What Stands Out From Nebraska's First Official Depth Chart

Several intriguing position battles remain unsettled, while a few notable decisions have been made about starting jobs, providing a glimpse of how the Huskers will line up Saturday.

Cameron Lenhardt is listed as a starter at defensive end for the Huskers in week 1. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska released its first official depth chart of 2026 on Monday, providing the first real look at how the Huskers are expected to line up this season.

There aren't many major surprises. However, a few things do stand out, including some players separating themselves from the competition and several positions that remain far from settled.

Gunnar Gottula. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Gunnar Gottula Has Separated Himself at Right Tackle

Notable on the offensive side of the ball was Gunnar Gottula being listed as the clear No. 1 right tackle. Unlike a number of other positions on the chart, there is no "OR" next to Gottula's name, with Tree Babalade listed below him.

Babalade was brought in via the portal during the offseason with plenty of experience under his belt, and it appeared to be his job to lose. Gottula, meanwhile, was almost a forgotten man after a knee injury forced him to miss nearly half of last season and spring ball as well. Entering the season opener Saturday against Ohio, it's Gottula who has prevailed in the battle of veteran fourth-year players.

Nebraska also has Preston Taumua listed behind Babalade, giving the Huskers some flexibility if they need to move guys around. For the opener, though, Gottula has locked down the right tackle spot.

Hayden Ainsworth | @Hayden_A_LT/X

Hayden Ainsworth Is Already Pushing for Playing Time

Another offensive line development was freshman Hayden Ainsworth being listed as an "OR" with Taumua at left tackle behind starter Elijah Pritchett.

This is Taumua's third year in the program, so the fact that Ainsworth is already pushing him is something worth watching.

It's also another sign of the depth Nebraska is building along the offensive line. If Ainsworth continues to develop, it wouldn't be surprising to see the freshman find his way onto the field early.

Owen Stoudmire | Nebraska Athletics

Owen Stoudmire Gets the Nod Over Riley Van Poppel

Defensive tackle is another position where the first depth chart gave us an interesting answer. Owen Stoudmire is listed as the starter, with Riley Van Poppel behind him, while Pitt transfer Jahsear Whittington is the starter on the other side ahead of "ORs" Tyson Terry and Sua Lefotu. Terry is making a push after sitting out his freshman year due to injury.

This is Van Poppel's fourth season in the program and he has three career starts, so there was a decent chance he would lay claim to the starting job. Instead, the sixth-year transfer from Boston College has earned that spot.

Perhaps that isn't a huge surprise considering Stoudmire's experience. Now it will be interesting to see if Van Poppel can push Stoudmire once the season gets going. Even if he doesn't start, Van Poppel is bound to get his share of snaps, which is probably true of any position along the defensive line.

Cameron Lenhardt | Nebraska Athletics via X

Cameron Lenhardt Ahead of Williams Nwaneri

The biggest surprise on defense might be Cameron Lenhardt being listed as the starter ahead of Williams Nwaneri at defensive end. Lenhardt has 13 career starts, including seven last season, while Nwaneri started nine games for the Huskers in 2025.

A blue-chipper as a high school recruit, Nwaneri came to Nebraska with high expectations after a season at Missouri, so seeing him listed behind Lenhardt catches your attention. At the same time, it could say just as much about how much Lenhardt has improved as it does about Nwaneri.

Lenhardt is in his fourth year in the program and has already shown he can be productive, so this could be a situation where he simply earned the starting spot. Nwaneri will still have an opportunity to make a big impact, but for now, Lenhardt is the guy Nebraska has at the top of the depth chart.

TJ Lateef | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

QB2 Is Still Up for Grabs

The quarterback position is settled at the top with UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea established as the starter. Behind him, however, Nebraska still hasn't decided who will be the No. 2 quarterback, with TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin listed as "ORs."

This is one of the battles that could be important as the season unfolds. If something happens to Colandrea, one of these two players will need to step in and run the offense.

Lateef and Kaelin will have the opportunity to continue competing, and it will be interesting to see if one of them can separate himself once Nebraska starts playing games.

Isaiah Mozee | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Several Positions Still Aren't Settled

Those are the biggest things that stood out, but Nebraska has several other positions that aren't settled. Three players remain in contention to start at running back, which is not surprising. Cornerback, safety, linebacker and placekicker each has an "OR" atop the list, meaning the starting job remains up for grabs. More "ORs" are sprinkled lower down at such positions as tight end, wide receiver and defensive end.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially this early in the season. Nebraska has plenty of players competing for starting jobs and playing time, and some of those battles could continue even after the season starts.

For the most part, though, the first official depth chart looks reasonably close to what we expected coming out of fall camp. The biggest questions now are whether players like Ainsworth can continue pushing for playing time, whether Lenhardt and Stoudmire can hold onto their starting jobs, and who eventually emerges as QB2.

Click on the chart image below for a PDF version.

The Aug. 31st depth chart. Click for a PDF version. | Nebraska Athletics

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