Nebraska Quarterback Anthony Colandrea Ranked Among Big Ten's Best by PFF

Expectations for Anthony Colandrea continue to rise.

Despite having yet to take a snap for the Big Red, the former UNLV and Virginia quarterback enters the 2026 season regarded as one of the Big Ten's top signal-callers, according to Pro Football Focus.

Fresh off a Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year campaign, the 6-foot, 205-pound Florida native is expected to elevate Nebraska's offense in his first season under center in Lincoln.

Here's what his ranking means for the Huskers, who joins him among the conference's best quarterbacks, and what he'll need to do to live up to the expectations later this fall.

Colandrea's 2025 Campaign

There weren't many quarterbacks in the country who enjoyed a better 2025 campaign than Colandrea did. While leading UNLV to a 10-4 record, the then-junior put together the most productive season of his collegiate career.

In his lone year with the Rebels, Colandrea completed 275 of 417 passes for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging nearly 250 passing yards per game. He also rushed for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging more than five yards per carry.

The last Husker quarterback to throw for more passing yards in a season was Joe Ganz, who totaled 3,568 yards during the 2008 season. Nebraska finished 9-4 that year, which ended with a Gator Bowl victory over Clemson, and Ganz rewrote the program's single-season record book in several different categories as a result. Many of them still hold up today.

Where Colandrea Ranks

PFF slotted Colandrea as the No. 3 quarterback in the Big Ten entering 2026, trailing only Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Oregon's Dante Moore. Through 13 games, he finished with an 89.9 overall grade. For comparison, former starter Dylan Raiola finished 2025 graded with a 63.2.

Sayin enters the fall viewed as one of the nation's top signal-callers after leading Ohio State to a Big Ten Championship Game appearance and a College Football Playoff berth. The former five-star threw for 3,610 yards while posting a 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. As a result, he earned a 92.9 overall grade from PFF.

Top 10 PFF-Graded Big Ten Quarterbacks Entering 2026:

Julian Sayin (Ohio State): 92.9 overall
Dante Moore (Oregon): 90.2 overall
Anthony Colandrea (Nebraska): 89.9 overall
Jayden Maiava (USC): 86.2 overall
Katin Houser (Illinois): 84.0 overall
Rocco Becht (Penn State): 80.0 overall
Demond Williams (Washington): 79.1 overall
Colton Joseph (Wisconsin): 78.9 overall
Josh Hoover (Indiana): 76.8 overall
Nico Iamaleava (UCLA): 72.0 overall

Ducks quarterback Dante Moore throws a pass during warmups during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Moore enjoyed a breakout campaign of his own at Oregon, throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns while also leading the Ducks to the College Football Playoff. Projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick following 2025, he ultimately elected to return for another year and enters 2026 looking to further increase his stock. The then-redshirt sophomore finished the season with a 90.2 overall grade from PFF.

That's the company Colandrea now finds himself surrounded by. Graded out as one of the conference's top QBs, he'll have the opportunity to prove he truly belongs in that conversation in 2026.

Anthony Colandrea attempts a pass in the third quarter against the Colorado State Rams. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What It Means for Nebraska

Through three seasons, Colandrea's career has followed a relatively linear path. As a true freshman at Virginia in 2023, he totaled 2,183 yards of offense and 13 touchdowns while sharpening his teeth in the ACC. The Cavaliers finished just 3-9, but Colandrea showed plenty of promise, to say the least.

His production increased in 2024, as he accounted for 2,402 total yards and 15 touchdowns. Turnovers continued to be an issue, however, and Virginia finished 5-7 before Colandrea transferred to UNLV, where he put together his best season to date.

Nebraska is betting that trajectory continues in 2026, even against significantly tougher competition in the Big Ten. If Colandrea comes close to matching the production he had a year ago, he'll immediately rank among the most productive quarterbacks the program has ever seen.

The risk is obvious, but so is the upside. NU's bringing in one of the most experienced and productive signal-callers in college football over the last three years, and if he limits the turnovers, they could be looking at taking a massive step in the right direction offensively in 2026.

Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea fires a pass to a receiver during the 2026 Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Proving PFF Right

Colandrea won't necessarily be asked to replicate the production he had in 2025, though Nebraska certainly wouldn't mind if he did. Over the course of his career, he's shown growth not only as a decision-maker but as a leader as well. Entering his fourth collegiate season with 31 career starts under his belt, he'll look to use that experience to his advantage this fall.

Arguably, Colandrea also enters 2026 with the best supporting cast of his career. While that's based largely on projection, neither Virginia nor UNLV consistently recruited at NU's level during his time there. The competition will be tougher, but the talent around him should match.

Husker fans got their first and really only glimpse of Colandrea during the 2026 Red-White Scrimmage, where he completed 12 of 19 passes for 80 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception in four offensive drives. It was only a practice, but it offered an early look at what he could bring to Dana Holgorsen's offense in 2026 and beyond.

Rankings and grades ultimately only mean so much, but PFF's evaluation argues what Husker staffers believed when they landed Colandrea in the portal earlier this year. The Huskers have one of the conference's most capable QBs. Now, he'll have the opportunity to prove they were right in signing him when they did.

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