Is the Offensive Line Finally Ready to Become a Strength for Nebraska Football?

The offensive line occupies a unique space in the psyche of Nebraska football fans. In my experience, we feel a certain connection to it that doesn’t apply to every position. We have The Pipeline. We have All Americans galore across every position up front. The Outland Trophy award ceremony takes place in Omaha. The Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation’s best center, was named for a Cornhusker for crying out loud! Nebraska’s greatest teams–especially in the 1990s–were anchored in outstanding offensive lines.

What does it all mean? As far as Husker fans are concerned, it means Nebraska wrote the book on excellent offensive line play, and that position group has been far too inconsistent in recent years.

Last season is a perfect example. The line helped pave the way for running back Emmett Johnson to have an All American season, while at the same time Dylan Raiola was sacked 27 times on the year. Now, Johnson deserves some of the credit for his success, and Raiola deserves some of the blame for the number of times he ended up on the ground. But the point is, it all paints a picture of far too much inconsistency. It certainly doesn’t speak to a dominant position group.

Will 2026 be different? Omaha World-Herald reporter Evan Bland joined the Common Fan Podcast recently, and he sounded an optimistic tune about the big boys along the O line.

Nebraska Invested Heavily Up Front

The Huskers added three experienced power conference offensive linemen through the transfer portal: Brendan Black from Iowa State, Tree Babalade from South Carolina, and Paul Mubenga from LSU. Then head coach Matt Rhule hired Geep Wade away from Georgia Tech as offensive line coach, and added Lonnie Teasley, previously the offensive line coach at South Carolina, as run game coordinator.

As Bland pointed out, Nebraska didn't make those moves by accident. "It describes the investment that Nebraska made in that position group in the offseason, certainly financially," Bland told us.

Black was a three-year starter at Iowa State. Babalade and Mubenga have played SEC football. Justin Evans returns at center. Elijah Pritchett has developed into a team leader after arriving at Nebraska as a former five-star recruit. Bland even believes Pritchett in particular could be the Husker most likely to end Nebraska's long drought without a first-round NFL Draft pick.

Encouraging Depth Across the Board

The other encouraging thing Evan pointed to was the depth that might finally be emerging along the O line. Wade has talked about wanting eight offensive linemen ready to win Big Ten games, and Nebraska appears to have real candidates beyond its starters.

Bland said Gunnar Gottula is making a legitimate push to challenge Babalade for the right tackle spot. Gibson Pyle is back after missing last season with a knee injury. Tyler Knaak started the bowl game. Younger players like Preston Taumua and Sam Sledge provide even more promising options.

"Whereas in past years, I don't know that Nebraska felt comfortable going beyond their starters…maybe (they were) six guys deep," Bland said. This year, he believes they could have eight, nine or even 10 players they feel comfortable putting on the field.

As Husker fans have learned, that's a big deal in the Big Ten.

Time to Prove It

As Nebraska fans know all too well, there’s a big difference between offseason hype and on-field performance.

The Huskers still have to prove they can consistently run the football against Big Ten defenses. They have to protect Anthony Colandrea. And the real test won't come against Ohio, Bowling Green or North Dakota. It will come in October and November.

But Nebraska has spent years trying to build an offensive line capable of setting the tone, of being the anchor of the offense. The ingredients finally appear to be there: talent, experience, depth, and a highly regarded position coach.

For all the questions surrounding Nebraska heading into 2026, the offensive line might be one area where Husker fans can allow themselves a little optimism. Now it's time to find out if The Pipeline is finally starting to flow again.

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