Anthony Colandrea's Nebraska spring game debut gives Huskers first glimpse at life after Dylan Raiola

Colandrea appears to be the clear starter for Nebraska in 2026 after his spring game showing

For a couple of hours inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nebraska fans got a first glimpse of what life after Dylan Raiola might look like -- and how the offense could move without the quarterback who once carried the weight of a program's expectations. The quarterback battle that played out over the past five weeks had a new centerpiece. It didn't take long to see who's in charge.

Anthony Colandrea appears to be the clear starter for the 2026 season. The transfer from UNLV flashed the moxie, mobility and at times underrated arm the Huskers will need if they want to avoid taking a dreaded step backward this fall. The stat line -- 12 of 19 for 80 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that wasn't entirely his fault -- won't jump off the page, but spring game numbers rarely do.

A scheme fit

Everything about the game is vanilla and designed more to evaluate than expose. Still, one thing came through clearly: Colandrea looks like a natural fit in the system that offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen wants to run. Nebraska sprinkled in a bit of tempo at times, giving glimpses of how the Huskers might push the pace without forcing it, and Colandrea seemed comfortable keeping the offense moving while staying in control.

"I think coach [Holgorsen] does a great job knowing when to tempo," Colandrea said. "And the guys love tempo, because it catches the defense off balance. So it's huge for us to do in the long term."

That comfort stood in contrast to past years under Raiola, who was often criticized for holding the ball and taking sacks, finishing fourth-worst in the FBS at 3.22 per game among qualified quarterbacks last season. With Colandrea, there's a different rhythm -- one built on quicker decisions, movement and the ability to extend plays when protection breaks down.

Colandrea added 14 yards on three carries, with 12 coming on a single run that looked like it had more there if it were live. Nebraska's quarterbacks weren't allowed to be touched, and the whistle came quickly whenever a defender got close. 

"The thing about Anthony, especially the way he plays, he's playing 100 mph," Matt Rhule said. "He's gonna go through his progression, if there's any pressure, he's going to get outside the pocket and he's going to try to make plays and he trusts the guys to make the plays."

Colandrea even made his case in real time, arguing he had room to run and shouldn't have been ruled down -- a minor moment, but one that shows both his confidence and the element of his game the Huskers can't fully showcase just yet.

Colandrea hints at what Nebraska's offense could be

The first of Colandrea's two touchdowns came on a flip pass to Jacory Barney, who weaved his way into the end zone to cap a 14-play, 60-yard opening drive with the top unit.

Jacory for 6 pic.twitter.com/fw4I1UlY4z

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) March 28, 2026

But it was the response after the lone turnover that stood out most. On the ensuing 11-play, 75-yard drive, Colandrea settled in and took control, completing five straight passes, including a well-placed throw into tight coverage along the sideline that found Barney for a 27-yard gain -- the longest completion of the day by any Nebraska quarterback.

Three plays later, Colandrea capped the drive by finding sophomore receiver Quinn Clark, who reached out for a one-handed, 8-yard touchdown grab in the front corner of the end zone.

One-handed snag Quinn Clark for the TD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9lL7lCHKB1

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) March 28, 2026

Anyone who has watched Colandrea in recent years knows the flashes come with the occasional head-scratcher -- Tom Fornelli crowned him the "Whoopsie Daisy King" for a reason. That showed up on his lone interception of the afternoon. Colandrea tried to force a throw into tight coverage to Kwazi Gilmer, who reached out but couldn't reel it in, tipping the ball right into Donovan Jones' hands. In a live game, it might have played out differently, but the decision itself was the problem.

To his credit, Colandrea owned it afterward.

"Just gotta throw the ball away," Colandrea said when asked what happened on the interception. "When the play's not there, just throw it away."

A clean break

Friday night in Lincoln, Dylan Raiola made a quiet appearance at the Huskers' softball game, in a city that once heralded him as the potential savior of the program. Less than 15 hours later, inside Memorial Stadium, Nebraska officially turned the page on his era with the program.

His departure for Oregon in January felt more like an amicable divorce than a sudden separation -- a split that, in the end, could be best for both parties. It was a clean break that opened the door for Nebraska to pursue a quarterback better suited to Holgorsen's system.

That door eventually led to Anthony Colandrea, the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, who brings 30 career starts between UNLV (2025) and Virginia (2023–24). Over that span, he's thrown for more than 7,400 yards and 49 touchdowns while adding nearly 1,150 yards and 12 scores on the ground, showing the kind of dual-threat playmaking Nebraska hopes to tap into this fall.

His arrival didn't happen in a vacuum. Nebraska also welcomed back T.J. Lateef, who started the final five games of 2025 as a true freshman, and homegrown Daniel Kaelin, who spent last season at Virginia after beginning his career with the Huskers in 2024. Together, they created a quarterback room that represented Nebraska's first true battle at the position in years.

Kaelin completed 10 of 18 passes for 54 yards, while Lateef was 6 of 15 for only 29 yards, adding seven carries for 16 yards.

Nebraska's offense scored the most points (14) when Colandrea was at quarterback. By contrast, Lateef's drives produced nine points on a mix of punts and field goals, while Kaelin managed a late touchdown and an earlier field goal for nine points but also had three drives end in punts.

Nebraska still has plenty to sort out before the fall, but Saturday offered a better sense of what this offense might look like without Raiola at the center of it. Colandrea isn't the five-star prospect Raiola was, and the "Whoopsie Daisy" moments are part of the ride. But what he showed -- the command, the mobility, the fit -- a quarterback who can keep plays alive and the offense moving when things break down.