Nebraska football’s 5 best players after two weeks of fall camp

Nebraska football is through two weeks of fall camp. The Saturday scrimmage felt like a perfect midway point, as two weeks from this Monday, it will be game week for the Ohio Bobcats.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said the Huskers will do another scrimmage next Saturday. He wasn’t sure exactly what that would look like, but it will probably be lighter than the 120 plays they ran this past Saturday.

We offered up some of our biggest takeaways from this point, as well as some of the biggest stock risers. We have also outlined the 10 most important Nebraska football players for next season. Here are the five best, at least at this point in the season.

5. Andrew Marshall

It would have been easy to justify Nyziah Hunter for this spot. Yet, Marshall, the 6-foot, 195-pound cornerback, who earned honorable mention All-Big Ten last season, is the choice.

Marshall, a first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2024, started 13 games for the Huskers and was one of their best additions from the portal. He was credited with 45 tackles and four pass breakups, four tackles for loss, and one interception.

Marshall might have been the best cover guy on the roster last season. He’s CB1 and one of the dudes on this team most likely to be drafted next April.

4. Anthony Colandrea

The Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year has to prove he can produce at the Power-4 level. He was OK at Virginia, but turned the ball over too much.

Colandrea is likely going to throw 9-10 interceptions this season. He’s kind of a gambler. If he can dive headfirst for a first down, he’s going to do it. Sometimes sliding is better, but that’s not who he is.

Nebraska football fans will appreciate that. They will also appreciate what he can do with his legs. Don’t forget, though, he passed for over 3,459 yards last season. The senior has 7,542 career passing yards with 49 touchdowns, 29 interceptions, and a career completion rate of 63.5.

Dana Holgorsen seems excited. Rhule has called him the yin to his yang. Nebraska desperately needs a dynamic quarterback. It hasn’t had one with Rhule as the head coach.

Colandrea will answer that call. He will also be one of the Huskers’ best players this season, not just the most important.

3. Elijah Pritchett

Early in the 2025 season, it felt like Elijah Pritchett might be a bust. Instead, he turned things around and was one of the Huskers’ best players down the stretch. He started the last nine games at left tackle and has started 21 games at tackle between Nebraska and Alabama.

Geep Wade sang his praises recently. He said he expects “big things” from Pritchett this season, and it feels like there’s a decent chance he could turn into a Day 2 pick, or at least an early day-three selection in the NFL draft.

2. Owen Chambliss

The first-team All-Mountain West linebacker played for new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich last season and should be the Huskers’ most impactful defender this season.

After redshirting with Utah in 2023, Chambliss has two seasons to play if he wants them. He started 20 of 24 games for the Aztecs with 142 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery over the past two seasons.

Chambliss is the definition of a three-down linebacker. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder doesn’t need to leave the field and just brings a playmaking ability that was missing, or has been missing, from the Blackshirts.

Not only is Chambliss a tackling machine, but he just always seems to be around the ball. He’s got all the tools to be an exceptional Big Ten linebacker, to the point that Phil Steele has been singing his praises. Chambliss is also the highest-graded returning linebacker in the Big Ten, according to Pro Football Focus.

1. Justin Evans

Between center and guard, Evans has started 31 games for Nebraska football. He was named to the Rimington Award Watch List this fall after a solid season with 13 starts at center in 2025.

PFF graded him as the top returning center in the nation. Evans has improved each season, and who knows, he could end up as the best center in the Big Ten.

Even if Evans is just second- or third-team All-Big Ten, that will be another sign of improvement, especially if Pritchett can join him. Either way, the veteran might just be the best player on the entire roster. He is coming out of fall camp.

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