Things are about to change across the college football world now that the NCAA has adopted an age-based eligibility system that allows players to have a flat five years of eligibility rather than four and a redshirt. For the Nebraska football team, the new rule could change the quarterback competition in 2027.
When Anthony Colandrea arrived in Lincoln this offseason, the assumption was that he was with the Huskers just long enough to hold down the fort until TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin got another year of seasoning and Trae Taylor arrived on the scene officially. It also meant that unless the Huskers were ready to turn things over to Lateef, Kaelin, or Taylor in 2027, they would likely have needed to find a one-year answer in the Transfer Portal.
With the Five-for-Five eligibility rule now in place, Colandrea, as well as several other Nebraska football players, has two more years than he originally thought he would. If he decides to spend a second season in Lincoln, it becomes very interesting, especially if his 2026 season looks more like his 2025 campaign and less like his years with Virginia.
The question, regarding what Trae Taylor expects now that there isn’t a red-shirt season. The Millard South quarterback made it clear that he understood if he spent his first season watching from the sidelines, knowing he’d have four more years to play. But now? When sitting just loses a year of eligibility, might he be more inclined to push to start right away?
Anthony Colandrea returning in 2027 would complicate Nebraska football QB plan
Some will claim there’s no difference in sitting for a redshirt year and sitting for the first of five years, but the circumstances are different. The only way Taylor got a fifth year before was by sitting and not playing. Now, sitting and not playing is wasting a season.
However, there is another side to this coin. If Colandrea does return to Nebraska in 2027, the Huskers could plan to go with a sort of amended two-quarterback approach. Without the redshirt rule, there’s no limit on how many games Taylor could play in. Would Matt Rhule and company work out a plan where Taylor plays in every (or almost every) game in 2027 while Colandrea still starts?
Splitting playing time is easier during the non-conference cupcake games, but it’s possible Nebraska could find a way to get Taylor into Big Ten games every now and then. A couple of drives per half would be ideal on paper, but, of course, that depends on the game situation.
There’s also the question of just how Lateef and Kaelin will take it if the Huskers plan a way for the new arrival to play in every game while they sit and watch. It would certainly seem that if Colandrea does return to Nebraska in 2027, Rhule and his staff face a real conundrum about how to handle such a big change in eligibility.
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