High-level college football is built on controlled chaos.
Teams wage war on the same 100 yards. Coaches spend hours each week scripting game plans that can unravel in seconds. Quarterbacks operate on a razor-thin edge between structure and instinct, making split-second decisions that can unravel or define seasons.
There’s beauty in the chaos. It’s what makes the sport what it is.
For the past two seasons, the Nebraska offense has operated with far less controlled chaos than most Power 4 programs, often due to the physical limitations of quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Raiola is a gifted passer. He possesses good arm talent and has nice touch on his throws. He was a five-star recruit who spurned Georgia in favor of Nebraska, before transferring to Oregon this fall.
But the past two falls, the Huskers’ offense was hamstrung by his immobility. Raiola offered nothing in the run game and was statuesque in the pass game behind a poor offensive line. His Nebraska career ended in painful fashion when he broke his fibula after getting crunched by a pair of USC pass-rushers.
This offseason, the Huskers made a giant stylistic pivot at the quarterback position, opting to bring in former UNLV signal-caller Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea is the antithesis of Raiola – he’s extremely mobile, a plus in the designed and unscripted run game and should add a brand-new dynamic to the Huskers’ offense.
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What Does Anthony Colandrea Bring to the Table?
Colandrea and Raiola couldn’t be more different. Let’s start there.
Before diving into Colandrea’s abilities as a passer, let’s start with his legs. Using Hudl IQ, the first thing that jumps out is Colandrea’s sky-high Pocket Left % (31.8%), which signifies just how often he left the pocket. Did UNLV scheme up plenty of run plays for Colandrea? Yes. Is he the ultimate improviser? Also yes.
Using the Hudl IQ Performance Radar, it’s clear to see Colandrea was a positive influence on the offense as a whole, as evidenced by his positive EPA/Play (0.23), EPA/Pass (0.14) and Pass Success % (49.9%) figures, along with his impressive Completion % (66.2%).
On the ground, Colandrea was the ultimate x-factor, notching a strong EPA/Rush (0.62). Last season, he averaged 8.7 yards per rush (non-sack-adjusted yardage per Hudl IQ), which squarely places him as one of the most dynamic runners from the quarterback position in all of college football.
If I were to pick nits about his performance at the Group of 6 level, it would’ve been nice to see him create more chunk plays and have a much higher CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expectation), with the latter meaning he completed passes at a lower rate than expected given the difficulty of his throws.
Using the Hudl IQ Player Comparison tool, Colandrea’s 2025 performance was most comparable to Arkansas’ Taylen Green, another dual-threat, dynamic player.
Both Colandrea and Green possess the ability to make amazing plays happen on any given down, but also play with the type of reckless abandon that can sometimes result in turnovers, and in turn, drive coaches and fans crazy.
Colandrea can light opposing defenses on fire with his legs, can more than adequately play out of the structure of a play call, and has the type of dual-threat abilities that give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. But at the same time, for every good play he puts on the board, he runs the risk of making a frustrating error or taking an unnecessary risk.
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How Might Colandrea Fit into Nebraska's 2026 Plans?
It’ll be fascinating to see how Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen tries to build an offense that fits Colandrea’s skill set.
During Raiola's tenure, the Huskers’ offense struggled due to inept offensive line play and was overly reliant on Raiola to throw them out of difficult positions.
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Head coach Matt Rhule lured away former Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade and did an admirable job of picking up key pieces up front from the transfer portal. If that group up front takes a step in the right direction, there’s reason for optimism that the Huskers’ offense will be much more dynamic throughout the 2026 season.
Colandrea’s chaos gene should help the Huskers in more ways than one. His dual-threat capabilities, coupled with his ability to play off-schedule when things break down, should theoretically be able to offset some of those previous offensive line woes.
If Colandrea works in Lincoln, it’s because Holgorsen has found a way to tap into Colandrea’s chaos gene — giving him the flexibility to play off-schedule, make plays with his legs and inject some much-needed life into an offense that is now without All-American running back Emmett Johnson.
If Colandrea doesn’t work in Lincoln, it’s because he’s too reliant on the chaos gene, turns the ball over too frequently and can’t hold up against the big, physical defenses that he’ll face week in and week out in the Big Ten.
