Dana Holgorsen revamping offense in second spring with Huskers

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Huskers are midway through spring ball, and their Offensive Coordinator is still in the process of installing new packages, and evaluating talent.

As Nebraska inches a step closer to the Red and White Game, Dana Holgorsen’s top priority is figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of the offense. Holgorsen has ambitions of building his unit into a formidable system that’ll have more production than last season’s output.

After all, the Huskers averaged 28.7 points per game, which was middle of the pack nationally, and they finished 80th in the FBS in total offense. Holgorsen understands those results aren’t good enough for Big Red Nation, or to compete at a high level in the deep Big Ten. Now he’s taking a different approach during his second spring with the team, and can’t believe how everything is resonating with the players.

“I’ve been very encouraged with the amount of football we’ve played, what it looks like, and I’m seeing some things that I haven’t seen since I’ve been here,” Holgorsen said. “Just encouraged with the process of where we’re at, we obviously still have a long way to go, and not done installing stuff, and that’s what spring is.”

Everything starts with the quarterback room, and Holgorsen has plenty of options, including a newcomer that’s showing him a different way to execute plays. It’s no mystery that Anthony Colandrea’s success at UNLV last season, and presence in practice, has everyone turning it up a notch. Colandrea has a rare blend of an accurate arm, and dangerous mobility, and Holgorsen admires how he can extend plays by doing things off-schedule.

“He (Colandrea) is an experienced, bright kid, who has a firm understanding of the game, and I’ve never had that mobile of a quarterback,” he said. “I’m very pleased with where he’s at from a knowledge standpoint right now, and he’s fun to watch and coach.”

TJ Lateef is in the mix too, after starting the final four games last season, and he’ll continue to push Colandrea. Although Lateef is more familiar with Holgorsen’s system, the true sophomore needs to spring forward with his maturation process to where the game slows down for him. Holgorsen wants Lateef to process plays faster, which includes reading defenses, going through progressions and releasing the ball.

Daniel Kaelin is also in the rotation, after spending last year at Virginia, and his return to the team is going smoothly in Holgorsen’s eyes. Unlike last season when Dylan Raiola lacked mobility, absorbed sacks and had to quickly get rid of the ball, the top-three quarterbacks this spring have the ability to escape the pocket. Having the luxury of improvising, and keeping plays alive will improve Holgorsen’s offense tremendously, and provide the wide receivers with more opportunities to make plays.

“We weren’t very good at extending plays, and off-schedule stuff last year,” the 54-year old said. “Some receivers got really lazy once the play broke down, so that’s been a big area of focus where we run scramble drills a lot, but man I’m encouraging those guys to extend the play.”

Holgorsen doesn’t want the quarterbacks to think twice about taking off from the pocket if there are no open targets on initial reads. He strongly believes it’ll help Nebraska’s offense in the red zone. Colandrea’s experience, production and leadership continues to benefit him with the transition, and Holgorsen likes how he’s taking care of the football. He appears to have a good grasp of the offense in terms of terminology, communication and execution.

Life after Emmett Johnson is going well for the running back room, but Holgorsen wants to see more from the group. Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee, Quinten Ives and Jamal Rule are battling for carries. However, Holgorsen is still trying to figure out if he’ll use one rusher as a workhorse, or take the running-back-by-committee approach.

Up to this point Holgorsen feels that Ives and Mozee look the most comfortable. Holgorsen admires Nelson’s explosiveness, and Rule, who’s a true freshman, continues to turn heads in practice. They all have Holgorsen’s full attention, and he expects them to keep chopping wood.  The screen game, and off-schedule plays are on point so far, but Holgorsen needs the downhill run game to make some strides.

Blocking from the big boys up front will likely determine how far the offense can go this fall. Holgorsen is enjoying what he’s seeing out of the group, and center Justin Evans is the headliner. There’s a lot of experience among the offensive linemen, but Holgorsen continues to rotate pieces, and build around Evans. Pass protection will be vital after the Huskers allowed 33 sacks in 2025. Geep Wade is providing a spark for the offensive line this spring, and the unit is operating smoothly under his leadership.

There’s no denying that Nebraska’s pass production dropped significantly after Raiola got injured. Which is why Holgorsen is urging the wide receivers, and tight ends to find different ways to get open. That’s going to come down to efficient blocking, proper separation from defensive backs, and them polishing their routes.

There’s potential there with wideouts Jacory Barney, and Nyziah Hunter, who combined for 88 receptions, 1,101 yards and 10 touchdown catches last year. Not to mention Luke Lindenmeyer blossomed into one the best tight ends in the Big Ten, after he hauled in 29 balls.

No job is set in stone though, so Holgorsen anticipates a lot of moving parts from now until the spring game as competition intensifies. At the end of the day, Holgorsen believes the offense is still ahead of schedule, and everything is looking promising.

“We’ll be a different team in June, and a different team in August.”