Nebraska Volleyball Hits Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, While Colandrea Earns Maxwell Watch List Mention

Nebraska used Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Monday as a reset point for two parallel storylines: the Husker volleyball program leaning into the expectations of recent conference dominance, and quarterback Garrett Colandrea drawing national attention on the Maxwell Award watch list. For volleyball, the immediate focus was on how the group handles being the team everyone targets in the Big Ten. For football, it was the recognition that Nebraska’s developmental and leadership plans on offense are starting to look more serious on a national stage.

At the media event, Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly was joined by players Andi Jackson and Bergen Reilly. The setting matters because Big Ten Media Days is where preseason narratives become early-season motivation, with coaches and players stepping into the public conversation about who is built to win and who has to prove it. In Nebraska’s case, the messaging was straightforward: the Huskers are facing the added pressure that comes with being a multi-time standard-setter in the conference.

The Yahoo Sports report framed the 2026 volleyball season as Nebraska carrying the weight of “three time Big Ten champs,” a label that tends to raise the baseline for every match, not just the matches that decide the top of the standings. When a program has been consistently at the top, the challenge shifts from “can they do it?” to “can they do it again, under scrutiny, without losing anything along the way?” Big Ten Media Days provided that backdrop, with Jackson and Reilly representing the program’s current on-court identity as the Huskers prepare for what is described as an especially notable start.

Nebraska’s early-season calendar also includes a stadium match in Arlington, Texas, according to the report. The article notes that the season start is just over three weeks away, underscoring the idea that the volleyball program’s preseason build is closing in on the first major tests. A stadium setting typically changes the rhythm of a match, from the atmosphere to the timing and energy of key stretches, and it often turns the opening week into a statement opportunity for a conference power looking to establish its form early.

On the football side of the day’s headlines, the story’s title also points to Colandrea being on the Maxwell watch list. The Maxwell Award is traditionally associated with the top player in college football, so watch-list placement functions as a national “watch closely” marker rather than a claim of an already-decided award race. For Nebraska, it adds context to the broader offseason arc: the Huskers’ offense will be evaluated with a heavier lens on quarterback play, decision-making, and the ability to translate practice themes into consistent production when games begin.

What to watch next is how Nebraska separates preseason confidence from regular-season results. In volleyball, that likely starts with how quickly the Huskers absorb the pressure that comes with being the team at the top of the Big Ten, especially once the Arlington stadium match arrives. In football, the key watch point is whether Colandrea’s Maxwell watch-list attention turns into measurable game-to-game control, leadership, and playmaking as the season develops. Together, the two storylines show Nebraska trying to stay in the national conversation across sports, while also responding to the expectations that come with being expected to win.