A 2025 season that started with some very promising signs quickly turned sour for Nebraska football. A midseason slump for Matt Rhule and company was then compounded with a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Dylan Raiola to take the Cornhuskers out of the Big Ten and the CFP race.
When the season ended with a blowout loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, Raiola quickly announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal and find a new home for his junior season. That left Rhule and his staff looking for another portal QB to come in and lead the program in 2026.
Now, Nebraska has found its guy. Former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey has committed to Nebraska, as reported by ESPN's Max Olson.
Minchey is a dual-threat quarterback who competed for the starting job at Notre Dame in fall camp before losing a very close battle with freshman CJ Carr. Carr ended up being a sensation for Marcus Freeman and the Irish, so if Nebraska is getting someone who can nearly take the starting job from him that's a good sign.
Minchey still appeared in six games in 2025, even though he didn't start any of them. In those mop-up games, Minchey finished 20-for-26 with 196 yards, so there is clearly some promise there.
Minchey will likely compete for the starting job with TJ Lateef, who started in relief of Raiola for Nebraska as a freshman. In seven games this season, Lateef completed just over 60% of his passes for 904 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. If Lateef sticks around, the battle between he and Minchey in the spring and in fall camp will be a big storyline to watch.
It is still unclear where Raiola is going to play next season after leaving Nebraska. The two biggest quarterback dominoes on the market, Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby and Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, have yet to fall, so it would make sense for the two of them to commit to a new home first before Raiola makes a decision.
