While there's definitely worry about how the Nebraska football team will navigate a very tough 2026 schedule, especially with new players at quarterback and running back, ESPN analyst Bill Connelly offered up a big reason to be optimistic. Connelly dropped his rankings of every team and their returning production on both offense and defense. The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the country.
Certainly, a veteran presence doesn't guarantee NU gets back to a bowl, but it's worth pointing out that the program had a ton of returning production in both 2024 and 2025. The Huskers went to a bowl after both campaigns.
Optimism might be at an all-time low for this century over the Nebraska football team's 2026 season. However, if returning production is one of the defining factors for success squads, Connelly believes NU could have a very good season.
Nebraska football ranks No. 3 nationally in Bill Connelly’s 2026 returning production rankings
The Huskers, according to the ESPN analyst, have 69% of production returning. That ranks them just behind Notre Dame (72%) and Maryland (71%) nationwide. It's also worth pointing out that Connelly's numbers do not specifically mean "returning to Nebraska" but also include transfer players who are returning to college football, even if it is with a new team.
Breaking down returning production between offense and defense, the Huskers have a very nice 69% of production returning for both units. They're ranked 14th in offensive production returning and 7th in defensive production returning.
Connelly's numbers would also seem to indicate that while Nebraska's Transfer Portal season left some fans wanting a bit more, Matt Rhule and his staff pinpointed players they needed, and that an awful lot of them offered veteran presences that could translate to success in Lincoln.