Nebraska Football Spring Position Preview Series: Quarterbacks

After a short hiatus from college football news, Nebraska is set to start spring practice on Feb. 21.

That's right, instead of the usual March-through-April window, Matt Rhule and staff have decided to expedite the process heading into year four. With 16 transfer portal additions and another 11 signees via the 2026 high school recruiting class, the Huskers are welcoming nearly 30 new members to the team ahead of next fall.

Nine days from now, the Big Red will start spring practices with nearly all of next year's roster in place. Now, it's time to go position-by-position to take a look at who's gone, still here, and new to each room. Up first are the signal-callers.

After landing UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea last month, Nebraska seems to have found its new QB1. The 6-foot, 200-pound gunslinger totaled 3,459 passing yards, completed 65.9 percent of his passes and threw for 23 touchdowns this past fall for the Rebels.

He also proved to be more than capable as a runner. In 2025, Colandrea rushed for 649 yards on 127 carries, an average of 5.1 yards. The most interesting stat of his junior season might be that he found the end zone 10 times on the ground. That's good news for Nebraska fans looking for a mobile quarterback.

Last season alone, Colandrea accounted for over 4,100 all-purpose yards and 33 total touchdowns. In terms of quarterbacks available in the transfer portal, none can match the level of production Nebraska's newest addition had. The Florida native comes to Lincoln after totaling 8,693 all-purpose yards and 61 total touchdowns through the first three years of his collegiate career.

NU also welcomed back former Husker Daniel Kaelin after a one-year stint at Virginia. In his first stop at Nebraska, the true freshman redshirted without seeing action before he was thrust into the spotlight on several occasions as a Cavalier.

In his second collegiate season, the Bellview West High School (NE) graduate earned playing time in seven games. After completing 30-of-52 passes for 339 yards with one touchdown and one interception, he also managed to rush 12 times for 72 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry.

Though the sample size is significantly smaller than that of Colandrea, partly due to age, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback is a welcome addition to the room. After gaining experience at the Power Four level, the Huskers staff was seemingly ecstatic to have him rejoin the program, as he looks to potentially compete for the starting job. Kaelin will have three years of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career.

The Big Red also managed to retain former starting quarterback TJ Lateef, who will head into his sophomore season as the only signal-caller on the team who has already taken game reps in a Nebraska uniform. Starting the final four games of the season for an injured Dylan Raiola, the true freshman, originally from California, led the team to a 1-3 record.

Before he earned the title of QB1, Lateef played in three contests as the backup. Leading the second unit against Akron and Houston Christian, the 19-year-old's career got off to a hot start. He would also eventually take over duties in the Huskers' home game against USC, where they would go on to lose 21-17. In total, Lateef managed to surpass 900 passing yards in his first season, completing 74-of-123 passes and throwing for five touchdowns. He also added an additional 120 yards and four scores on the ground.

His retention spells good news for Nebraska's staff, who have plenty of reason for optimism about what Lateef can become down the line. Though his development was a bit more rushed than initially planned, the experience he gained in his first year on campus will help him compete for the starting role ahead of next fall.

Projected Depth Chart

Anthony Colandrea | Senior
TJ Lateef | Sophomore or Daniel Kaelin | Sophomore
Lateef or Kaelin
Bode Soukup | Sophomore

Though this can be up to one's imagination, Colandrea is in all likelihood the frontrunner for the starting role. His three years of collegiate experience, coupled with the production he has achieved puts him on another level than the other quarterbacks currently in the room. While that doesn't necessarily guarantee him as QB1, the believed compensation package he secured to come to Nebraska puts him squarely in the lead as of Feb. 11.

For the time being, Lateef and Kaelin will likely battle for the backup role. Though going purely off on-field experience and familiarity within Dana Holgorsen's offensive system, Lateef will have the leg up. It doesn't mean there can't be a surprise, or even a scenario where all three signal-callers earn the starting role throughout the year, the plan heading into the spring suggests Colandrea will help develop his understudies for the lone year he will be in Lincoln.

On paper, the Huskers now have three different scholarship quarterbacks who have started collegiate games at some point in their respective careers. That bodes well after witnessing what an offense can be reduced to without proper quarterback depth in place. NU's quarterback room's floor has almost certainly risen after the offseason, but time will ultimately tell what it did to the ceiling.

Departures in the room

Dylan Raiola | Junior
Jalyn Gramstad | Senior
Marcos Davilla | Sophomore
Luke Longval | Sophomore

The most notable departure the Big Red saw, arguably of the entire offseason, was former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. After starting in a total of 22 games throughout the first two seasons of his collegiate career, the Husker legacy has transferred to Big Ten conference foe, Oregon.

They also lost the veteran presence of Jalyn Gramstad, who spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career playing for Nebraska. Exhausting his eligibility, at one point, it was suggested that he would join the Huskers staff following his playing career, but that has not yet been confirmed. He played in three total games for the Big Red.

Will-be sophomore quarterback Marcos Davilla also elected to find a new home via the transfer portal this offseason. He spent one year with Nebraska after transferring from Purdue, and his next stop is at Abilene Christian. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder did not play in a game while in Lincoln.

Walk-on quarterback Luke Longval has also transferred from Nebraska as well. Beginning his career in 2022, the Sioux City, Iowa native spent his first season at Iowa Western Community College before coming to Lincoln. In three seasons as a Husker, he did not play in a game.

Overall, quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas's room seems to have gotten an influx of competition over the offseason. Though the starting job, on paper, seems all but locked up, it appears to be one of the most riveting battles for the backup spot in recent memory.

For Nebraska, which is hoping its protection from the offensive line is vastly improved in 2026, that bodes well. Several seasons of late have required more than one quarterback to earn starts throughout the year, and it finally appears the Big Red have multiple options lined up as contingency plans were that to happen.

Spring ball is sure to tell a lot early on about who in the room separates themselves from the pack, so expect this to be a major talking point in the weeks to come. As it currently stands, the quarterback position is as deep as it arguably has been under the current staff. And even if it doesn't have as much star potential as other years, the direction the program is heading with the position group seems to be encouraging enough.

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