The running back room is a hot topic, and not just recently. It goes all the way back to this time last season. How good is the running back room and how much depth is there? 365 days is plenty of time for fans and pundits alike to dive deep into the subject. And it magnifies the situation when you see windows of opportunity slip by without anything happening (AKA transfer portal).

The scary part of it is, all we can do is trust the coaches and hope they know something we don’t. That trust comes hard when you’ve spent the last three seasons watching your team average 176.8 (2023), 130.6 (2024) and 145.9 (2025) yards rushing per game. And don’t let that 2023 average fool you, the pass was non-existent that season.

Why do Husker fans fret? Because of our rich rushing history. From 1977 to 2012 Nebraska averaged between 247.6 to 401.7 yards rushing per game.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, times have changed. But the numbers we’ve been seeing aren’t good enough. The running game needs to be better. Winning teams can run the ball.

Once I-Back “U”

As an older fan, it’s almost laughable to think Nebraska was once known as “I-Back U” and could possibly now be in a pickle because of an unknown running back room. It’s a room that has traditionally had extraordinary depth. It doesn’t matter what decade you look at. Great running back rooms at Nebraska could be described as the norm rather than the unknown.

Examples: The 1980-81 roster listed Andre Franklin, Jarvis Redwine, Roger Craig, Jeff Smith, and Mike Rozier. Or think of the 1995-96 team when they had Dan Alexander, Willie Miller, Jeff and Joel Makovicka, Lawrence Phillips, Damon Benning, Clinton Childs and Ahman Green, all on the roster at the same time. Heck, even the 2012 roster wasn’t too shabby with Andy Janovich, Braylon Heard, Ameer Abdullah, Rex Burkhead, and Imani Cross.

So, what does the 2026 roster look like? Well, according to Matt Rhule and RB coach E.J. Barthel, Nebraska’s running back room is talented. The problem is they’re extremely young and inexperienced. Returning production can be described in one word – zilch.

Career carries in the room, Mekhi Nelson 28, Kwinton Ives 26, and Isiah Mozee 26. Tikey Hayes 3, Conner Booth 3, and Jamal Rule 0. Nebraska’s RBs have 86 total carries in FBS football. In comparison, Emmett Johnson had 251 carries last season.

According to the Husker Damon Benning, this is E.J. Barthel’s most talented room since arriving at Nebraska. With Benning competing against the players I listed earlier, his words carry weight in my book. From a pure talent standpoint, this is the most diverse skill set of running backs the Huskers have had since Rhule became head coach.

The Subjective Six

Jamal Rule – 6’0”, 215-pound Freshman. He is perhaps the best pure running back in the room and the most well rounded. He just looks like a running back. As a high school senior in North Carolina, Rule rushed for 1,362 yards and 12 TDs while making 25 catches for 327 yards and 1 TD. He was a 3-Star prospect whose recruitment took off late and he wavered on his initial commitment to NU after gaining interest from Alabama. His size coming out of high school was a concern, however he has shown the ability to add weight and muscle since arriving in Lincoln. He has good size with natural vision in the open field and an explosive running style between the tackles. Arriving in early January, he looked impressive during the Spring game in March with a 75-yard TD scamper. That’s an impressive leap for a true freshman after just a little over a two-month turnaround. So, what can he accomplish from March to September if he advances at the same pace? With his competitive mindset and desire to be the starter he could rise to the top by game four.

Isiah Mozee – 6’0”, 215-pound Sophomore. The son of Nebraska Assistant Head Coach Jamar Mozeee, Isiah brings something different to the running back room because of his natural ability as a receiver. Of this group he is the best in the open field, with good body control and natural ability. Maybe the best third down back in the room. When looking at what Johnson did as a receiver out of the backfield, Isiah Mozee becomes an intriguing option when on the field. Mozee came to Nebraska as a 3-Star wide receiver. After totaling 3,241 receiving yards and 42 TDs, along with 665 rushing yards and 11 TDs in high school, Nebraska’s lack of depth at running back forced a position change. Since moving to running back he is nearly 30 pounds heavier than when he arrived. This is because of his strong desire to be productive when running between the tackles. Being a coach’s son, he has a strong knowledge of the game when it comes to alignment, scheme and situational play calling. All of which make him perhaps the most cerebral of the running backs.

Mekhi Nelson – 6’0”, 200-pound Sophomore. Nelson has the best blend of power and speed in the RB room. He has an explosive first step and Holgorsen has commented that he can make plays that Emmett Johnson couldn’t.

“His superpower is seeing the hole, understanding the read, understanding the timing – and accelerating through the line of scrimmage.” RB coach E.J. Barthel said earlier this year. “If he can make one guy miss, he has the chance of taking it to the house.”   

Going into his sophomore season, Nelson has played 13 games and started one. He’s rushed 28 times for 149 yards and 2 TDs while making 8 receptions for 102 yards. His lone start was in the Las Vegas Bowl where he rushed 12 times for 88 yards, 1 TD and had three receptions for 48 yards. It is realistic to think Nelson will go into fall camp with vengeance after his legal troubles and the thought of his football career possibly being over. The incident may be a real turning point and provide additional motivation to prove something. Especially to himself.

Kwinton Ives – 6’3”, 215-pound Junior. One of running back Coach E.J. Barthel’s first recruits, he was headed to UCONN before Bathel was hired by Rhule. A standout in New Jersy, he was one of the top running backs on the east coast, rushing for 1,617 yards and 26 TDs in his senior year. He averaged 10.3 yards per carry and had nine 100-yard games and three 200-yard games. He had 15 receptions for 204 yards and 3 TDs and had a 79-yard kickoff return for a TD in his lone return of the season. On his first two carries of the season, he had 50- and 57-yard touchdowns. While Ives is beginning his third season at Nebraska, his usage has been limited thus far. He’s seen action in 21 games with a total of 26 carries. Early on it looked like he may find success as a kick returner with 3 returns for 81 yards. However, upon Mike Ekeler’s arrival Ives fell out of the rotation. With Ekeler’s departure will we see Ives back on the field again? Not particularly known for his speed and because of his size he is seen as a short yardage back and a goal line runner. He has shown good power for both.

Conner Booth – 6’0”, 215-pounds. Red Shirt Freshman. Described as a natural running back who does running back things with ease. With few opportunities as a true freshman Booth played in two games and had three carries while red shirting last season. While several people don’t give Booth credit for his high school production due to the quality of competition, running backs Coach E.J. Barthel says Booth belongs at Nebraska. Booth rushed for over 6,000 yards and 100 TDs during his high school career. An exceptional athlete, he also was his high school team’s punter, posting over a 38-yard average and played baseball. As a football player Booth demonstrates both explosiveness and power which gives him the ability to break tackles and gain extra yards. For Husker fans, watching Booth run revives memories of former Husker greats like Jeff Kinney, Tony Davis, Rick Berns, and Rex Burkhead.

Tiqwai (Tikey) Hayes – 5’11”, 205-pound Red Shirt Freshman. Hayes was atIowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa before transferring to Nebraska. He had transferred to IWCC from Penn State in January. As a freshman at Penn State, he was third on the depth chart behind Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, both NFL draft picks. He only had 3 carries for 18 yards as a Nittany Lion. Hayes was a highly decorated 3-Star player out of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. He rushed for over 7,000 yards and 95 touchdowns throughout his high school career. He only played in 5 games as a senior due to an injury, yet he still rushed for 1,120 yards on 97 carries for 17 TDs and a 10.5 yard per carry average. With Haye’s size he has been described as a perfect fit for playing between the tackles in the Big Ten but is a good straight-line runner in the open field. Known more for his quickness rather than his speed, he is a hard-nosed runner with good patience and can break to the outside when needed. It’ll be difficult to come in and beat out Nelson and Mozee in such a short time.

Holgorsen’s Take

This week after the second practice OC Dan Holgorsen was asked about where the running backs were as far as development and what he liked about this group.

“They are a really young group that probably didn’t get as many snaps last year as they wanted,” Holgorsen said. “We didn’t know that Emett could carry the load the way that he carried the load for 12 games. Fortunate for him, he was an All-American, which is awesome. Unfortunately, for the guys, they didn’t get as many snaps as they wanted to.”

While the six running backs in the room are young and unknown, Holgorsen remains confident and what he has to work with.

“I left spring comfortable with the five backs we had,” he said. “They haven’t disappointed me in two days. They’ve looked great. I’m not worried about that room. They’re just young, and they’re going to have to grow quick.”

What Will This Team Be

Holgorsen claims they were four games into the season in 2025 before he figured out Emmett Johnson was his go-to workhorse. But if you look at the numbers, Johnson was the man from day one, averaging almost 18 carries, 97-yards and 1 TD in the first four games. His number of carries increased slightly over the next eight games, as he averaged 22 carries, 132 yards and 1 TD.

To further put Johnson’s workhorse title into perspective, only once did another running back have more than six carries in a game, and that was Ives with 12 against Houston Christian in the third game of the season.

I think everybody has their own idea on who should be the starter but look for the guy who establishes himself early in camp to have a jump on things. Once the season starts, I think we will see a running back by committee for the first three games. The fourth game against Michigan State we’ll start to see some separation and have a good sense of who Holgorsen is leaning towards. When Maryland rolls around look for a bigger dose of whoever the ‘Honcho’ is. They aren’t looking for another Emmett Johnson, but someone with Johnson’s play making consistency.

Holgorsen said in the spring he doesn’t yet know what this team does well. But no matter what he sees, he’ll strive for balance. His biggest hurdle will be recognizing and understanding his personnel. Who needs to be on the field and when, according to the situation. After the fall and the first four games, Holgorsen should have a good feel for that.

After a season in which Emmett Johnson rushed for 1,451 yards with 12 TDs and was the leading rusher in the Big Ten, we would normally say Nebraska had a sound offensive line and a decent running game last season. But that’s far from the truth. And while it’s too soon to tell if this 2026 team is going to be able to run the ball, it’s easy to say nobody benefited more from the addition of QB Anthony Colandrea and O-line coach Geep Wade than the running back room. Having a QB who can run the ball and an O-line that can create holes will produce endless possibilities for the running game.

So, for now this running back room is a group of unknowns, but by the end of the season we may be looking at them and comparing them to some of the running back rooms of the past I mentioned earlier. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and trust the coaches on this one.

GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!

Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE

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