Anthony Colandrea: 7,542 Yards, Three Programs, and Nebraska's Guy

Husker fans, you have a quarterback. Matt Rhule settled it Saturday at the end of camp, and he did not dress it up:

“Anthony would play for us right now.”

That’s Anthony Colandrea, and he takes the first snap against Ohio on September 5.

He has done this before. A lot.

This is the part worth knowing. Nebraska did not hand the job to someone learning it — Colandrea has started 25 games over the last two seasons alone.

He arrived at Virginia in 2023 and immediately set the school’s freshman records for completions (154) and passing yards (1,958), leading every true freshman in Power Conference football in passing yards. As a sophomore he started 11 games and threw for 2,125 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Then he went to UNLV for 2025 and had the best year of his life: all 14 games started, 275-of-417 for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns, right around 250 yards a game. They named him Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.

Add it up and he comes to Lincoln with 7,542 passing yards and 49 touchdowns — plus 1,151 yards and 12 more scores with his legs.

He committed to Nebraska on January 6.

What Rhule actually likes about him

Ask Rhule and the first thing out of his mouth isn’t the arm.

“He’s very competitive, very fiery,” Rhule said. “He expects to win every play.”

But the second thing is the discipline, which is the harder trick for a gunslinger — Rhule credited him with “disciplining himself to also take what’s there,” making good checks in the run-pass game, and yes, throwing it deep.

And then the part that shows up on Saturdays:

“He extends a ton of plays with his legs, which takes a lot of pressure off of the offensive line and the backs and protection, and puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”

Here’s the tell that it’s real. Talking about how his defensive line practices its pass rush, Rhule brought up the same thing unprompted — his rushers are “facing Anthony and TJ every day,” and “those guys get out, and it could be an explosive play.” Nebraska’s own defense has spent camp chasing him.

Behind him

Rhule left the backup job open. “Danny and TJ would both be in the mix for number two,” he said — that’s Daniel Kaelin, the Elkhorn kid out of Bellevue West, and TJ Lateef from Compton.

One small thing you might notice on the roster: Colandrea and Kaelin both came to Lincoln from Virginia.

What it means

Colandrea is 6-foot, 200 pounds, out of Lakewood High in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Nebraska is the third program he’s started for.

Some fans hear “third school” and worry. Read the record instead: he got better at each stop, and he’s coming off the best season of his career and a conference player of the year award.

Husker fans, that’s your guy — 11:00 in the morning, September 5, on FS1. Two weeks.