In the same week that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule claimed that SEC teams have already contacted Anthony Colandrea for the 2027 season, reports have surfaced that the Huskers are working to ensure he doesn’t call anywhere but Lincoln home for his final season as a college quarterback.
Rhule addressed tampering claims involving Colandrea during his weekly Monday press conference. He started by saying he believes they had to sign Colandrea, at least in part, because former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola didn’t feel “support,” implying fan backlash may have contributed to his transfer to Oregon.
"I don't think that's a good narrative for us to have out there that he doesn't have enough support," Rhule said about Nebraska's current QB1. "I don't think that's good for our players. And not good because he's already got SEC schools calling him. I don't want Nebraska people to start saying that, because that's happened before here. We don't need that now here."
After accusing SEC schools of tampering with Colandrea, Rhule was asked how he deals with it. He replied that it’s just part of the game in today’s college athletics. He didn’t say the school is addressing Colandrea’s tampering by starting its own contract negotiations.
Nebraska football reportedly prepares massive NIL pitch for quarterback Anthony Colandrea
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Nebraska and Colandrea have started talking about bringing him back for a second year. Rhule added that there’s plenty of talent around him and that it will only get better.
Before the NCAA changed eligibility rules, this would have been Colandrea’s last season. However, he now has a fifth year of eligibility, and there’s certainly been plenty of talk that he’d take advantage of it by signing a big NIL deal. Over the last year or so, the Huskers have said they have more NIL resources than ever. They may now have the kind of money that could keep a talented quarterback in Lincoln instead of heading to the SEC.
Colandrea has hit a bit of a speed bump against Oregon and Indiana. However, he’s still put up solid numbers for the Huskers after an offseason of wondering whether he could limit turnovers, especially in a Big Ten with much better defenses than the Mountain West units he faced at UNLV last year.
Colandrea has thrown for 1,570 yards and 14 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions so far this year. He’s also run for 334 yards and another 4 scores. Perhaps most impressive, he’s been even more productive against Big Ten teams than he was against a weaker non-conference slate.
Against Indiana, he threw for 264 yards and ran for 47 yards and a touchdown. He also led the Nebraska offense in the second half. He threw a costly interception, but it was only his fourth of the season.
In Oregon, he struggled with his accuracy, but he threw for a touchdown and ran for another, accounting for both Husker scores. He’s also managed to stay completely healthy despite averaging nearly 10 carries a game, without missing a down due to injury so far this year (knock on wood).
If Nebraska could lock Anthony Colandrea up for next season well ahead of Transfer Portal season, it would also let the Huskers focus on other positions to bolster in the offseason. NU fans will have to watch this space closely.
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