Five Players Who Will Be the Most Crucial for Nebraska in 2026

The Huskers need difference-makers if they want to improve after back-to-back 7-6 seasons.

Linebacker Owen Chambliss takes part in a spring practice after his transfer last winter from San Diego State. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

After three seasons, head coach Matt Rhule is 19-19 in Nebraska. As Rhule himself said, he didn't come here to go 7-6.

To see better results in 2026, the Huskers need breakout players or cornerstones. Here are five players who can fit that bill:

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea

Success almost always revolves around the quarterback. After the Huskers failed to break through during the two-year Dylan Raiola era, they hope to find more offensive consistency with UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea.

During his first two seasons, 2023 and '24 at Virginia, Colandrea struggled with turnovers, throwing 20 INTs to only 26 TDs in his 18 starts. In 2024, sacks allowed by Virginia nearly doubled, a sign that the offensive line was not pulling its weight as Colandrea's numbers plateaued. After struggling late in 2024, Colandrea was benched, leading to his transfer to UNLV.

nthony Colandrea fires a pass during the 2026 Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

As a Rebel, Colandrea blossomed, winning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2025. He threw for 3,459 yards (65.9 CMP%), 23 TDs and 9 INTs, and ran for 649 yards and 10 TDs.

Colandrea broke out in the Mountain West after struggling in the higher-tier ACC. That could concern the Huskers, who are in an even tougher conference.

But the Huskers hope Colandrea can transition successfully into the Big Ten with resources that are greater than what he had at Virginia. Colandrea will be working with a highly regarded receiving corps and an offensive line that appears much improved. Husker fans will also be relieved to have a dual threat in Colandrea after watching the anything-but-dual-threat Raiola.

No one knows if Colandrea will be better for Nebraska than Raiola was, but after totaling more than 4,100 all-purpose yards, there's a reason to believe that Colandrea can take Nebraska farther than other QBs have.

If Colandrea avoids turnovers, he can be one of the top QBs not just in the Big Ten but in the country. Come Sept. 5, it will be intriguing to start seeing how well Colandrea can do. The offense hinges on this potential superstar.

Linebacker Owen Chambliss

Now we switch to the defensive side of the ball. The linebacker is often the QB of the defense. A linebacker can tip the scales of the game with his ability to affect opponents' running and passing games equally.

The Huskers bring in a new DC Rob Aurich, who brought a potential superstar linebacker with him from San Diego State in Owen Chambliss. In the new 4-2-5 scheme, it will be critical to have a couple of effective LBs. Chambliss could be the best LB in the room.

A first-team All-Mountain West selection in 2025, Chambliss broke out with 109 total tackles (68 solo, 4th best in the nation), five passes defended, four sacks, and one interception. Chambliss would've led Nebraska in sacks in 2025. The Huskers bring a notable pass rusher but also a great pass-defending linebacker. Among the great LBs last season, not many had such an impressive and balanced stat line with the number of sacks, tackles, and passes defended.

The Huskers struggled to get tackles in 2025, with many missed tackles that didn't help their already poor run defense. Chambliss was even ranked as the fourth-highest-graded LB transfer by Pro Football Focus.

Highest Graded Transfer Linebackers this Off-Season🔥 pic.twitter.com/3YYZDfK53w

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 14, 2026

Perhaps most important is that Chambliss is among the Husker players most familiar with Aurich's defensive system. Defending in the Big Ten will no doubt be harder than it is in the Mountain West, but when it comes to the most important players on the defense, Chambliss could be the most critical one. Chambliss could be the guy who changes the course of the Blackshirts.

Safety Dwayne McDougle III

We stay on the defensive side of things with another SDSU transfer, safety Dwayne McDougle III. The Husker secondary was among the best in the nation in 2025, but it lost Ceyair Wright and DeShon Singleton, a couple of its best players.

The secondary will face heavy pressure to stay elite thanks to the questions involving the defensive line. While the Huskers do return cornerback Andrew Marshall, McDougle will be critical. He essentially replaces Singleton as safety No. 1.

McDougle transferred from Idaho to SDSU in 2025 and put up strong numbers. Under Aurich's aggressive defensive system, he totaled 55 tackles, one TFL, four INTs, and three passes defended. Nebraska struggled to force turnovers last season with just six interceptions despite the elite secondary.

McDougle, like Chambliss, is also familiar with Aurich's system, even going back to his time at Idaho. That should allow for an easier transition to the Big Ten for the senior.

San Diego State transfer Dwayne McDougle is the presumptive starter this season at one of Nebraska's safety spots. | Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska doesn't want to see the defensive line, run defense, and pass rush improve, only for the pass defense to regress. Perhaps it's unrealistic to expect a top-five secondary again in 2026, but it can still be something special.

So far under Matt Rhule, the defense has struggled to find balance in stopping both the run and the pass. McDougle will be a huge part of keeping the secondary elite and giving the defense a chance to improve elsewhere.

Running back Mekhi Nelson

We return to the offense and its young RB room, tasked with replacing All-American Emmett Johnson.

There are several names to watch, including the likely starter, Mekhi Nelson. In 2025, Nelson had 27 carries for 127 yards and two TDs, and added eight receptions for 108 yards.

A good share of that production came when Nelson was the starting running back in Nebraska's 44-22 loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Nelson ran for 88 yards on 12 carries and added three receptions for 48 yards. Nelson showed speed and vision on a 38-yard TD run early in the game.

Nebraska running back Mekhi Nelson goes for 41 yards on a catch against Akron. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

An effective running game would take pressure off Colandrea and let Nebraska become a much more dangerous offense in 2026. Isaiah Mozee and Jamal Rule could both also be huge, but Nelson is the probable starter and might have the highest ceiling in 2026.

Edge Williams Nwaneri

Finally, we head back to the defensive side of things. The Blackshirts' biggest issue last season was the D-line. The 3-3-5 scheme, combined with an undersized, inexperienced D-line, made things difficult for Nebraska. The run defense was porous, and the Huskers generated just 22 sacks, among the worst in the conference.

The leader in sacks on the D-line in 2025 was Williams Nwaneri, a freshman who transferred from Missouri and put up 2½ sacks. Nwaneri, 6-foot-7 an, 265 pounds, was ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports and the sixth-best overall recruit.

Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone gets a pass away last season under pressure from Nebraska's Williams Nwaneri. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nwaneri's ceiling is remarkably high. As the Huskers shift to a four-man front, they will hope to get more sacks from players like Nwaneri. The big, physical edge can help the run defense and be a major sack problem for opposing offenses.

Nwaneri can help solve many of the problems the front faced in 2025 by putting it together. Others to watch include Kade Pietrzak, Jahsear Whittington, and even Cam Lenhardt, who could be critical to turning things around. But the one player whose breakout could shake the Big Ten is Nwaneri.

Coming into 2026, these players might be the most important for the Huskers. Both the offense and defense face big questions, and these potential X-factors could answer them. The Huskers' ceiling is high in 2026 - but they will need to see stars arise to reach it.

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com4 daily.