Where Nebraska Football Lands in Future College Football Power Rankings

The offensive line was also noted as a growing strength. Young talent like Justin Evans is paired with veteran transfers Rocco Spindler and Elijah Pritchett, giving the Huskers more depth and flexibility than it's had in a while. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who was hired late last year, now has a full offseason to build around a promising core.

If he can properly implement his system, the Huskers might be way more dangerous on the scoreboard in 2025 and 2026.

The defense, particularly up front, comes with more questions. Players like Riley Van Poppel and Elijah Jeudy are being asked to step into larger roles, and high-potential additions like Dasan McCullough and redshirt freshman Williams Nwaneri will be counted on quickly.

After losing defensive coordinator Tony White to Florida State, Rhule promoted John Butler to the role, with longtime associate Phil Snow stepping into a more hands-on position. The Blackshirts will need to build on a solid year in 2024 if the team is going to take a step towards Big Ten contention.

The transfer portal was also a key factor in ESPN’s evaluation. Nebraska addressed key needs at wide receiver with Dane Key (Kentucky) and Nyziah Hunter (Cal). Raiola needed more dynamic weapons to throw to and these additions give him some better options.

Although some contributors were lost to the portal, Rhule has now delivered back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes, which inflates the roster's talent. ESPN pointed out that Rhule ended Nebraska’s bowl drought in 2024. The next step is competing in the Big Ten and working into the College Football Playoff conversation.

While the No. 36 ranking doesn’t put Nebraska among the nation’s elite just yet, it reflects a program gaining traction—and one that has some stability moving forward.