Starting Now, The HUSKERS Quarterback Room Is Going Mobile

“You look at our team this year and, both offensively and defensively, the red zone really hurt us in terms of what we’d like to get done. And so the ability to add different run game, especially quarterback run counter, is a great answer for that.” – Head Coach Matt Rhule

Very early in Friday’s press conference, Matt Rhule more than hinted there was an element to Geep Wade’s hiring which many probably didn’t consider beyond “please fix the pass blocking ASAP!” He mentioned how he liked Georgia Tech’s counter elements and specifically singled out Haynes King and the QB run element he added to the Yellow Jacket attack.

Later, I asked Rhule if it was fair to say the Huskers would be focusing on the QB recruitment of dual-threat high school recruits and portal entries. He said it was…sort of, with a slight caveat.

“I just think when we, when we think about being here in Nebraska and the impact of the weather and the wind in many games, when you look at the defensive lines that we’re gonna have to face in this league… I wouldn’t say even necessarily dual threat as much as I would say mobility.“

“TJ is not a dual threat quarterback, right? Not necessarily, but he’s a mobile quarterback – one with above average mobility, right?“

Got it – mobile quarterback is different from dual-threat, which is generally a recruiting classification for a running quarterback, although they don’t always turn out that way – see Stockton, Gunner, QB – Georgia. The T.J. Lateef comparison is an accurate one. Many Huskers fans first saw his legs against Akron and Houston Christian and dreamed of running and option packages for the true freshman.

One problem – T.J. Was a pro-style QB in high school. He did run some but only for around 250 yards his final two seasons.

Mobile – not dual-threat.

“You watch college football and you’re watching the guys who went to the Heisman (ceremony). You’re watching (Fernando) Mendoza. I watched Vanderbilt, watched Diego Pavia. He came and grabbed his flag.“

Signs had been pointing that way. The comments above combined with Dayton Raiola’s decommitment and news that Dylan would enter the portal seemed to indicate the partings may have been mutual. If there was any doubt, the announcement that redshirt freshman quarterback Marcos Davila – 6’2” 230 lbs. and definitely not mobile – announced his intention to transfer as well.

However, this announcement also drove home just how important QB recruiting will be over the next few weeks. As of mid-afternoon December 31st, when Jalyn Gramstad’s tenure at Nebraska comes to an end? T.J. Lateef will be the only Husker in the quarterback room, with only 2027’s Trae Taylor on deck.

One would think a 2026 recruit, as well as a portal quarterback meeting the new attribute requirements, will become necessary as well.

Of course, it should be noted of the three QB’s he had mentioned so far, two are very much of the dual-threat variety. Pavia? Dual-threat. He threw for over 3000 yards, but also led the team in rushing with 823 yards. King? Also very DT – threw for 2700 yards and also led his team in rushing with 922. Mendoza? Now there’s the mobile guy – the Heisman Trophy winner has thrown for just under 3000 yards so far and rushed for 343 – at around 7 yards per carry and made/extended plays with his legs all season.

But none of the three live by their legs alone. They all – like both Dylan Raiola and Lateef – bring live arms to the table. And Rhule seemed very direct about the fact he wants a pair of live legs as well. Perhaps watching multiple quarterbacks from the other side of the field, such as Bryce Underwood, Aiden Chiles and Jayden Maiava, drove home the point as they carved up the Blackshirts with their legs at times, that QB mobility simply makes life more difficult for opposing defenses.

Sort of like Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby who ran for 92 yards on the Huskers in the season opener and almost drove the Bearcats to an upset victory with his arm and his legs on the final drive before Malcolm Hartzog closed the door. Sorsby has stated his intention to enter the portal, but the Huskers may already be out of that fight as rumors have his volleyball-playing girlfriend transferring to Texas Tech who need a 2026 quarterback and have the cash to win that battle.

But there will be no shortage of QB options entering the portal and Nebraska now has reportedly freed up $3.5M to start a battle which hopefully ends with them convincing their target(s) that Lincoln is the best fit for Nebraska’s improvement and the QB’s development. And Rhule – and Dana Holgorsen – know what they want.

“In the end, I want playmakers, you know? I mean, when we’re watching guys, I’m watching guys and saying…how many plays do they make? I don’t care about their ranking. I don’t care about their arm slot. I don’t care about the rotation. I don’t care about any of that. I want guys who make their team win. I want guys who put championships on the wall…and part of that’s making plays with your legs.”

It took a little time to come to fruition as the Dylan Raiolas Era played out, but it appears Rhule is fully on board with some advice he received previously from someone in an excellent position to make that judgment.

“So, you know, we’ll try to find the best available player you can win with a lot of shapes and performance. But I do think the wind here and the weather, it’s right here. Coach Osborne told me from day one, ‘Hey, you better have… a quarterback who can run the football’… so, I think that’s what we’ll concentrate on – some guys like that as we move forward.”