It has been a tough couple of months for Nebraska football, but it looks like things could be looking up for the Cornhuskers. After losing a couple of key parts to the NFL Draft and quarterback Dylan Raiola to the transfer portal, head coach Matt Rhule just brought in a potential replacement that could pay off immensely.
Nebraska just got a commitment from former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey, who chose to enter the transfer portal after the Irish finished their season. Minchey was in a close QB competition with now Irish starter CJ Carr, but lost it in the end.
After a season of being the backup, it seems Minchey wanted a fresh start, and he feels he is going to find that in Lincoln. However, there are some looming questions around it, like what does this mean for Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef?
Kenny Minchey could be in for another QB battle at Nebraska with TJ Lateef
TJ Lateef spent most of the 2025 season as the backup to Raiola, but in the final few games of the season, he was thrust into action with Raiola went down with a leg injury. Lateef did the best he could, but being a freshman and not having much time with the starter beforehand, he only threw for 904 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
Nebraska could have chosen not to hit the portal for a quarterback, given the job to Lateef, but instead, they brought in Minchey. Although just because Minchey is coming in doesn't mean the job is automatically his.
Minchey could have just jumped from one quarterback battle to another, as Lateef probably plans on fighting for his spot. Now with an entire offseason ahead, the two QBs have time to perfect their craft and be ready for a competition.
The only other option for Lateef, if he doesn't want to risk being a backup again, would be to enter the portal before it closes on January 16. However, based on comments he has made in the past about the portal, that doesn't really seem like his style.