Dave Feit’s Reasons for Optimism on Nebraska Football’s Prospects for 2026

I've been putting together a preseason "reasons for optimism" piece for over a decade. A year ago, I said it was "so easy" to put the list together. And it really was - I ended up leaving a couple of big reasons on the cutting room floor.

As for this year? Well… I'll admit that I had to work a little harder to come up with a list. To be clear: there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 Huskers. But - spoiler alert - one of the recurring themes is how the optimism was originating from a previous coach (or player) having left the program. Once I dug past the surface, I found a few gems that have me hopeful Nebraska can improve upon the preseason prognostications.

But if you'd like to trade this tall glass of Kool Aid for some harsher truths, you are in luck. I have also compiled a companion piece with a list of reasons why a "reality check" may be in order. If this a sunshine and rainbows yin, think of the Reality Check as its dark and cloudy yang. You can find the other piece by clicking here.

But for now, positive vibes only!

Nebraska's run defense will be better.

Let's start the optimism with a glass half full observation about last season: The 2025 Blackshirts had an excellent pass defense. They finished third in the nation in passing yards allowed (154.1 per game). But starting in Week 4 (Michigan), most* of NU's opponents figured out that they didn't need to throw to beat the Huskers. Not coincidentally, starting with Week 4, Nebraska went 4-6.

*Let's give a shoutout to Michigan State's Jonathan Smith for having Aidan Chiles throw the ball 23 times on a day with 20 mph winds. Not surprisingly, Smith will not be on the sidelines when Nebraska travels to East Lansing.

Looking at Nebraska's rush defense stats side-by-side shows just how dramatically things fell off.

2024: 3.4 yards allowed per attempt. 101.2 rush yards allowed per game (101.9 against P4 opponents). Six P4 opponents were held under 100 rush yards. A total of 211 rush yards allowed in their final three games (Wisconsin, Iowa, and Boston College).

2025: 4.8 yards allowed per attempt. 175.4 rush yards allowed per game (188.5 against P4 opponents). Six P4 opponents ran for more than 200 yards. An average of 223 rush yards allowed in their final three games (Penn State, Iowa, and Utah).

While a strong run defense requires contributions from all three levels, I firmly believe that a defense is only as good as their line. Frankly, Nebraska's defensive line in 2025 did not play very well. I don't think I'm out of line in saying that the Terry Bradden experiment was an abject failure. Bradden, Nebraska's defensive line coach a year ago, was leading a position group for the first time in his coaching career (he was previously an assistant to the defensive line coach with the Kansas City Chiefs). He was coaching at the college level for the first time since being a grad assistant at Bethune-Cookman in 2016.

On top of that, Bradden walked into a young room that was attempting to replace two NFL players (Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher). Admittedly, that is a tough task. But did any of his returning players (specifically, Riley Van Poppel, Cameron Leonhardt, and Keona Davis) get noticeably better last year? I know my answer.

Will new defensive line coach Corey Brown be an improvement over Bradden? I'll answer that question with a question: could he possibly be worse? If Nebraska - led by the D-Line - can improve their rush defense, the team's prospects will greatly improve.

Fixing a leaky pipeline.

As happy as Husker fans are to be moving on from Dylan Raiola (more on him in a minute), I think I'm happier to be moving on from uncle Donovan, NU's offensive line coach from 2022 - 2025. In 2025, Nebraska's O-line production was - at best - a mixed bag.

Good: The Huskers had a back gain more than 1,100 yards for the first time since Ameer Abdullah in 2014.

Bad: Nebraska quarterbacks were sacked 33 times, tied for the third most since 2004.*

*We can debate how much of EJ's success should be credited to his burst and ability to avoid contact, just like we can debate how many of those sacks should go on the quarterback's tab. Both are fair things to discuss.

If you want to tell me that several of NU's 33 sacks allowed in 2025 happened because Dylan was a statue who held the ball too long, I won't argue. But I will point out that in Donovan's four seasons at NU, the Huskers allowed 33, 29, 28, and 33 sacks. Adrian Martinez and Heinrich Haarberg were the starting quarterbacks for two of those seasons. Nobody has ever described those two players as immobile statues in the pocket.

I tried to believe in Donovan Raiola as an offensive line coach. I really did. Before last year, I wrote about my optimism in the offensive line's prospects. It was the second time I had written about that. Very little of what I've published over the years has aged worse than those two pieces.

There's an argument to be made that the Donovan Raiola era was less successful than his nephew's NU career. I find it incredibly telling that at least three of the projected starting linemen for 2026 (Elijah Pritchett, Paul Mubenga, Brendan Black, and possibly Tree Babalade) came to Nebraska as transfers, with the latter three arriving this offseason.

After four full seasons, Donovan Raiola should have had a pipeline of third- and fourth-year players ready to contribute. Much of the "bamboo" he planted and watered (to borrow Raiola's analogy from a year ago) has yet to grow.*

*Pop quiz: Who is the best offensive lineman to play for two (or more) seasons under Donovan Raiola? Turner Corcoran? Henry Lutovsky? Gunnar Gottula? Bryce Benhart? My answer is Justin Evans, who is in the discussion for Nebraska's best player on the offensive side of the ball.

With Donovan currently out of coaching, the line is now being led by Geep Wade. Wade has extensive credentials and a track record of working with offenses that are able to run the dadgum ball. I believe there is talent and potential in the offensive line room, and I believe Wade is the guy to help mold them into a unit worthy of the Nebraska name.

A Blackshirt revival is possible.

At the top, we discussed NU's inability to stop the run last year. It was a fatal flaw that caused the promise of the 2025 season to vanish in a cloud of heartache.

I have no interest in revisiting the rabbit holes of John Butler coming to Nebraska, Tony White taking a lateral move to Florida State, nor any micromanaging that may (or may not) have occurred when Butler was the defensive coordinator. Instead, I'm choosing the optimistic approach that Nebraska's defensive should once again be on solid footing.

Rob Aurich is Nebraska's new defensive coordinator. He only had one season as coordinator at San Diego State, but it was once heck of a year. I've seen many Husker fans citing the stingy stats the Aztecs allowed in 2025: 266.7 yards of offense! 12.6 points per game! Three shutouts!

Those numbers are impressive, but they come with a gigantic Mountain West asterisk to next to them. Raw stats padded by games against Stony Brook and San Jose State won't mean anything when NU faces Oregon and Indiana.

Instead, the numbers that give me hope are the leaps Aurich's Aztecs made in the NCAA rankings during his first season as coordinator:

   • Total defense: from 114th in the nation to 12th.
   • Scoring defense: from 97th to fifth.
   • Passing yards allowed: from 55th to sixth.
   • Rushing defense: from 121st to 39th.
   • Turnovers gained: from 110th to 48th.
   • Third down conversion percentage defense: from 123rd to 13th.
   • Red zone defense: from 119th to third.

These massive gains - across a wide variety of categories - suggest that Aurich has a good scheme, knows how to game plan, and can maximize his talent. As it applies directly to Nebraska, there are a handful of categories (scoring defense, rushing defense, turnovers gained, and red zone defense to name a few) where there is plenty of room for the Blackshirts to make a big jump in 2026.

Aurich won't have to install his defense alone. Two new defensive assistant coaches, Roy Manning (defensive edges) and Tyler Yelk (safeties) previously coached under Aurich. In addition, linebacker Owen Chambliss and defensive back Dwayne McDougle III followed Aurich to Lincoln. Chambliss was SDSU's leading tackler in 2025, and is expected to be a leader of the new (and hopefully improved) Blackshirts.

Nebraska has a quarterback who fits the offense that Matt Rhule wants to run.

I'm not particularly interested in relitigating Dylan Raiola era, nor in taking swipes at him now that he's gone. I would hope it is indisputable that Rhule had to try to recruit Raiola*. For a multitude of reasons, it simply did not work out the way anybody wanted.

*In retrospect, it is easy to say that Nebraska would have been better off if they never signed Dylan Raiola, much like if Nebraska had not hired Scott Frost or Steve Pederson. But in their respective moments, Frost and Pederson were both viewed as such "can't miss" hires that there would have been fan riots if anybody else was picked. The same applies to Dylan Raiola, then one of the top prep QBs in the nation and the son of a major award-winning Husker alum.

Seriously, can you imagine the reaction in the offseason prior to the 2024 season if word got out that Dylan wanted to sign but Rhule turned him down? I guarantee it would have referred to as "Joe Burrow 2.0."

Raiola was always an awkward fit for the offense that Rhule has said he wants to run. Nebraska's offensive identity under Rhule is an entirely separate conversation, but he typically talks about wanting a run-heavy offense with quarterbacks who can extend plays with their feet. Right, wrong, or otherwise, Raiola was never going to be that guy.

Anthony Colandrea, on the other hand, sounds like the fit Nebraska coaches and fans have been searching for. I don't know exactly what Rhule and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen want to do, but I feel that the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year* should be up to the task.

*Yes, I'm aware I applied a Mountain West tax to Rob Aurich's defensive stats from SDSU. For the sake of consistency, we probably should do the same here.

I truly have no idea of what to make of Nebraska's offense. The running backs are largely unproven. The wide receivers are deep and talented, but so much of their production relies on the quarterback's arm (and the line that hopefully gives him time to throw). My most optimistic offensive opinion is that if Colandrea can a) stay healthy b) avoid turnovers, and c) not have to be the team's leading rusher Nebraska's offense should be more consistently productive than last year. If not, well, that's something for the corresponding reality check piece. (LINK)

Most of Nebraska's special teams specialists are back.

One of the most positive developments from the 2025 season was the special teams units rising from the dead. Coordinator Mike Ekeler earned most of the praise for the revival, so it might seem awkward to include special teams again now that Ekeler is at USC. Ek might be gone, but most of the specialists will return.

Punt returner Jacory Barney, Jr. is the headliner of the group. Barney had 270 punt return yards last year. That is the most by a Husker since 2014, and surpassed NU's total punt return yardage from 2021 - 2024. Barney was a third-team All-Big Ten return specialist in 2025, averaging 12.2 yards per return - good for 13th in the nation. He is a legitimate threat to take a kick to the house, and could be a sleeper candidate for the Jet Award.

Both of Nebraska's place kickers (John Hohl and Kyle Cunanan) will be back. Cunanan made 16 of his 19 field goal attempts in 2025, with a long of 52. Almost half of Hohl's 54 kickoffs were downed for a touchback. He also made 10-15 field goals in 2024, with a long of 54 yards at Ohio State. Kamdyn Koch, the holder throughout 2025 returns as well.

Ambipedal Aussie punter Archie Wilson didn't have the impact most fans expected in his freshman year (39.4-yard average, with a long of 58, and 12 kicks downed inside the 20). But with another year of growth and confidence, he should continue to improve. Regardless, he'll still be a fan favorite.

Among the specialists, the only changes are Michigan State transfer Jack Wills replacing Kevin Gallic at long snapper, and finding somebody to replace Kenneth Williams as the kickoff returner. Given Rhule's emphasis on recruiting speedy players, it is likely that a potential game breaker will be fielding kicks.

Admittedly, I do have concerns about Nebraska being able to replicate Ekeler's schemes and energy, but that is a topic for another day.

Nebraska did not win the offseason national championship

For the first time in many years, Nebraska did not win the offseason national championship.* Heck, they didn't even qualify for an offseason bowl game.

*For those unfamiliar with the reference, "Offseason National Champs" is a running joke in the Husker fan base (especially on the site formerly known as Twitter). The tongue-in-cheek bit suggests that each and every player signing, piece of good news, and hype video released by NU is proof that Nebraska is winning the offseason. These offseason wins will obviously translate into real winning when the actual season starts.

A common side effect of Nebraska's multiple offseason titles is that the already high fan expectations somehow climb even higher.

The loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl capped off a disappointing end to the 2025 season. A little over seven weeks later, the Huskers started "spring" practices even though the calendar still said February. The early start wasn't the only departure from norm this offseason. From the moment spring ball started, throughout the summer, and continuing as I type this sentence in late August, things have been very quiet in Lincoln.

It hasn't been complete radio silence, but the lack of hype coming out of the football facility has been noticeable. Rhule appears to have dramatically cut back on his appearances, interviews, and social media activity (just four tweets since January). Player and coach interviews (both in camp and at Big Ten Media Days) have lacked the bravado and cliched bluster ("we've never been closer!", "this is the best group we've had", etc.) normally heard this time of year. There seems to be a quiet confidence coming out of the stadium, but I'd describe the overall tone as understated and workmanlike.

There's an argument to be made that Nebraska’s subdued public persona this offseason is a red flag. Did the Huskers successfully read the pulse of the fan base and decide not to provoke disgruntled fans? Are they intentionally tamping down hype in an effort to keep expectations in check?

Maybe, but I still find the approach refreshing.

I guarantee every Husker fan reading this can remember a season (or decade) where they drank every drop of preseason Kool-Aid and talked themselves into a great season ("We could start 6-0, then upset that ranked team at home, and then…"). Not only did those best-case scenarios fail to materialize, they invariably crashed and burned into a jangled mass of broken dreams and groin kicks.

For the first time that I can remember, fan expectations for the coming season are mostly measured and underinflated. Yes, a large part of that is how 2025 ended, the schedule, and some fans losing confidence in Rhule. But without unnecessary hype - spoken by those inside the program, reported on by Nebraska's extensive media corps, and discussed endlessly on radio shows, blogs, and boards - the Huskers have a legitimate opportunity to exceed expectations. That's hard to do, and has not happened for a long time.*

*A parting question: when was the last time a Nebraska team truly exceeded preseason expectations? 2016? Farther back?

That is the challenge ahead for Nebraska. If the things we've talked about come to pass, it could happen.

If not, well, then I guess we should prepare ourselves for the reality check to come.

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