Running Back Competition Deep Dive
Position Group Breakdown
Emmett Johnson is gone. The 2025 Big Ten Running Back of the Year and first-team All-American carried the Nebraska ground game almost by himself last season. His departure left one of the more open position battles on the 2026 roster.
What remains is a young, relatively inexperienced group that the staff expects to operate more as a committee than a single featured back. Fall camp has reinforced that no clear RB1 has separated himself yet. Here is the current state of the competition.
The Contenders
Mekhi Nelson (Sophomore)
Nelson entered the offseason as many analysts’ early favorite. He finished second on the team in rushing in 2025 with 27 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns. His best performance came in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah, when he started and produced 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, plus three receptions. After an offseason legal matter in which charges were ultimately dropped, Nelson was cleared to participate fully in fall camp. He brings the most recent high-volume experience of anyone in the room.
Isaiah Mozee (Sophomore)
Mozee arrived as a wide receiver and was moved to running back during his true freshman season. He appeared in all 13 games in 2025, totaling 26 carries for 115 yards and 14 receptions for 155 yards. He has added significant size (now listed around 6-0, 215) and offers the best receiving skills among the backs. Mozee has spoken confidently about his readiness for a larger role and benefits from a full year of learning the position.
Kwinten Ives (Junior)
Ives saw limited work in 2025 (20 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns) but posted the highest yards-per-carry average of the group at 6.7. When given opportunities he has shown burst and the ability to create positive plays. He is the most experienced player in the room by class and provides a different change-of-pace option.
Jamal Rule (True Freshman)
Rule made the biggest spring impression. In the Red-White game he rushed 10 times for 119 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. The former three-star from North Carolina has the size (6-0, 215) and vision to compete immediately. Multiple observers left the spring believing he could push for significant early-season snaps. CBS Sports listed him among true freshmen who could impact the Big Ten in 2026.
Tikey Hayes (Redshirt Freshman, Transfer)
Hayes joined the roster in July after time at Penn State and a brief stop at Iowa Western. His only college carries came in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson (three for 18 yards). He adds depth and a physical running style, though he is the least proven of the main group.
Conor Booth and others remain in the mix for special teams and situational work.
What the Staff Wants
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and the running backs coaches have emphasized competition and multiple contributors rather than crowning a single lead back. Matt Rhule has described several of these players as “winning players” and has shown willingness to use a rotation. The ideal outcome is two or three backs who can handle between-the-tackles work, contribute in the passing game, and stay healthy through a long Big Ten schedule.
The upgraded offensive line should help all of them. A stronger, more experienced front gives the backs better lanes and more time to develop as the season progresses.
Outlook
This is the position group with the most uncertainty heading into September. There is no proven 200-carry back on the roster. Production will likely come by committee, at least early. Nelson and Mozee appear to have the edge in experience and familiarity with the system, while Rule’s explosiveness makes him the highest-upside wild card. Ives and Hayes provide quality depth and different skill sets.
The next two weeks of camp will be critical. Live team periods and situational work should begin to clarify the hierarchy. Nebraska does not need one of these backs to become the next Emmett Johnson overnight. It needs consistent, physical running that keeps the offense on schedule and creates manageable third downs for Anthony Colandrea.
If two or three of these players seize meaningful roles and stay healthy, the running game can still be a strength. If the group remains unsettled into October, it will become one of the clearer vulnerabilities on an otherwise improved offense.
The competition is real. The opportunity is equally real.