Nebraska’s running back room is getting a lot less tidy by the day.
When the Huskers open against Ohio early next month, Mekhi Nelson is still the name most people have penciled in as RB1. That hasn’t changed yet. But true freshman Jamal Rule is forcing his way into the conversation, and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen made it clear after Friday’s practice that Rule is climbing fast.
“He doesn't look like a freshman to me,” Holgorsen said. He explained that Rule arrived in the spring looking like a nervous first-year player, but the big back has settled in over the summer and turned heads in fall camp.
Holgorsen pointed to Rule’s growth as a blocker, too, and left little doubt about what comes next: “Encouraged where he's at. He's going to play.
We'll see it here in a few weeks.”
Rule’s stock has been rising well beyond Lincoln. CBS Sports recently listed the Nebraska freshman among the Big Ten’s most “overlooked” players, and that was at least the third or fourth time in the last few weeks he’s been mentioned as a breakout candidate.
The latest nod came earlier this month from Fansided.com’s Chris Landers, who named eight breakout players in the Big Ten and included Rule alongside Indiana safety Byron Baldwin Jr., Ohio State linebacker Payton Pierce, Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan, USC defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, Oregon linebacker Nasir Wyatt, Penn State offensive tackle Malachi Goodman, and Washington wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck.
“He wasn't all that well-regarded out of high school, a three-star recruit who chose Nebraska over Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Michigan State,” Landers wrote. “From the moment he stepped on campus this spring, though, the buzz has been building, and it sure sounds like he'll get the first crack at lining up next to QB Anthony Colandrea in Week 1. If the Huskers have a running game, this offense should have everything it needs to make some noise in the Big Ten.”
That’s where the picture gets a little more complicated. Landers’ suggestion that Rule will get the “first crack” at the job is debatable, because Nelson has been the back the staff has talked up since Emmett Johnson declared for the draft and Nelson stepped in.
Nelson also missed a few months while legal issues were pending in Florida. He was reinstated just ahead of Big Ten Media Days, and for now the job is still his to lose. Even so, Rule’s camp performance has made this a real battle.
And that matters, because Landers’ bigger point is hard to ignore: if Nebraska can build a productive run game, the rest of the offense has a chance to matter in the Big Ten. The Huskers still need the right mix on the ground, but if they find it, they could be better than the 7-6 ceiling some around the program are already willing to hand them.
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