Credit Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule. Once he made a misstep in reeling in Kenny Minchey, he acted quickly to make sure the Huskers got their top transfer portal quarterback position filled. In the process, they got a QB who actually has quite a bit more experience as a starting quarterback in major college football.
Colandrea spent 2025 with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels after two years with the Virginia Cavaliers. With the Mountain West team, he completed 65.9% of his passes for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. More importantly for the Huskers as they transition to a more QB-run-based offense is that Colandrea ran for 649 yards and 10 TDs this year.