For many, many years, one of the biggest unwritten rules in college football has been that for a team to succeed, it needs a veteran presence. It’s not hard to understand why people think more older players means more success, especially in the eras where four years of playing was it, period, point blank. If that rule holds true in 2026, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are in a very good position, as they have one of the 30 oldest teams in the country. The problem is that the unwritten rule might need to be rewritten.
The Huskers are tied for the 28th-oldest roster entering the 2026 season, with players averaging 20.51 years of age. Normally, that would be seen as a good thing because it means NU has plenty of veteran players who have been there and done that, and can lead some of the talented youngsters to the promised land.
Things seem to be changing regarding what having an old or young roster means. Nebraska is currently tied with Charlotte and Temple at No. 28 in the country. Those other two teams certainly aren’t world beaters. Look up the list to the oldest team, UTSA, and it’s hard to find any team that’s considered very good at all. South Florida might be the best of the bunch, though they have the benefit of playing in the Group of 6 with their 20.60 average age.
Certainly having a veteran quarterback like Anthony Colandrea on hand is a good thing. He’s got three years of major college starts under his belt. Entering his fourth year, the Cornhuskers hope he can come close to matching what he did in 2025.
Roster age rankings cast doubt on Nebraska football’s veteran advantage
There are plenty of other veteran players expected to contribute big in 2026. Transfer defenders Owen Stoudmire, Dwayne McDougle III, and Anthony Jones Jr. are all expected to help new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich turn things around after a disappointing finish to 2025 and a campaign that saw Nebraska’s run defense get run over more often than not.
However, when looking at the teams expected to be the best in the country, an awful lot of them are quite young. The Georgia Bulldogs boast the youngest roster in the country, averaging 19.81 years old per player. Texas isn’t much older, at 19.86.
USC and Ohio State are the youngest teams in the Big Ten, and both squads have more than a few analysts believing they’re headed to the College Football Playoff.
So just what does the age of a roster tell anyone in the day of the Transfer Portal and extra years of eligibility? At the very least, it shows that the unwritten rule might be unwritten because it’s not all that accurate. For Nebraska’s sake, the Cornhuskers hope a veteran presence can lead them to a real turnaround.
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