Colandrea Calls Nebraska Offensive Line ‘Elite’ as Huskers Look for Major Step Forward Up Front

Anthony Colandrea has only been at Nebraska since January, but it hasn’t taken the Husker quarterback long to develop a strong opinion about the five players expected to protect him this fall.

“They’re elite,” Colandrea said. “Those guys are the real deal.”

It may be what you expect to hear from a guy who hopes to stay off his back in a few weeks, but it’s still considerable praise for an offensive line entering the year with plenty to prove. Colandrea went even further with his praise when pressed.

“I think it’s the best five I’ve ever been behind,” Colandrea said. “I’m super excited to play with them.”

The quarterback’s enthusiasm comes at an important time for Nebraska. If Nebraska’s going to take the significant step forward that head coach Matt Rhule and his players are openly discussing this offseason, improved offensive line play will likely be one of the biggest pieces of the equation, and the numbers show why.

Last season, the Huskers surrendered 33 sacks across their 13 games last season, which is good for an average of 2.54 per game. That ranked 14th among the Big Ten’s 18 teams in sacks allowed. What’s worse – only Rutgers, Illinois, Washington and Michigan State surrendered more sack yardage than Nebraska’s 219 yards lost. Nationally, the Huskers were tied for 112th in sacks allowed per game.

That represented a step backward from 2024, when Nebraska allowed 28 sacks and 72 tackles for loss. That year, the Huskers ranked 78th nationally in sacks allowed and 74th in tackles for loss allowed. Room for improvement in 2026 is an understatement.

Despite all of these uplifting figures, there were signs of modest improvement in other important categories last fall. Through the regular season, opponents recorded 55 tackles for loss against the Huskers, which was a pedestrian ninth-best in the Big Ten. However, most of those happened in league play. In the early non-conference slate, Nebraska allowed only 15 tackles for loss, tied for fourth-best in the conference.

The run game also made a little progress in 2025. Nebraska upped its average rushing yards by more than 15 yards per game despite the quarterback carousel that happened following the injury to previous quarterback Dylan Raiola.

These aren't overwhelming numbers, but they show an offense that was moving in the right direction despite questionable offensive line play at best. Now, in 2026, the team’s new signal-caller out of UNLV believes the group in front of him has another ingredient working in its favor: cohesion.

“I think the biggest thing is they play together,” Colandrea said of the offensive line. “They play together in the pass game and the run game. You watch the tape, you’re like, ‘Dang, it’s like they’ve been playing for years, but all of them are new.’ It’s a cool deal.”

Nebraska will also have a new voice leading the group. Geep Wade took over the offensive line after Nebraska made a coaching change following the 2025 season. Rhule said during fall camp that bringing in a new position coach can be difficult, particularly when players have learned different techniques from previous staffs or arrived through the transfer portal with their own backgrounds.

So far, though, Rhule likes the response.

“I think Geep is such a football guy that I think the guys gravitate towards him,” Rhule said. “I think the players are responding to him well, but we’ll have to see when the season comes.”

That final qualifier is significant. Every year, Nebraska finds a way to have a reason for optimism in August, but the offensive line will ultimately be judged by what happens when Big Ten defensive fronts begin lining up across from it in October and November.

Last season offered a reminder of how quickly protection problems can derail an offense. Nebraska's 33 sacks allowed were up five from the year before, and while sacks aren't exclusively an offensive line statistic — quarterback decisions, receivers getting open, play design and game situations all factor into the number — consistently keeping a more mobile Colandrea clean would give offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen considerably more freedom.

That could be especially important considering what Nebraska says it wants its offense to become. Colandrea described the Huskers’ offensive identity with one word: “Attacking.”

“Trying to get after defenses, not holding back,” he said. “Just really trying to get after defenses and go score points.”

Wide receiver Nyziah Hunter offered an even more colorful description, calling the offense “very explosive and swaggy.”

Hunter and Colandrea spent time together in Florida during the offseason, working extensively on deep passes. Hunter said Colandrea's ability to extend plays and continue looking downfield could create opportunities for big gains when plays break down, but explosive passing plays need time to develop.

Rhule has made it clear that another seven-win season isn't the program's goal, and his players are echoing that sentiment throughout the opening days of fall camp. To exceed the new status quo, Nebraska will need better protection than it received a year ago.

Colandrea sounds convinced the pieces are there, and by the time Nebraska reaches the heart of its Big Ten schedule, it should be clear whether the quarterback's glowing August assessment was another year of preseason optimism or a preview of one of the Huskers' biggest improvements in 2026.