5 things we learned about Nebraska football in fall camp

Now that Nebraska football has wrapped up fall camp, the attention will start to shift to the Week 1 opponent, the Ohio Bobcats.

That game is now just 12 days away. We have learned a lot about this Nebraska football team over the past few weeks. It has been more of a closed camp, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Aside from a couple of banged-up players, things look good on the injury front. Kamir Prescott is the only player who has suffered a season-ending injury.

The depth chart feels mostly set, though some position battles will continue into the regular season. The depth chart should always be a work in progress anyway.

Looking back on all of fall camp for Nebraska football, here are five things we learned.

Matt Rhule likes this team and his quarterback

It was really interesting to read how Anthony Colandrea came to be a Nebraska football player (ESPN). He was the most eager to visit, and from the moment he walked in the door, Rhule said he felt he was the guy.

That feeling hasn’t changed. Colandrea won the starting quarterback job without any drama. The Mountain West Player of the Year on offense in 2025 should bring a dynamic element to the QB room that the Huskers haven’t had since Adrian Martinez.

Dana Holgorsen gushed about his ability to process things and throw the football. Steve Sipple asked recently what the identity will be for the Nebraska offense in 2025. It’s going to be Anthony Colandrea, running it, throwing it, just making things happen.

Rhule loves the quarterback. He also said numerous times that this is his best team. That’s one man’s opinion, but we’ll see if it holds. Some fans don’t buy what Rhule is selling. I get it, but if the head coach is excited about his football team, that’s something to feel good about.

Running back is too close to call

Isaiah Mozee might get the start against Ohio. He’s had a strong camp, has been the most consistent, and didn’t have to deal with any offseason issues.

Who starts won’t really matter, though. Mozee, Mekhi Nelson, and Jamal Rule will all get touches in the first three games. They will all get touches as the season rolls along. Someone will probably emerge at some point. Rule seems most likely to take over as RB1 at some point; however, this feels like a true running-back-by-committee, which might not be a bad thing.

Gunnar Gottula is one of the best five O-linemen

Some Nebraska fans have said they would be shocked if Tree Babalade doesn’t start at right tackle. Tree did miss some practice time last week and is dealing with some sort of injury.

Beyond that, Rhule said point-blank on Saturday that Gottula was one of the best five, regardless of position. That feels like he will be in the starting five.

The 16-game starter in the past two seasons for Nebraska football had some rough moments on the field, especially in 2025. He’s healthy now, and players improve, especially with good coaching.

The internal improvement from guys like Gottula, Justin Evans, Elijah Pritchett, and Gibson Pyle, another camp standout, has been overlooked. Offensive line coaches make a huge difference. Outside of the coordinators, the OL/DL coaches are by far the most important assistants, because those are the hardest positions to develop, outside of quarterback.

The incoming transfers on the offensive line have been solid. But the holdovers have also improved. My prediction is that Gottula will start at right tackle, along with Pritchett, Paul Mubenga, Evans, and Brendan Black.

Gottula could also play guard. If the Huskers are going to play their best five, though, he needs to be a starter.

Linebacker is the best position group on the team

As long as Owen Chambliss is healthy and able to play this season, this might be the best unit on the team. Chambliss should be an All-Big Ten player. Vincent Shavers was solid last season and led the Huskers with 7.5 tackles for loss, while Dexter Foster was really productive last season in seven games for Oregon State.

With Dawson Merritt also in the mix, it feels like this could be the best Nebraska linebacker group in years, one that will be even more effective if the defensive line improvement is real.

The perimeter players (WR/CB) are legit

For a long time, one of the big issues in this program was that the cornerback and wide receiver rooms simply weren’t up to snuff.

You can count the safeties among that, too, but cornerbacks and wide receivers are skill guys in my estimation. You need wide receivers who can create explosive plays. You also need cornerbacks who can prevent those and make impact plays in the secondary, where most of the turnovers happen.

As far as wide receivers, Nebraska is as good as it has been in a long time. Nyziah Hunter, Kwazi Gilmer, and Jacory Barney combined for 1,636 receiving yards last season. There’s a chance that number could be over 2,000 this season.

Nebraska football also has up-and-comers like Quinn Clark and Cortez Mills. In the secondary, Andrew Marshall was an honorable mention All-Big Ten last season. It feels like he can be second or third-team this season. Danny Odem is a five-star talent, while Victor Evans and Jeremiah Charles have played well.

Donovan Jones is also back at nickel. It just feels like wide receiver and cornerback are two of the deeper positions on the team, when that hasn’t always been the case.

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