Ranking Nebraska Football’s 10 most important players for 2026 season

The long wait for the return of Nebraska football is almost over, and now that we have made it to August, the 2026 season is just five weeks away.

Fall camp starts this week in Lincoln, fresh off Big Ten Media Days. Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule talked about how the Huskers need to win more games in November after a 2-10 record during his first three seasons.

That’s simply about being the better team, Rhule said. Better at quarterback, and on the offensive and defensive lines. The team that can achieve that is hard to beat in November.

The Huskers have been bullied by those teams for too long. That needs to change this season, and looking ahead to the 2026 Nebraska football campaign, here are the 10 most important players for the Huskers.

10. Tree Babalade (Right tackle)

The 6-foot-5, 340-pound tackle has a ton of upside. He’s got experience, too, starting 15 games during his career for South Carolina, with 10 coming at left tackle and five at right tackle. Last season, Babalade started five games at left tackle for the Gamecocks in 2025, and if he can truly lock down the right side of the offensive line, that will be huge.

You need two quality tackles to have a good offensive line, and it remains to be seen if Babalade can reach that standard.

9. Jashear Whittington (Defensive tackle)

The Pittsburgh transfer might not start on defense, but he will be out there for many of the game’s most critical plays. The Nebraska football pass rush had fewer than 20 sacks last season. Whittington isn’t necessarily a full-time player; however, he’s one of the best interior pass rushers in college football.

That needs to carry over this season, because if not, the Huskers will have one of the least productive interior pass rushes in college football. That’s one reason Nebraska football managed just 22 sacks a season ago, a number that isn’t nearly good enough.

Whittington will make an impact, though, at least, the Huskers need him to.

8. Nyziah Hunter (Wide receiver)

The Cal transfer caught 43 passes for 617 yards last season with five touchdowns. For the second year in a row, Hunter averaged more than 14 yards per reception. He’s a future NFL wide receiver. He’s got the explosiveness to score a 70-yard touchdown on a bubble screen, but is also great at winning 50/50 balls.

Expect Anthony Colandrea to take advantage of that ability. Hunter has nearly 1,200 yards receiving in the past two seasons, and Nebraska football could really use another season like that. Hunter is a little lower because of the wide receiver depth of Nebraska; however, there isn’t another pass catcher on the roster quite like him.

7. Williams Nwaneri (EDGE)

The 6-foot-7, former five-star recruit flashed some potential last season for the Huskers with 27 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, which led the team.

Nwaneri is still just scratching the surface. He’s going into his third season. That means he still has three seasons left to play for Nebraska football under the new rules.

The 4-2-5 system should suit him better, especially on run downs. As far as the pass rush, Nebraska fans have to hope the light comes on for Nwaneri, just like Husker fans have to hope it comes on for Kade Pietrzak. If those two can combine for 10-15 sacks, this defense will be right where it needs to be.

6. Andrew Marshall (cornerback)

Marshall was as good as advertised after coming to Nebraska from Idaho. He started all 13 games for the Huskers last season, finishing with 42 tackles, four pass breakups, and one interception.

Now that Ceyair Wright has graduated, Marshall is the No. 1 cornerback. That means covering the best wide receiver Big Ten teams have to offer each week.

It feels like Marshall is one of the players capable of being drafted on defense. He will need to prove himself this season, though, and for Nebraska, having a shutdown corner will be crucial if the Huskers are to have any chance of navigating a schedule that features teams like Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

5. Owen Chambliss (Linebacker)

Maybe the most important transfer portal addition on defense for the Huskers, Owen Chambliss, has to be a difference-maker for Nebraska football.

Last season, Chambliss led the San Diego State with 110 tackles and ranked third with 9.5 tackles for loss while adding 4.0 sacks. Chambliss was a first-team All-Mountain West selection in 2025, the only underclassman on the first-team defense.

4. Riley Van Poppel (Defensive Tackle)

The former blue-chip recruit started three games last season for Nebraska. He played in all 13 games and had 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one pass breakup, and one blocked field goal.

There has been a ton of talk about the run defense. It was a major problem last season. Van Poppel was part of the problem. Now, in the 4-2-5, he needs to be part of the solution. He played well against Utah and down the stretch. That’s the Van Poppel Nebraska needs this season, but even slightly better.

As with Nwaneri and others on this list, it’s time for the blue-chip talent to shine.

3. Justin Evans (Center)

Pro Football Focus rated Evans as the best returning center in college football. He’s got some preseason All-Big Ten honors and feels like there’s an outside chance he could be a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

At the very least, Evans should be one of the best centers in all of college football. Players like that usually get drafted in the second or third round, which feels like a possibility.

Evans was stellar last season. He’s got 30 career starts, and if he can be as dominant as some have predicted this season, well, that will be a great thing for the running game and Anthony Colandrea.

2. Elijah Pritchett (left tackle)

Pritchett has 20 career starts, including the last nine games at left tackle for Nebraska football in 2025. There were some ups and downs last season, especially early in the year. However, Pritchett has matured. So has his game.

Just like Evans, it feels like Pritchett has a great chance to get selected in the NFL draft in 2027. He’s another guy who could potentially go on the second day with a really good season.

Prichett needs that. Nebraska does, too. Even though new quarterback Anthony Colandrea is more mobile than Dylan Raiola, it doesn’t mean the protection can be as bad as it was last season.

Pritchett will be a huge part of that, which easily makes him one of the most important players on the team for the 2026 season.

1. Anthony Colandrea (Quarterback)

Everyone understands the importance of the quarterback, especially for a team like Nebraska. Colandrea can’t just be a guy. He has to be special for this team to have a chance to win eight or nine games.

The good news is that Colandrea has shown that ability. He had over 4,000 total yards last season on his way to winning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. He accounted for 33 total touchdowns, with 10 coming on the ground.

I’ve argued the point over and over again, but this is exactly the kind of quarterback Nebraska needs. The ability of Colandrea to extend plays, run for extra first downs, and run in the red zone will be massive. His threat to run should open things up for the running backs more, too.

Nebraska fans are right to be concerned about the turnovers. It also remains to be seen how effective Colandrea can be in the Big Ten, but if he delivers a solid season, the Huskers should have one, too.

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