Anthony Colandrea hasn't been officially named the starting quarterback at Nebraska, but most everyone in and around the sport expects him as QB1 to be a foregone conclusion. If and when he's the Huskers' starting quarterback, he's got plenty of doubters to prove wrong (including yours truly). A recent ranking of every Power 4 quarterback shows how much work he has to do.
Nicholas Rome of Saturday Blitz is the latest analyst to express his doubts that Colandrea could end up being better than Dylan Raiola. Still, while he has the Husker QB ranked relatively low at No. 37, it does mean the former UNLV gunslinger is good enough to make a difference.
Antony Colandrea ranked in the middle of the pack for Nebraska football
"Nebraska thought it found its quarterback in Kenny Minchey," Rome wrote, recalling a wild few days in Lincoln this offseason. "But when he flipped his commitment to Kentucky, the Huskers quickly pivoted, landing Anthony Colandrea."
"After two up-and-down seasons at Virginia, Colandrea had the best season of his career at UNLV. While Colandrea won't have the high ceiling that Dylan Raiola had, he'll give the Huskers a much higher floor, which should allow Matt Rhule's team to take a step forward."
Nebraska football thinks Anthony Colandrea is a better fit, if not a bigger talent
It's worth pointing out that even Husker coaches haven't gone so far as to say Colandrea is a better quarterback than Raiola. However, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has mentioned on more than one occasion that he believes the former Mountain West Player of the Year is a better fit for what NU wants to do on offense in 2026.
Should Anthony Colandrea come anywhere close to his numbers in 2025 (275-417, 3,459 yards, 33 total TDs, 9 INTs, and 649 rush yards), Nebraska would gladly take it, and he would almost certainly shoot up the postseason quarterback rankings, should this list get updated.
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