Spring practice is underway for the Nebraska football team. The Big Red begins spring ball with different offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators than the ones they had a year ago at this time, in addition to having dozens of new players on the roster. Even amidst all the change, optimism is high heading into year three for Head Coach Matt Rhule.
On the Common Fan Podcast, we recently looked at five players poised for a breakout season in 2025. In a similar vein, over the course of the next several weeks, we will occasionally spotlight a player or group of players we’re excited to see in the coming season.
Today’s Spotlight: Running Back Emmett Johnson
From huskers.com: “Emmett Johnson played in all 13 games in 2024 with five starts. He ranked second on the team with 117 carries and 598 rushing yards and led Nebraska with 908 all-purpose yards. Johnson added 39 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns, setting career highs in each of those categories. His 39 receptions were the most by a Husker running back since the 2007 season.”
View from the Common Fans: I’ve been high on EJ for a long time. Going into last season, we identified him on the podcast as the best back on the roster. For most of the season, however, it was really hit or miss. In the opener against UTEP, he had eight carries for 71 yards. The very next week, in Nebraska’s decisive win over Colorado, you couldn’t even find him on a milk carton, as he tallied just one carry for three yards. And so it went for the first nine games of the season. He would flash at times, and then seem to disappear for reasons passing understanding. Nebraska couldn’t decide on one (or even two) backs, with Dante Dowdell, Rahmir Johnson, and Gabe Ervin all seeing snaps in addition to Emmett.
Then Dana Holgorsen arrived. The new offensive coordinator, who didn’t assume his current role until right before the USC game (the 10th of the season), seemed to grasp Johnson’s value to the team in a way previous OC Marcus Satterfield did not. Consider this: of EJ’s 598 total rushing yards on the year, 314 (52.5%) were accumulated after Holgorsen took over the offense. Over the same period, Johnson brought in 23 of his 39 receptions (58.9%), logged 170 of his 286 receiving yards (59%), and scored two of his three touchdowns for the season. When you consider those numbers came over the course of only four games, they pop off the page. The highlight was probably the Wisconsin game, when he seemed to be all over the field, making play after play as the Huskers racked up 44 points, exorcized a decade’s worth of demons, and secured bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
Outlook for 2025: Emmett briefly entered the transfer portal during the offseason, but thankfully for all of Husker Nation, made the decision to stick with Nebraska. He is set to be THE GUY at running back for the 2025 season. For one, Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky in the offseason, so it’s not immediately clear who will assume the #2 spot to begin with. But with Holgorsen clearly understanding how to maximize his potential (and likely playing a significant role in keeping Johnson at Nebraska), you have to assume EJ was primed to be the lead back no matter who else was on the roster this year. It seems like the Huskers have had running-back-by-committee way too often in recent years; I can’t wait to see Johnson thrive in the role as the featured back, especially now that Holgorsen will have an entire offseason to implement the offense. Maybe I shouldn’t put it in writing, but I’m on record on the podcast so I’ll say it here too: I believe Emmett Johnson is poised to have the best season for a Nebraska running back since Ameer Abdullah in 2014.
Emmett spoke to the media yesterday; it’s eight minutes well worth your time. He talks about his role in the offense, his relationship with Coach Holgorsen, his faith, his teammates, his love for Nebraska, and much more. “Nebraska’s a special place, and I know I deserve to be here,” he said. “I feel like Nebraska’s going to be the team everybody wants to beat this year.”
One more thing: the guy is incredibly easy to root for. He was Academic All Big Ten in 2023 and 2024; a member of the Brooke Berringer Citizenship Team in 2023; a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2023 and 2024; an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar in 2024; and he’s a four time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. In other words, he’s one heck of a model American. What’s more, it’s been so heartening to see Emmett and Dylan Raiola attending games and cheering on their peers on other Husker sports teams, as well as various high school basketball games and state tournament games, taking pictures with fans and representing the program with class. I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for the talented back and model citizen.
As always, GBR for LIFE.