It happened sometime during the 2025 season. It’s difficult to say exactly when that occurred, and regardless of what the final straw was, Matt Rhule determined things weren’t working at quarterback and a change was needed. Good on Rhule.
Rhule said it in his first year of recruiting at Nebraska, he wasn’t a fan of legacy players. Too often it’s a lose-lose proposition. Seldom if ever does a legacy player work out. Dylan Raiola is yet another example of that being true. Raiola is talented, and chances are he’ll land somewhere else and be successful. But let’s face it, he was a poor fit for Holgorsen, and Nebraska.
After Raiola was out it became clear the number one target in the 2026 transfer portal would be a quarterback. Right away it was stated that whoever they brought in would have to compete with current quarterback JT Lateef. And when it was announced it would be Notre Dame backup Kenny Minchey that seemed to be true. But once Minchey pulled the chair from under Nebraska the Huskers pivoted quickly to UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
The rhetoric from the staff didn’t change. Whoever came in would have to compete for the starting spot. Okay sounds good, but don’t fool yourself, on opening day Anthony Colandrea will be Nebraska’s starter. That’s not knocking TJ Lateef. It’s just there is a Grand Canyon in experience between the two players.
But is it just Lateef. Sean Callahan of HuskerOnline reported former Nebraska QB Danny Kaelin will be returning to Lincoln. Kaelin entered the portal after spending last season at Virginia where he went 30/52 for 339 yards, 1 TD, and 1 Interception. He also rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries. Most of that came on a 54-yard run for a TD against Wake Forest. Kaelin fits Nebraska’s needs better than Raiola did. He’s shown that he has wheels.
The question now is, if Kaelin does return, will it make a difference to Lateef. It’s something to watch for.
As for Minchey, he did the Huskers a favor. Anthong Colandrea is a big, big, win for the Huskers and a big step up compared to him. From a talent and experience standpoint Colandrea played 18 games at Virginia, breaking the school’s freshman passing records in the process. In those games he totaled 4,083 yards passing for a 62.2% completion rate, 26 TDs, and 20 interceptions. He also rushed for 502 yards and 2 TDs.
He then transferred to UNLV where he started last season and led the Rebels to a Mountain West Championship and was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. During the season he passed for 3,459 yards, a 65.9% completion rate, 23 TDs, and 9 interceptions. He also had 127 rushing attempts for 649 yards and 10 TDs. He is the dual threat quarterback that Nebraska is looking for.
There are several people who look at his touchdown to Interception ratio, 49/29, and think turnover machine. But he made a big improvement in that category this last season and truthfully, big plays, game winning play, don’t come without risk. There is a huge upside to the way Colandrea plays the game.
When I think of Colandrea going from UNLV to Nebraska, I think of Deigo Pavia going from New Mexico State to Vanderbilt or Devon Dampier from New Mexico to Utah. They were game changers for their new schools, Vanderbilt went from 2-10 to 7-6, and finally 10-3 under Pavia. Utah went from 5-7 to 10-2 with Dampier, who has another season remaining. They play the game the right way, and that’s what Nebraska gets in Colandrea. The field tilts in his team’s favor when he steps onto it.
You will not see Colandrea sliding short of first downs. You won’t see him standing in the pocket like a statue. When the ball is in his hands he’ll make plays. Will there be times he makes mistakes, absolutely. But he’s the kind of guy who has the memory of a goldfish and comes right back with a bigger play. This team will rally around his gunslinger’s mentality and the physicality that he plays with. It will not only influence the whole team but the coaching staff as well. He is that leader this team had been lacking.
Yeah, I know. I sound like a typical Husker fan. Nebraska wins the offseason National Championship once again. Well, maybe so. But man, I like where things are going with the quarterback position.
GO BIG RED!!
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