A Christmas (QB) wish list
"I want guys who make their team win," Matt Rhule said of seeking QB options. That narrows the field a bit.
The simplest path to success for Nebraska at quarterback in 2026 is TJ Lateef builds off his four games as the starter this season, uses the head start to head off any challengers and the next two seasons mostly look like they did against UCLA. Just against better teams than UCLA.
Problem is, it would border on malpractice for NU to leave itself only that option. With just two scholarship QBs on the roster as of now for next season—Lateef and last year’s Purdue transfer, Marcos Davila—the Huskers will have to be a portal player.
Late last week, Matt Rhule offered a few clues as what Nebraska will be looking for when the portal officially opens Jan. 2.
“At the end of the day, I want playmakers,” he said. “When we’re watching guys, I’m watching guys and saying, ‘Well, how many plays do they make?’ I don’t care about their rating…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.”
Emphasis there, obviously, mine. More on that in a minute.
Rhule gave that answer in response to a question about if Nebraska would look for a dual-threat quarterback to follow up the Dylan Raiola era. He made it pretty clear that’s where NU is headed. Not necessarily a true dual-threat, Rhule said, but, given the wind, weather and defensive lines in the Big Ten, a QB with some mobility.
That can narrow the potential field a bit, but I came away more interested in the “guys who make their team win” bit. That could narrow the field significantly.
So, in the spirit of the season, what if we used that as the only criteria to draft a letter to Portal Claus? Where would you set the line?
I chose a .600 winning percentage as a starter, in part because it’s just above Raiola’s 13-9 record (.591) and in part because there was one quarterback I happen to like who was at exactly .600.1 As of Dec. 20, there were already 75 QBs planning to enter the portal, and .600 winning percentage eliminates a couple of big name (and dollar) options like Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, the top-rated transfer QB so far per 247Sports, Florida’s DJ Lagway and Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles.
But it still leaves plenty of players who’d be intriguing in Lincoln in 2026. Here are five I think could fit what NU wants.2
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
A weekend addition to the portal, Becht went 24-12 over three seasons as the starter, never piloting the Cyclones to a losing record. His 60.7 career completion percentage is middle-of-the-road, but he did throw 64 touchdowns (to 27 interceptions) while rushing for 19. Maybe Becht is destined to follow Matt Campbell to Penn State or return to his home state of Florida, but it wouldn’t hurt for Nebraska to hear that straight from the source.
Taron Dickens, Western Carolina
The best bet to be the next Cam Ward as an FCS star who goes on to make it look just as easy at the FBS level. Dickens went 10-3 as the starter over two seasons, throwing for 5,063 yards with 51 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. You could call him a dangerous-if-needed runner after rushing for 321 yards in 2025. Dickens played high school football at the Miami powerhouse Northwestern HS, earning 6A Player of the Year honors as a senior, but he’s only listed at 5-11, 180, which might explain why he was at WCU. He seems to have already shown size shouldn’t have been a limiter, and I’m guessing the portal attention for him will reflect that. Dickens’ 247 high school recruiting profile does list Nebraska as a school that had showed interest. Perhaps better late than never.
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
The player I had to adjust my initial “winner” cutoff point for, Joseph went 12-8 over two seasons, leading the Monarchs to a 9-3 record this season. His passing numbers are merely decent (59.8 completion percentage, 32 TDs, 15 INTs), but he was the only FBS QB to rush for 1,000 yards in 2025 outside of the service academy starters. If Nebraska really wants to go all-in on the ground game, Joseph might be the best option.
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
He’s beaten Nebraska once as a fill-in as a freshman at Michigan State in 2023, and in 2024 he was good enough to help the Sun Devils to an out-of-nowhere playoff run. Injuries limited Leavitt to nine games in 2025, but he’s 16-4 as a starter. Leavitt’s individual numbers aren’t as spectacular as that record, which could indicate he’s just a guy who’s good at getting it done. Nothing not to like about that, but portal competition will be intense (and expensive).
Beau Pribula, Missouri
The former Penn State backup went 6-2 as the stater in Columbia before an injury knocked his season off track. Used mostly as a change-of-pace run threat over two seasons with the Nittany Lions, Pribula impressed with a 69.6 completion percentage for the Tigers though he did throw nine interceptions in just eight games. There’s enough upside here that it’s slightly better than a could-go-either-way scenario, but maybe that gap isn’t as big as some of the above.
Will Nebraska pursue any of those quarterbacks? Who knows?
By my own accounting, I think they’re five of the best bets (so far) to bring the intangible winner trait Rhule says the Huskers are looking for.3 If the holiday break allows, feel free to forward your own wish list. Then we’ll see what Santa says.
You always have to include this when writing the guy who prefers the all-red uniform: Nebraska was mostly good this year.
Just full transparency there because he sees you when you’re writing, knows when you’re a fake. I thought about .667.
The list to follow makes no consideration for feasibility because reasonable letters to Santa aren’t fun. Also, it’s simply in alphabetical order. Ordered lists to Santa aren’t fun for him.
And I think this is the right track. Before Rhule said it, I was thinking about what NU might need at QB and landed in a similar spot—find a guy who doesn’t always make it look easy but somehow gets the desired result anyway. If the best thing we can say about whoever the Huskers might land is “well, his record was good,” they probably landed in a positive place.