Welcome my most recent edition of my Nebraska football player power rankings. As I have said before, this list will be completely subjective in several ways and may not follow a logical path. Or maybe it will.
This power ranking list will be a combination of the most important, most impactful, a recent contribution, waiting in the wings, rumors of greatness, rumors of not-so-great, players that made one great play to change a game (for better or worse) or any other type of metric that I think should go with this subjective list of ranking over 100 players on a football team.
So without further ado, here is my most recent definitive and completely subjective Nebraska Football Player Power Ranking.
Here are links to prior Nebraska Football Player Power Rankings.
10. Anthony Colandrea – Quarterback
Prior Ranking: 10th
Pete Nakos of On3.com reported he’s hearing that the coaching staff has been more than impressed with Anthony Colandrea so far this fall and is “starting to separate himself.”
That report came out yesterday so I hope that also says a bit more about the two other quarterbacks in that room in Daniel Kaelin and TJ Lateef. While I expect Colandrea to be a big upgrade over last year’s Dylan Raiola, the entire room as a whole is probably the best it has been since…when? Over a decade at least. You have three quarterbacks with extended power four experience in the room. That is a good problem to have.
Dana Holgorsen thinks it’s one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.
9. Archie Wilson and Kyle Cunanan – Punter and Place Kicker
Prior Ranking: 9th
There has been zero to report here as we have not heard much about the kickers at all so far in camp. That could be because nobody has asked about them but also we have not heard from Brett Maher, the special team’s coordinator, yet in fall camp.
That should change on Tuesday, August 18th as Maher is schedule to meet with the media.
8. Luke Lindenmeyer – Tight End
Prior Ranking: Unranked
Last week Dana Holgorsen made some critical comments about how the tight ends were playing earlier that year. Yesterday he was asked about Luke Lindenmeyer as a part of that group and he cleared up the fact that Luke is not the problem in the tight end room. It is the backups that need to step it up.
Luke was one of the three representatives for Nebraska at Big Ten Media days and is one of the seasoned veterans. He looks like a future NFL tight end to me but will they be able to get him the ball?
7. Isaiah Mozee
Prior Ranking: Unranked
Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson might have to fight off Jamal Rule throughout the season but at this time most of the chatter seems to be around Isaiah Mozee who is a converted wide receiver. Yesterday Holgorsen commented how Mozee is now up to 215 pounds.
While it appears that Mekhi Nelson might get the first snap, the chatter has mostly been about how impressive Mozee has been.
6. Andrew Marshall – Defensive Back
Prior Ranking: 6th
There isn’t much to say other than all of the conversations about the defensive backfield are about who is going to start on the opposite side of the field from Andrew Marshall. Could be one of the best defensive backs in the country this season.
Oh, and he played for Rob Aurich.
5. Janiran Bonner – Swiss Army Knife
Prior Ranking: 7th
We continue to hear how important Janiran Bonner is to the offense. Dana Holgorsen affectionally calls him “Wood” and Wide Receiver coach Daikiel Shorts said that Bonner was “his own position offensively.” He’s the best perimeter blocker on the team and is a security blanket for the offense.
I have already said this in the past, but I am just taken aback by how upset Dana Holgorsen was last year when Bonner went down with the knee injury. Here is hoping we get to see a full season of Bonner.
4. Jacory Barney Jr. – Wide Receiver
Prior Ranking: 4th
Recently announced that Barney made the watchlist for the Paul Hornung Award which is given to the most “versatile player in major college football.”
Yesterday offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen commented on what Jacory Barney can improve upon and said that he needs to work on not getting bumped off his route when going up against physical defenders.
If we weren’t expecting Jacory Barney Jr. to be a big part of special teams then he might not be so high up on this list especially since some of the other wide receivers have been making big strides. For example, yesterday Holgorsen said that Quinn Clark might force Holgorsen to run more four/five wide receiver sets.
3. Owen Chambliss – Linebacker
Prior Ranking: Unranked
Boy did I miss this one. Easily the biggest riser. He has skyrocketed from being a likely starter who followed defensive coordinator Rob Aurich here from San Diego State to a potential star of the team. If everything we have been hearing about Owen Chambliss ends up being true then the potential of him being an all-conference player is very real.
From the Huskers.com website:
In 2025, Chambliss started all 13 games for a San Diego State defense that ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense and 12th in total defense. He led the Aztecs with 110 tackles and ranked third with 9.5 tackles for loss while adding 4.0 sacks. Chambliss was a first-team All-Mountain West selection in 2025, the only underclassman on the first-team defense.
The reason we didn’t not hear much about him during the spring is because he was hampered by a toe injury. During fall camp however he appears to be the clear cut leader of the defense. He may not be the most vocal player on the team but apparently he is where everybody goes to if they have questions about the responsibilities on defense.
Outside of Colandrea, I might be most excited to watch Chambliss play in the fall.
2. Justin Evans – Center
Prior Ranking: Kind of Unranked
I’m not sure if I can consider him technically ranked last week since I was looking at the unit as a whole. But at this point it seems like he is separating himself not only as the leader of the offensive line but also the offense as a whole.
A few things we have learned is that Justin Evans has the strongest back squat on the entire team at 700 pounds.
1. Riley Van Poppel – Defensive Lineman
Prior Ranking: 1st
Not much else to report here except that he appears to have solidified a starting position on the most important positional group on a defense that ranked last in redzone defense in the entire country.
He may not be the best player on the team but if he continues to make substantial improvement (which it sounds like they are finally getting coached) he will be the most important though Justin Evans and Colandrea might have something to say about it.
Previous Ranking
10. Anthony Colandrea – Quarterback
9. A Starting Running Back
8. Archie Wilson and Kyle Cunanan – Punter and Place Kicker
7. Janiran Bonner – Swiss Army Knife
6. Andrew Marshall – Defensive Back
5. Anthony Jones Jr. – Defensive Lineman
4. Jacory Barney Jr. – Wide Receiver
3. Brett Maher – Special Teams Coordinator
2. Justin Evans, Brendan Black, Elijah Pritchett, Paul Mubenga and Tree Babalade “The Unit” – The Starting Offensive Line
1. Riley Van Poppel – Defensive Tackle