Nebraska football is flying under the radar and Matt Rhule likes it

Nebraska football hasn’t flown under the radar at all the past two seasons.

Thanks to the hype surrounding Dylan Raiola, there was some belief that Nebraska could be a playoff contender. Instead, the Huskers won seven games in each of the past two seasons, failing to meet the hype.

Fortunately, that won’t be a problem in 2026. That hype doesn’t exist.

Matt Rhule said before the bowl game that Nebraska should have won nine games in 2025. The defense wasn’t good enough. Neither was the quarterback nor the offensive line.

Nebraska has to feel like it has upgraded in all three areas. Rhule hired a new defensive coordinator, and a solid-looking transfer portal class should fuel a defensive turnaround.

The Huskers got old all of a sudden on defense. They did the same on offense, adding five players who have double digit starts at other programs.

Those five transfers: Anthony Colandrea, Kwazi Gilmer, Tree Babalade, Paul Mubenga, and Brendan Black are all expected to start, which means they will make up 45 percent of the starting lineup.

Every other position, outside of running back, has a player with at least one season of starting experience under his belt.

That’s tangible, and it goes that way on both sides of the ball. It feels like Nebraska upgraded at the quarterback position, just like it has upgraded on the offensive line.

So when Rhule was asked about the offseason and how the program is flying under the radar, it’s no wonder that he doesn’t seem to mind.

“It’s just kind of quiet,” Rhule said. “Float under the radar. Just get better at football.”

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