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Nebraska Football Lands MWC Player of the Year at Quarterback

Anthony Colandrea committed to the Huskers during a visit to campus Tuesday.
Trevor Tarr|
Anthony Colandrea comes to Nebraska after throwing for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns at UNLV in 2025.
Anthony Colandrea comes to Nebraska after throwing for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns at UNLV in 2025. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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Nebraska CornhuskersUNLV Runnin' Rebels

The Huskers desperately needed to make a move at quarterback, and Tuesday evening they did just that.

Shortly after 6 p.m., Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Nebraska football had secured the commitment of former UNLV signal-caller Anthony Colandrea.

Coming to Lincoln with one year of eligibility remaining, Colandrea is fresh off a junior season in which he earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors. Throwing for 3,459 yards, the Florida native completed 65.9 percent of his passes while throwing for 23 touchdowns this past fall.

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.

This year 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.

After a anxious day for a fan base waiting for clarity less than 24 hours after the Huskers lost the commitment of former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey, Nebraska found a more proven replacement.

Though Colandrea will have just one year available before exhausting his eligibility, he may be exactly what the Huskers need. Currently in the quarterback room is soon-to-be true sophomore TJ Lateef, who started four games for Nebraska in 2025 after Dylan Raiola's season-ending injury. But after the struggles Matt Rhule's team had during the latter stages of the 2025 campaign and Raiola's departure via the portal, it felt inevitable that the staff would bring in someone to compete for the starting job.

Nebraska is now back up to two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster and will, in all likelihood, be in the market for at least one more. That addition, though, will almost certainly be for depth, as the Huskers continue to hold a commitment from one of the highest-ranked quarterbacks in the 2027 high school recruiting class, Tre Taylor.

Colandrea's commitment serves as another reminder of how quickly things can change during the transfer portal window. Minutes after it was first reported that the Huskers were predicted to land the former UNLV signal-caller, it was confirmed.

For a Nebraska staff that oversaw a seemingly significant blunder, at the time, regarding Minchey's flip to Kentucky, they seemed to have redeemed themselves in a big way with this commitment.

It now moves the Huskers' number of additions via the portal to six, including two veteran, upperclassmen offensive linemen, each with over 15 games of starting experience. Of the three additions on the offensive side of the ball, none come without extensive runway on the field throughout their careers.

Colandrea started his career in 2023 at Virginia, where he spent two seasons before making his way to Sin City. While on the East Coast, Colandrea played in 19 games, earning 17 starts. Across that timeframe, the young quarterback totaled 4,083 passing yards and 26 touchdowns through the air while managing a 62.6 percent completion rate.

He added 502 yards and two touchdowns on the ground with the Cavaliers. As he makes his way to Lincoln prior to the start of the spring semester, Colandrea will bring with him nearly 8,700 career all-purpose yards.

The move not only signals a big win for Nebraska on paper, but likely gives the Huskers a ready-made starting quarterback with dual-threat capabilities. Of course, Lateef will have the opportunity to battle for the starting job, but by adding a player with Colandrea's production, the former Rebel appears to be the frontrunner.

For Rhule and his staff, it's a quick and encouraging rebound. After watching their metaphorical date get stolen on the way to prom, Nebraska still managed to get a dance with the eventual queen.

It will continue to be a busy transfer portal window. Nebraska has extended offers to nearly two dozen portal recruits, and those players are expected to be nearing their decisions in the coming days. Tuesday was a big day for Nebraska, but expect more news to quickly follow.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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