Nebraska running backs coach E.J. Barthel didn’t leave much room for interpretation Tuesday. After practice, he made it clear he thinks the 2026 backfield is the deepest and most talented group he has ever coached, even after losing the heavy workload Emmett Johnson carried a season ago.
Johnson handled 251 of Nebraska’s 334 rushing attempts by Husker running backs last year and became the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Devine Ozigbo in 2018. But Barthel believes the room around him now is even stronger from top to bottom.
“This is the most talented room I’ve had,” he said. “They push each other each and every single day.
I think keeping them together is my biggest challenge, because there’s usually only one guy that's going to be out there getting the ball. The competition part of it has been paramount as far as guys getting better at what they need to get better at.
There’s not much room for error… so the urgency of attacking each rep is very important.”
Barthel spent plenty of time breaking down why he likes this group so much, and he didn’t exactly hide his enthusiasm. He pointed to Mekhi’s 4.4 speed and nine yards a touch in a bowl game, plus an explosive run that was called back.
He highlighted Isaiah Mozee’s 215-pound frame, slot-route ability and 4.5, 4.4 speed. He praised Jamal Rule as a 215-pound back who runs 4.4 and can work inside or outside.
Kwinten Ives, in Barthel’s view, brings size, protection ability, route-running skill and usefulness in short yardage.
He also mentioned Conor Booth, who ran for 3,000 yards in high school and still has to battle for top reps, along with Vincent Genatone, whom Barthel described as a 4.4 athlete who can “jump out of the gym.” His point was simple: there’s real talent spread across the room, not just one featured name.
Barhel's unit also gets a boost from Anthony Colandrea, who was recently named the Huskers' QB1. The UNLV transfer has rushed for over 1,100 yards in his career, and Barthel sees that as a major advantage for the offense.
“It’s our best friend,” Barthel said with a smile. “It’s like having an extra running back; you’ve got to defend for it. For us, his ability in the pass game and the run game, to make plays, to extend with his feet, just takes a lot of pressure off us… It’s really, really exciting to be able to have that element in our offense.”
Even with Colandrea’s running threat, Nebraska doesn’t plan to lean on him in short-yardage situations. Barthel said that job is still up for grabs, with three backs battling for those snaps.
“We’ve got three guys really competing for it,” Barthel said. “Vincent Genatone’s had a great camp.
Kwinten is in the running and so is Jamal. All of them are going to get shots at it… Those three are the bigger, physical guys that have been taking most of the reps.”
Barthel also had a chance to reflect on Johnson, now in the NFL, and said his success hasn’t surprised him one bit. He believes he had the nation’s best running back last season, and he used Johnson’s preseason film as a teaching tool for the current room.
“I’ve always felt like we had the best running back in the nation last year,” he said. “So, I was not shocked by any means by how he played these first two preseason games.
The best part about that was we were able to watch his highlights and pause a play, and I would ask the room, ‘what’s the coaching point I’m going to say here?’ and the boys were able to answer it.
That was evidence to them to say like, ‘That’s the standard’. They know what it looks like; they know how to do it.”
Barthel said watching Johnson’s rise still hit him emotionally, but he sees it as a blueprint for the backs he’s coaching now.
“Teary-eyed,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.
This whole experience has been great. Watching him develop and watching him grow - he’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s the type of kid that's going to continue to work to get better at things.
I think it's been great for these other boys to see that. That’s the standard I expect from practice, each rep.”
Johnson started all 12 regular-season games a season ago, and Nebraska now has to replace that production. Barthel said he’s comfortable with more than one answer.
“I’ll let the head coach make that decision as far as who’s going to be the guy,” Barthel said when asked about the starter. “But as far as I’m concerned, we have multiple starters.
We have guys that can go be the guy. Different skill sets, but the top of the room, I feel comfortable with multiple guys starting right now.”
Mekhi Nelson is the only Nebraska running back on the roster with a collegiate start, but Barthel’s confidence extends well beyond that. Whether it’s Nelson, Mozee, Ives, Rule or someone else, he believes the Huskers have plenty of options.
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