With Nebraska football’s 2026 fall camp set to start on Wednesday, there are plenty of position battles that will take place over the next few weeks, right up until the Huskers’ season opener on September 5. On the flip side, there are some positions that almost certainly are set, even if the coaches won’t say for sure until they’re ready to announce a starting two-deep.
There’s an extra wild card here because the Cornhuskers have their third defensive coordinator in four years. They also have a switch from a 3-3-5 base to a slightly more traditional 4-2-5 base set. Rob Aurich got to see some of the guys play in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah, but he didn’t coach that game. He also brought in plenty of new bodies that will compete for starting jobs with returnees in 2026.
Things will move quickly for Nebraska in this all-important fourth year of the Matt Rhule era. That said, Matt Rhule and company are playing cagey. Most believe that Anthony Colandrea will be QB1, but even that hasn’t been officially declared.
Nebraska football depth chart projections before fall camp begins
Quarterback
Starter: Anthony Colandrea
Backup: TJ Lateef
Down the depth chart: Daniel Kaelin, Bode Soukup
Rhule has said that Nebraska will have a real quarterback battle this fall, but the former Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year doesn’t come to Lincoln unless he believes he’s got the inside shot at QB1. Colandra will almost certainly be the starter. Lateef likely wins the backup job because of his dual-threat capabilities. However, Kaelin might have the more accurate arm, which keeps him in the backup race.
Running back:
Starter: Mekhi Nelson
Backup: Isaiah Mozee
Down the depth chart: Jamal Rule, Tikey Hayes, Kwinten Ives, Conor Booth
This position was much more wide open for Nebraska a week ago. Nelson was the starting running back after Emmett Johnson declared for the draft, and he rewarded the coaches’ trust with a great game against the Utes. Now that Nelson has been cleared after some spring legal issues, he comes in as the odds-on favorite to start. The wildcards here are Hayes, Rule and Ives. All three could show they deserve to be higher on the depth chart. Mozee’s ability to catch as a former receiver puts him at backup for now.
Wide receivers:
Starters: Nyziah Hunter, Kwazi Gilmer, Jacory Barney Jr.
Backups: Cortez Mills Jr., Quinn Clark, Janiran Bonner
Down the depth chart: Keelan Smith, Demitrius Bell, Jackson Carpenter, Roman Mangini, Connor Schutt, Hayes Miller, DJ Singleton Jr., Nalin Scott, Larry Miles
This is one of the deepest wide receiver rooms to ever come through Nebraska. Kwazi Gilmer joined the Huskers from UCLA over the offseason and immediately joins Hunter and Barney as a group that doesn’t get enough ink. Clark and Bonner don’t have a ton of playing time under their belt, but both should be interesting weapons at second string. There’s a ton of talent further down the depth chart too, and it seems likely one of the depth guys will make some serious noise in 2026.
Tight end:
Starter: Luke Lindenmeyer
Backup: Carter Nelson
Down the depth chart: Luke Sorenson, Eric Ingwerson, Cayden Echternach, Danny King
Nebraska has some weapons at tight end, but this might also be the lightest position depth-wise. Lindenmeyer is also perhaps the only dude who has locked down the starter’s job on offense as completely as Colandrea has at QB. Nelson and Sorenson have gotten a lot of praise this offseason, but both are quite untested, and the rest of the position doesn’t have a ton of field experience either.
Offensive line:
LT:
Starter: Elijah Pritchett
Backup: Gunnar Gottula
LG:
Starter: Paul Mubenga
Backup: Sam Sledge
C:
Starter: Justin Evans
Backup: Jake Peters
RG:
Starter: Brendan Black
Backup: Gibson Pyle
RT:
Starter: Tree Babalade
Backup: Tyler Knaak
Down the depth chart:Â Brock Knutson, Jacob Brandl, Preston Taumua, Grant Brix, Ashton Murphy, Nolan Fennessy, Shawn Hammerbeck, Juju Marks, Claude Mpouma, Hayden Ainsworth, Rex Waterman
Nebraska’s offensive line has been up and down in the Matt Rhule era, but with Geep Wade now the OL coach and some talent infusion this offseason, there’s a lot of optimism that this could be the best unit in a long, long time. Evans headlines this group as one of the best centers in the country. That’s especially huge with a new quarterback lined up behind him this year.
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