The Nebraska football team is still in a state of flux as spring practice draws ever closer. There's a new defensive staff, there are new starters at a ton of positions, and there's the question of how the Huskers are going to handle a monster 2026 schedule.
If someone wanted to sit down and write an exhaustive list of all the questions surrounding Matt Rhule's crew in 2026, it would look an awful lot like a Stephen King novel (the author famous for 1,000-page tomes).
So what are the top questions facing the Nebraska football team with spring practice right around the corner?
How quickly can Anthony Colandrea feel at home in Nebraska?
After two years of Dylan Raiola at the helm, he's off to Oregon, and former Virginia and UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea looks like the odds-on favorite to take over as QB1.
Colandrea had a fantastic 2025 in the Mountain West. Still, there's a question of how much of that was UNLV's offense and how much was playing against inferior opponents. AC threw for nearly 3,500 yards and 23 touchdowns this past fall. Both those numbers are almost twice what he combined in two years in the ACC. His 649 yards rushing are more than those years with the Cavaliers. His 10 rushing touchdowns in 2025 were 5 times what he totaled with Virginia.
If he can bring over the swagger he showed in Vegas, he could be very, very good for Nebraska. If he had that swagger because he wasn't playing P4 opponents, it could be a long year.
How quickly can the defense gel under Rob Aurich?
Nebraska is switching from a 3-3-5 to a 4-2-5, but the new scheme is only part of the issue with a defense that struggled down the stretch. There's a ton of new staffers working with new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich (including a safeties coach opening) and quite a few new players, especially on the defensive line. The good news is that NU's schedule is backloaded, and most people think the worst they'll start 2026 is 4-1. They should be 5-0 heading into the most challenging part of the slate. Hopefully, by that point, the defense will have used spring practice and the first five weeks of the season to figure things out.
What if no running back steps up in the spring for Nebraska?
This one is listed third, but it could be the biggest question. Emmett Johnson had the best campaign of any Nebraska running back in a long time. Now, his replacements are nothing but question marks.
Making things even more interesting is that Rhule decided not to pursue a veteran running back in the Transfer Portal. That means Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee, Kwinten Ives, and Jamal Rule will likely be battling for a starting spot this fall. But before that, it would be nice to see someone really stand up and stake a claim during spring practice.
However, if Nebraska doesn't have a clear frontrunner, it's hard to think that would be a good thing, even if it's pitched by the staff as "riches." What the plan is if there's no Emmett Johnson on this staff will be interesting to see.