proven commodities. And despite the fact that he’s a terrible singer, Rhule loves Geep Wade. He’s transformed the O-line room, and the results should be fun to watch.

Many fans are skeptical about this team and this head coach. That’s fine, but you can tell that the head coach really likes his team.

The offense is filled with weapons

The offense should be the best of the Rhule era. Anthony Colandrea is better fit for Dana Holgorsen’s offense, plus the offensive line has been upgraded and the skill position talent is sneaky good.

The Huskers top three wideouts, Nyziah Hunter, Kwazi Gilmer, and Jacory Barney all had at least 484 yards receiving last season. Luke Lindenmeyer caught 29 passes. You also have Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee, who combined for 236 yards on 27 touches in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Quinn Clark is turning heads. Cortez Mills is poised to have a bigger impact this season, and if Carter Nelson could stay healthy, he could be a weapon, too.

The running backs are young, but talent isn’t the issue. Nelson and Mozee have proven they can produce against Power-4 teams, and my prediction is that his offense averages over 30 points per game for the first time under Matt Rhule.

O-line is deep

Even though it feels like we know who the starting five will be for Nebraska football, it’s not set in stone yet. Rhule said there were multiple position battles taking place, and some are happening on the offensive line.

Tree Babalade has been penciled in by many Nebraska fans as the starter at right tackle. Yet, Gunnar Gottula, who has started 16 games at tackle the past two seasons, is healthy, and pushing for the job, too.

Tyler Knaak is another that could be a factor at guard. Paul Mubenga is slated to be the starting left guard. Knaak or some others could be in the mix. It feels like there are six or seven starting-caliber players up front.

That’s exactly what you want, because chances are, the first five aren’t going to last the entire season. Grant Brix, Preston Taumua, and Gibson Pyle need to start making some noise, too. It’s not too late.

Rob Aurich is a better fit

Nebraska tried the NFL-style defensive coordinator. It didn’t work for a few different reasons. John Butler seemed to blame the players for not being able to execute what he wanted. In the NFL, you can just try to get better players. In college, you need to make the players that you have better.

Aurich is someone who has proven he can do that. He took over an Idaho defense that allowed 32 points per game, and dropped that down to 26. He took a San Diego State defense that was outside the top 90 in scoring defense, and moved them into sixth, going from allowing over 400 yards of offense to 293.

Whether it was Riley Van Poppel, Cameron Lenhardt, or even just Rhule himself, the players and coaches seem more comfortable with the new system. The 4-2-5 fits the personnel on this roster better. It will help the Huskers get the most out of the players they have, which is what good coaching is all about.

Aurich feels like a rising star. If he can keep his star on the rise in Lincoln, that could be a great thing for the fortunes of Matt Rhule.

Competition is heated

We mentioned it with the offensive line, but there are a number of position battles. Not even just for starting spots — for the two deep.

Rhule talked about the battle at cornerback on Saturday. Andrew Marshall is CB1. Donovan Jones is going to be the nickel, which is a starting spot of its own in this defense, leaving guys like Jeremiah Charles, Danny Odem, and Victor Evans to compete for the boundary cornerback job.

Charles and Evans both run the 40 in 4.3. Odem is a five-star recruit, who is viewed as one of the better man cornerbacks in the entire 2026 class, if not the best. Evans started nine games for FIU last season. Charles has played in every game for Nebraska the past two seasons, but has zero career starts. Charles did start in the spring game. He’s added some weight this offseason, too.

There is a competition at safety. It seems like Jamir Conn has a leg up on Rex Guthrie and Caleb Benning to start opposite Dwayne McDougle. There are also battles along the defensive line, linebacker, between Vincent Shavers and Dexter Foster, running back, wide receiver for the fourth and fifth spots, and even quarterback has some competition for the No. 2 job, since Anthony Colandrea will be the starter.

A football program should be a true meritocracy. The best players should play and it feels like that is happening more now than ever with Nebraska football. It’s a good thing to see, and with the depth the Huskers have accumulated, along with the experience, every single starter will have earned his job.

It just seems like there is more talent and more competition, at every position, than we have seen at any other point of the Matt Rhule era.

The schedule is tough this season, but guess what? That’s the modern Big Ten. There is no such thing as an easy schedule. Nebraska football feels better prepared for that type of gauntlet.

We’ll find out soon enough if that’s true or not.

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