Husker QBs: Spring Shake-Up Reveals Depth and Dilemmas
Nebraska’s 2026 quarterback room shed the Dylan Raiola era and welcomed a trio of signal‐callers: veteran Anthony Colandrea, transfer hopefuls Daniel Kaelin and TJ Lateef, plus Bode Soukup lurking behind. After 15 spring practices and a vanilla spring game, Colandrea solidified his grip on the No. 1 role, while Kaelin and Lateef wage an ongoing duel for QB2. Holgorsen’s offense leans into RPOs, zone runs and selective deep shots, also eyeballing Colandrea’s 649‐yard rushing prowess. Transfers now make up half the room, marking college football’s new normal. The chief concern: can the starters stay healthy in 2026? With a brutal schedule ahead and prior injuries plaguing Nebraska’s season, keeping Colandrea unscathed could mean the difference between bowl dreams and another rebuilding year.
If spring football had a Yelp review, it would give Holgorsen’s QBs two stars—and that’s only because the coaching staff managed to stay awake through 15 practices. Fans have been thrilled to see Anthony Colandrea’s running game—apparently the only one that can outrun a Nebraska defense bound for mediocrity. Meanwhile, Kaelin and Lateef continue their slow‐motion cage match for QB2, trading awkward handoffs and fumbling drills like they’re on a bad local cable show. Transfers dominate half the roster because recruiting nowadays is less about high school highlights and more like speed‐dating: swipe right for anyone with Power Four credentials. The big question isn’t scheme or depth—it’s whether anyone can endure Nebraska’s off‐season workout without filing for worker’s comp.
Dust, Nets, and New Vibes: Huskers Embrace Off‐Campus Drills
With Devaney Center under renovation, Nebraska volleyball practices at the Kinetic Sports Complex, sharing space with VC Nebraska. Senior setter Bergen Reilly embraces the makeshift Taraflex court, finding comfort in the “almost more relaxing” vibe. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly admits it’s a “dusty, loud mess,” but sees adversity as growth—fueling four and a half weeks of intensive spring prep and three exhibitions. The team compensates for the lost social hub of the locker room by planning more meals together. Nebraska also integrates freshmen Gabby DiVita, Jayden Robinson and Keoni Williams, while tweaking spring skill work to hit harder and serve tougher. Off‐campus drills are temporary, but improved facilities—1,500 extra seats and a fancy locker room—justify the dust.
Welcome to “Volleyball: The Next Reality Show,” where collegiate athletes learn to dig balls and elbows in a dusty warehouse, all while praying an errant gym broom doesn’t become a souvenir. Coach Busboom Kelly now moonlights as a construction foreman, dodging jackhammers and stray volleyballs. Senior Bergen Reilly, once cradled by the hallowed Devaney Center, now chills in the corner of a multipurpose gym—where the biggest crowd interruption might be a random Zumba class. Freshmen arrive expecting glamour and leave with grit, bonding over protein bars amid scaffolding. Yet fear not: it’s only temporary. Soon the court will sparkle, the locker room will be Instagrammable, and the Huskers will look back fondly on this spring as “that charming dust cloud era.”
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