Dave Feit’s Nebraska Football Midseason Position Group Grades

The break in Nebraska’s 2026 schedule is a perfect time to look back and reflect upon how the individual position groups on the team are performing. Which units are lifting the team up? And which ones are holding them back? Our midseason position group grades seek to provide structure to that exercise. These grades are intended to reflect what I’ve seen through the first half of the season, as well as provide a reference point for future review.

After several years of handing out midseason grades to the members of Nebraska’s coaching staff, I switched to grading the individual position groups last year. The number of assistants, analysts, and other staff members made that exercise unwieldy.

I’ve found that I prefer grading the position groups instead of the coaches. It is a more accurate reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Plus, it allows me to factor in things like recruiting and portal acquisitions that were harder to tie to a specific assistant coach.

Methodology

For each position group, I assign a letter grade (A - F) in each of these categories:

1. On-field performance. How is the unit playing? Are they a bright spot, weakness, or somewhere in between?
2. Improvement. Has the overall unit (and/or individual players) gotten better - or worse - over the course of the season or last 12 months? In my eyes, improvement is improvement regardless of whether it comes from high school recruiting, the transfer portal, or developing the guys in the room.
3. Depth. How big is the drop-off between the starters and the backups? Injuries happen, so the next man up needs to be able to contribute.
4. Gut opinion. I’ll never claim to be an X’s and O’s savant, but I have a strong understanding of where this program has been, where it is today, and where it hopes to go in the future.

The four grades are compiled into an overall GPA, using the standard 4.0 scale. A grade of "C" is average and typically implies no significant change from last year.

A few other notes

• I’m using the official roster on Huskers.com to determine which players are at each position. This is noteworthy on defense, as the roster makes no distinction between cornerbacks, safeties, and nickels. Twenty-one players are listed as "defensive back." Additionally, there is no distinction between defensive tackles, edges, ends, or anything else. Everybody is a "defensive lineman."
• Performances in the four conference games to date carry more weight than non-conference blowouts. I did a first pass of grading after the Maryland game. While many grades have dropped since then, I tried to not overreact to the Indiana and Oregon losses.
• I’m not calling for anybody to be fired. While there are a couple position groups that graded out poorly, remember: there are five regular season games left, with postseason game(s) still possible. There’s still plenty of time to see improvements.

Defensive Line

• On-Field Performance: I firmly believe the success of the Blackshirt run defense starts with the line occupying blockers so the linebackers can make plays. Nebraska is getting consistent contributions from a wide variety of players. A
• Improvement: The portal class (Jahsear Whittington, Anthony Jones Jr., and Owen Stoudmire) have all been solid to standout players. After a regression in 2025, Riley Van Poppel has played well. Williams Nwaneri is slowly developing from a guy who looks great getting off the bus into a guy that offenses have to account for whenever he steps on the field. A
• Depth: With 21 players, D-Line is tied with the defensive backs for the largest room. New coach Corey Brown has been using that to his advantage rotating several players throughout the season. It’s a strategy that I love. Ten different linemen have recorded a sack or QB hurry. Hopefully, that will pay off in the back half of the season without Jones, and possibly Van Poppel. B+
• Gut Opinion: Nebraska’s defensive woes last year started up front and impacted the entire unit. Nebraska had an elite secondary in 2025, but that didn’t matter because opponents quickly figured out that the line couldn’t stop the run or generate pressure. This year, the line is handling their business. A
• GPA: 3.88

Quarterbacks

• On-Field Performance: Anthony Colandrea has been a bright spot on offense, routinely putting the team in a position to be successful - or just making plays himself - while largely avoiding costly mistakes. I worry about the sustainability of him being the primary running threat. A
• Improvement: I don’t see a need to tear down Dylan Raiola (a square peg for the round hole of what Matt Rhule and Dana Holgorsen want to do on offense) to boost up Colandrea. But Colandrea’s mobility - used to avoid sacks and make plays on the ground - has been worth at least one win. A
• Depth: At the midway point a year ago, the TJ Lateef hype was off the charts. Then he was forced into action, and ended the season with three ugly losses (while playing hurt). That took a lot of the shine off of his star. But given what Holgorsen wants to do in 2026, I’d feel comfortable if Lateef had to take high-leverage snaps. I have not seen enough of Daniel Kaelin to say the same. B
• Gut Opinion: As you may remember, Colandrea was not Nebraska’s first choice when the portal opened. But through seven games, he has been exactly what Nebraska needed. Colandrea is not perfect, but I’d hate to see where the Huskers would be without him. A
• GPA: 3.75

Linebackers

• On-Field Performance: In Rob Aurich’s base defense, Nebraska only has two linebackers on the field at a time, but they have had a big impact. A
• Improvement: Nebraska added the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (Owen Chambliss), and a strong contributor in Dexter Foster. Vincent Shavers Jr. is putting together an excellent season. A
• Depth: Dawson Merritt is good enough to start. Derek Wacker is mostly a special teams guy, but he makes plays when he’s on the field. Youngsters Pierce Mooberry and Christian Jones have not had a lot of high leverage snaps. C+
• Gut Opinion: NU’s linebacker play is a big reason why the Blackshirts are having a resurgence in 2026. A
• GPA: 3.63

Defensive Backs

• On-Field Performance: The results from the safeties have been boom or bust. Dwayne McDougle III’s pick-six against Maryland is one of the biggest plays of the year. But the safeties were nowhere to be found on Indiana’s two explosive plays. The All-Big Ten level performance of Andrew Marshall is worth a half-point bump. B
• Improvement: NU lost three single-digit players from 2025 (Malcom Hartzog transferred; Marques Buford, Jr. and DeShon Singleton graduated) but the room has continued to play at a high level. A year ago, Rex Guthrie was one of the leading tacklers on the team. I know he’s battled injuries this year, but McDougle has taken over the job. B+
• Depth: This is an old room. 18 of the 21 defensive backs are juniors or older. Two of the underclassmen (sophomore Caleb Benning and freshman Danny Odem III) have played a lot of snaps - and played well. B
• Gut Opinion: Marshall, Donovan Jones, and McDougle are all in the conversation for Nebraska’s best defensive player. Before his injury, Jamir Conn was right there with them. A
• GPA: 3.38

Wide Receivers

• On-Field Performance: The trio of Jacory Barney Jr., Kwazi Gilmer, and Nyziah Hunter are extremely talented. Any of them are capable of putting up a 100-yard day. Points were deducted for multiple dropped passes and holding penalties. B
• Improvement: The addition of Gilmer - a legit No. 1 receiver - has helped the team, and also created more opportunities for Barney and Hunter. Barney has been more elusive with the ball in his hands. Hunter’s drop in production (321 yards less than what he had in the first seven games of 2025) is keeping this from an A. B+
• Depth: Quinn Clark (6 catches for 63 yards and a TD) oozes athleticism and potential, but the consistency has yet to arrive. The rest of the room has a combined seven catches for 37 yards despite a lot of playing time. D+
• Gut Opinion: The talent in the room is obvious, with multiple guys capable of big plays and big days. But I want to see more consistency play to play and game to game. B
• GPA: 2.75

Tight Ends

• On-Field Performance: B is for blocking, which is primarily what the tight ends have been asked to do. The only thing keeping this from an A is that Luke Lindenmeyer sometimes feels like a one-man show. B+
• Improvement: Lindenmeyer’s improvement - from 2025 and especially throughout his career - is one of the great development success stories of the Rhule era. But I don’t see anybody else on that same track. Carter Nelson’s injury woes have clearly slowed his growth. C+
• Depth: Lindenmeyer has 22 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown. Beyond him, only Nelson - who missed multiple games with injury - has a reception. Cayden Echternach was targeted in the Oregon game. That’s about it for measurable stats. When Nebraska run double tight end sets, Eric Ingwerson has been a reliable blocker, which is boosting this grade. C
• Gut Opinion: For the 35th straight season, I wish the tight ends were more involved in the offense. If this grade was strictly Lindenmeyer, the future NFL player would easily earn an A. But as a unit, they’re just slightly above average. C+
• GPA: 2.63

Running Backs

• On-Field Performance: The running backs’ contributions to the run game have been sharply split between conference and non-conference games. Not surprisingly, as the defenses have improved, the yards have been harder to come by. I don’t think this is entirely on the RBs, even if they take the blame. C+
• Improvement: Replacing Emmett Johnson - and the 1,821 all-purpose yards he gained in 2025 - was always going to be a tall task. There was a moment in September where it looked like Nebraska was going to recreate him in the aggregate, "Moneyball" style. But I feel confident that EJ would have beat Rule/Nelson/Mozee’s total of 279 yards in the four conference games. And he would not have needed 79 carries to do it. D
• Depth: Prior to recent injuries, the depth was pretty good. Rule got the headlines, but Nelson also played well in the non-conference. Mozee was getting a decent share of reps before he went down. Vincent Genatone (now out with a knee injury) was an old-school, in-state walk-on success story. Connor Booth and Kwinten Ives, get loose. B
• Gut Opinion: In my first draft (started after the Maryland game) I apologized to Rhule and staff for questioning their decision to not take a running back from the portal. But disappointing performances against Michigan State, Indiana, and Oregon - as well as a rash of injuries - makes me wish that NU would have signed a difference maker in the offseason. C+
• GPA: 2.50

Offensive Line

• On-Field Performance: Nebraska has allowed 13 sacks through seven games this season. In 2025, Nebraska was sacked 16 times in two games (Michigan and Minnesota). While Colandrea’s mobility has obviously been a factor, I believe he would have been sacked more behind the 2025 line. Points were deducted for the drop off in the running game, as well as penalties. C
• Improvement: Football people say that offensive line is one of the hardest positions to find in the transfer portal. And yet, Brendan Black, Paul Mubenga, and Tree Babalade all arrived via the portal (along with Elijah Pritchett a year ago). Tip your cap to Geep Wade and the rest of Rhule’s staff for identifying - and landing - Week 1 starters. B+
• Depth: Led by Gibson Pyle and Hayden Ainsworth, there is a nice group of talented recruits waiting in the wings. But it feels like Nebraska will be hitting the portal again in the offseason to replace Justin Evans, Pritchett, and any of the other seniors who will run out of eligibility. C
• Gut Opinion: The line looked great against the MAC opponents and Maryland. Against defenses with a pulse (Indiana, and Oregon) the holes for the running game were smaller - if not nonexistent. Colandrea spent more time scrambling than surveying from a clean pocket. Eight of NU’s 13 sacks allowed happened in those two games. C
• GPA: 2.38

Special Teams

• On-Field Performance: As a reminder, there are a lot of individual units under the special teams umbrella (punts, kickoffs, returns, PATs, field goals, and blocks). While some have struggled, others have been strengths. The two (credited) blocked punts lead the way, as does a strong kickoff coverage unit. Does that overcome struggles with returns and field goals? No, but not enough to dip below a C. C
• Improvement: Much like running back, this grade is impacted by the success of the unit in 2025 (they graded out at 3.88 last year). I’m not sure I can say that any of the individual specialists are notably better than they were a year ago. Speaking of last year: NU had 296 punt return yards in their first seven games. The 2026 total to date: 103. D
• Depth: There have been some grumblings from fans over the rather pedestrian average of punter Archie Wilson (44.2 yards, tied for 45th in FBS). While I’m willing to listen to an argument that shorter punts - and no returns - are by design (NU is 23rd in net punting), it would be nice to flip the field every now and again. C
• Gut Opinion: It has become crystal clear that the Matt Rhule-Mike Ekeler dynamic was not going to last past 2025. That happens, especially when big personalities (and egos) are involved. It may be true - as Rhule suggested - that Brett Maher and Nick Humphrey can teach all of Ekeler’s schemes. But there’s an undeniable X factor that is missing. The decision to go from one of the best special teams coordinators in the game to a pair of co-coordinators (with less than two years of full-time coaching experience between them) is not aging well. D+
• GPA: 1.63

More midseason perspectives

• Jeremy Pernell: Progress despite missed opportunities
• Trevor Tarr: Midseason superlatives
• HuskerMax: 2025 vs. 2026 stats matchup

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