[Below is a nice, cleaned up version of the video, which I assure you, has many rambling moments, including where I talk about running backs being the biggest morons of the football teams.
So… if you’d like this cleaned up article, yay! If you like a rambling monologue about what I think about Geep, what I think about the offensive line, then watch the video. THEN COMMENT DAMMIT.]
Nebraska’s offensive line 2026 outlook starts with one hire: Geep Wade. After years of false starts, blown protections, and zero real hardware — no Outland, no Rimington finalists — Nebraska brought in an offensive line coach who inherits a genuine rebuild job. The comparison isn’t a stretch. This is disaster recovery work, and Wade’s job is to walk into a wrecked system and make it functional again.
Why the Geep Wade Hire Matters So Much
Nebraska hasn’t produced a lineman who moved the needle nationally in years. Wade arrives with something the previous staff apparently lacked: the ability to develop talent instead of just recruiting bodies. He’s paired with new run-game coordinator Lonnie Teasley, who helped South Carolina push toward 400 rushing yards a game in 2024 before an offseason coaching change sent him to Lincoln. Together, they’ve rebuilt the room almost entirely through the transfer portal.
The New Starters
Three new faces anchor the interior:
Paul Mubenga (left guard, LSU, 6’5″/317) started 11 games for the Tigers and brings SEC-level experience to a position that’s needed it.
Brendan Black (right guard, Iowa State) adds 30 career starts.
Tree Babalade (right tackle, South Carolina, 6’5″/330) followed Teasley to Nebraska after starting 15 games with the Gamecocks.
They join returners Justin Evans at center — a Rimington Trophy watch list name — and Elijah Pritchett at left tackle. That’s a group with real size, all five projected starters over 300 pounds, and enough experience to suggest this isn’t a rebuild from scratch anymore.
What Scheme Are We Actually Going to See?
The size and the coaching pedigree point toward gap-scheme blocking rather than the zone-heavy approach Nebraska has leaned on. Wade came from Georgia Tech, where Haynes King ran a heavy dose of quarterback counter behind pulling guards. If that carries over, expect counter, power, and pin-and-pull calls mixed with inside and outside zone — a blend that finally lets big, athletic guards move instead of just holding their ground.
It’s not a return to Tom Osborne’s option offense; that scheme depended on personnel and playcalling that simply don’t exist anymore. But the pulling, trapping style Nebraska fans haven’t seen in years could realistically walk back through the door.
Depth and the Real Test
Behind the starters, Nebraska brings back Gunnar Gottula, Tyler Knaak, Sam Sledge, Grant Brix, and Jake Peters — depth that matters given how often 300-plus-pound linemen wear down over a season. The early schedule against lighter competition will be the first real test: can this group fire off the ball, win the leverage battle, and finally get measured by something other than penalties?
If Wade can get this group moving — pulling, trapping, actually winning at the point of attack — Nebraska’s offense changes shape in year four under Matt Rhule. That’s the storyline worth watching before a single snap is played in 2026.