Nebraska Position Group Breakdown: Offensive Line and Secondary
As fall camp hits its stride in mid-August, two position groups stand out as potential difference-makers for Matt Rhule’s fourth Nebraska team: the offensive line and the secondary. Both units enter 2026 with more experience, size, and talent than the Huskers have fielded in recent years. How they perform will go a long way toward determining whether Nebraska finally takes the step Rhule has demanded after back-to-back 7-6 seasons.
Offensive Line: The Foundation Finally Looks Solid
For years under Rhule, the offensive line has been a source of frustration—capable of solid run blocking at times but inconsistent in pass protection. That narrative is shifting in 2026.
The projected starting five is one of the most experienced and physically imposing groups Nebraska has put on the field in a decade:
- Left tackle: Elijah Pritchett (returning senior)
- Left guard: Paul Mubenga (LSU transfer)
- Center: Justin Evans (returning senior)
- Right guard: Brendan Black (Iowa State transfer)
- Right tackle: Tree Babalade (South Carolina transfer), with real competition from Gunnar Gottula
Evans anchors the unit. The 6-foot-2, 315-pound senior from New Jersey has started 31 games and appeared in 38 consecutive contests. After moving from guard to center in 2025, he allowed just one sack across more than 440 pass-blocking snaps and earned strong run-blocking grades. He was named to the Rimington Trophy preseason watch list and ranks among the highest-graded returning centers in the country according to Pro Football Focus. Evans has spoken openly about wanting to leave a legacy alongside the program’s great centers.
The three transfers bring Power conference starting experience and size. Babalade (6-5, 340) showed excellent pass-blocking numbers at South Carolina. Black arrives with roughly 30 career starts. Mubenga adds another body who started at LSU. Combined with Pritchett and Evans, the group features multiple 300-pounders with significant snaps under their belts. New quarterback Anthony Colandrea has already called this the best offensive line he has ever played behind.
Depth exists behind the top five (Gottula, Tyler Knaak, Sam Sledge, Grant Brix, and others), though the unit will need those backups to stay healthy through a brutal Big Ten stretch. The average size of the projected two-deep is imposing—roughly 6-5 and well over 310 pounds—and Rhule has repeatedly noted the team as a whole is the biggest and leanest of his tenure after significant offseason gains in lean mass.
Outlook: This should be a clear strength. If the line can create consistent push in the run game and keep Colandrea clean against the better Big Ten fronts (Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Iowa), the entire offense gains a higher ceiling. The main questions are chemistry among the new mix of players and whether they can sustain performance over a long season. Early camp reports have been encouraging.
Secondary: Continuity Meets New Scheme Ambition
Nebraska’s secondary was one of the best in the country in 2025, ranking near the top nationally in passing yards allowed and limiting explosive plays. The unit returns key pieces while adding talent and adjusting to first-year defensive coordinator Rob Aurich’s 4-2-5 scheme.
The clear cornerstone is senior cornerback Andrew Marshall, a reliable starter expected to shadow opponents’ top receivers. At safety, Dwayne McDougle III—a transfer who followed Aurich from San Diego State—projects as a locked-in starter after a productive 2025 season that included multiple interceptions.
Donovan Jones is expected to play a major role, likely at nickel/hybrid (“cheetah”) in Aurich’s system after a strong freshman contribution a year ago. Beyond those anchors, the competition is real and deep:
- Cornerback opposite Marshall is unsettled. Candidates include returning junior Jeremiah Charles, FIU transfer Victor Evans III, and true freshman Danny Odem III (a consensus five-star and one of the highest-rated players in Nebraska’s 2026 class). Secondary coach Addison Williams has praised the talent and speed in the room, noting Odem is picking up the system quickly.
- Safety depth includes returners such as Rex Guthrie and others competing for snaps alongside McDougle.
Aurich’s scheme emphasizes the five best defensive backs on the field and a “take three” mentality focused on turnovers. The 2025 secondary already limited big plays effectively; the hope is that the new look generates more takeaways without sacrificing the coverage integrity that made the unit special last year. Aurich’s previous San Diego State defenses ranked among the national leaders in similar categories.
Outlook: This group has a high floor thanks to experience and proven production. The ceiling depends on how quickly the young and new pieces (especially Odem and the CB2 battle) settle into roles and whether the secondary can create more turnovers against high-powered Big Ten offenses. Depth is a genuine asset—Nebraska should be able to rotate and keep legs fresh.
Why These Groups Matter Most Right Now
Nebraska’s schedule features three non-conference home games that the Huskers are expected to win, followed by a gauntlet that includes Indiana, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Iowa. An upgraded offensive line gives the offense a chance to stay on schedule and protect a new quarterback. A secondary that remains elite gives the defense a chance to keep games close even when the front seven is still finding its footing in a new scheme.
Both units also reflect the broader roster-building approach under Rhule: mix high-upside high school talent with experienced transfers, prioritize size and physicality, and demand improvement in Year 4. Early camp observations have been largely positive on the offensive line’s cohesiveness and the secondary’s competitiveness.
These two groups will not decide the season by themselves. But if the offensive line plays to its pedigree and the secondary maintains its 2025 standard (or improves it), Nebraska has a realistic path to more than seven wins and a more meaningful postseason. That is exactly the step Rhule has said the program must take.