Matt Rhule appreciating Daniel Kaelin’s value to quarterback room

LINCOLN, Neb. — The quarterback’s return to the program is going well through the eyes of Nebraska’s head coach, and his teammates are enjoying spring ball after welcoming him back with open arms.

Matt Rhule is glad to see Daniel Kaelin out there competing in practice, and notices that he’s playing with more determination this time around. Kaelin isn’t taking anything for granted, considering he has paid his dues for the past two seasons. Which is why Rhule believes Kaelin’s journey up to this point is inspirational, and understands that the signal-caller is eager to show improvement.

After all, 2024 was Kaelin’s first year with the Huskers, in which he was overshadowed by highly-touted gunslinger Dylan Raiola. He didn’t appear in any games as a true freshman, redshirted and later transferred to Virginia. Although Kaelin was a backup for the Cavaliers this past season, he received some meaningful snaps.

Kaelin passed for 164 yards in the victory over William & Mary. He got some action in ACC play too, and completed 18 of his 28 passes for 145 yards against Wake Forest. Not to mention Kaelin threw a four-yard touchdown in the win over Stanford.

Rhule is confident Kaelin’s experience is going to benefit him in a quarterback room that features TJ Lateef and UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea. His teammates want to see him have success now that he’s back, and this will be Kaelin’s first time playing in Dana Holgorsen’s scheme.

“When Danny (Kaelin) was away, I think some of his best friends were still on the team, and everytime he was home, he was always around these guys,” Rhule said. “So I don’t think there was a person in the building that wasn’t glad to see Danny back here.”

However, competition for the starting job is going to be intense leading up to the Red & White Game later this month, and Kaelin needs to show that he belongs. There’s no denying that this is the Huskers’ strongest quarterback room under Rhule, and they’re all bringing out the best in each other.

Lateef started the final four games of the 2025 season for Nebraska, and was victorious on the road at UCLA. He’s back fully healthy, and moving around smoother.

It’s no mystery that Colandrea is the headliner though. Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards, scored 33 total touchdowns, and finished 12th nationally in total offense with the Rebels last season. For his heroics he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.

Still, Kaelin is the local kid with a strong presence on the field, and Rhule is finding encouragement with the way his teammates are rallying behind him early in spring ball.

“To me, he’s a true definition of a Cornhusker,” he said. “He grew up here, he loves this program, this place, this University, this state, and he’s out there competing.”

Holgorsen is orchestrating the offense with Glenn Thomas, who’s also the Quarterbacks Coach, and they’re eventually going to need one of the three quarterbacks to emerge as a front-runner. Rhule is confident that Kaelin has what it takes to make an impact. There are a lot of new pieces to the system, including a new coach leading the offensive line.

Building chemistry with the wide receivers and tight ends, and earning trust from the coaches will go a long way for Kaelin. He’s going to have to work for everything. Regardless, with his work ethic, leadership and arm talent, Rhule feels Kaelin can blossom in this offensive system over the next three weeks. Most importantly, Kaelin’s acclimatation process is going better than expected, and that’s priceless to Rhule.

“It’s almost like he never left to be quite honest with you.”