Next-Gen Backfield: Nebraska’s 2026 RB Overhaul
Nebraska’s running back room hasn’t seen an NFL draft pick since 2015, but coach E.J. Barthel is bullish on his 2026 crop after a spring of steady growth. Instead of raiding the portal, the Huskers are betting on in-house talent—Isaiah Mozee, Mekhi Nelson, and Kwinten Ives—to fill the void left by departed star Emmett Johnson. Incoming freshman Jamal Rule dazzled in the Red-White Scrimmage, while sophomores Nelson and Mozee each showcased unique skills: Nelson’s explosive acceleration through the line and Mozee’s disciplined between-the-tackles work. A beefed-up, transfer-bolstered offensive line is also being lauded for reestablishing physicality up front.
In a bold show of confidence (or delusion), Nebraska has decreed that if you can’t buy talent in the transfer market, you must simply invent it. Forget Netflix’s “Stranger Things”—the real sci-fi is in Lincoln, where coaches claim these kids are now telepathically in sync after fourteen days of spring practice. Mekhi Nelson’s “superpower” apparently involves subatomic quantum tunneling through would-be tacklers, while Isaiah Mozee has mastered the ancient art of “slowing down” so he can blitz past defenders at the speed of boredom. And don’t even get us started on the O-line—five hulking transfers plus three homegrown Goliaths, all pledged to deliver roads paved in pancake blocks. One day soon, the football world will wake up and realize this group didn’t just break Nebraska’s draft drought—they broke reality altogether.
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