Nebraska Football: Who Is Going to Replace Andy Janovich?

The loss of Fullback Andy Janovich is one of the toughest losses that the Huskers have taken coming out of last season.

Janovich was a powerhouse on the field last year, being a successful blocker, runner, and receiver for Nebraska Football. He ended the season fourth on the team with 265 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with several very memorable carries throughout the season. With the season opener against Fresno State coming up in less than 75 days, Husker fans everywhere are wondering who is going to step up to take the spot of Janovich on the field.

There are a couple of potential men who are vying to take the spot of Janovich, some being safer options with better outlooks than others.

One possible option for the new Fullback would be incoming Senior Mitch McCann. He was a Redshirt his first year, working as a scout team linebacker, and during his Redshirt Freshman through Junior years, he did not play in a game, providing depth at fullback or serving as a reserve fullback. He is projected to be a contender for playing time as a fullback this coming year, and is one of the most veteran returnees at the position (the only other player with his standing is Harrison Jordan). It is hard to say how he would do at the position because of the fact that he has not played in a game, but who is to say that he could not step in and surprise everyone as an excellent fullback.

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Junior Luke McNitt also is on the list of players up for the spot as Nebraska’s starting fullback. McNitt started his college football career at University of Nebraska – Kearney, playing in 10 games as a freshman, being a very influential player both running, blocking and receiving. He then joined Nebraska Football during the 2014 season, but sat out that year as a Redshirt working on the scout team offense. As a sophomore at UNL, he played in five games as both a reserve tight end and on special teams, with a couple of influential plays. The only thing going against him at the moment that could stop him from being selected as the starting fullback is that he is also competing to have a larger role as a tight end this coming season. However, he is going up against three incoming seniors for a role as tight end.

Another option for the spot is incoming Junior Harrison Jordan. Jordan, like McCann, also came onto the team as a Redshirt. As a Redshirt Freshman, he played in five games on special teams, as well as a reserve at fullback. During his sophomore year he played in three games, but was on the travel roster for all of the road games. Looking into this coming year, I would say he is one of the top choices for being selected as the starting fullback. Jordan has been considered by some as the understudy to Janovich the past couple of seasons as Janovich was a leader on the offense, while still receiving some playing time himself.

Personally, I believe Jordan has a higher chance of replacing Janovich as a starter than McCann or McNitt. Jordan has more playing experience with the Huskers than both of the others and is not also competing for spot at a different position. With his experience on the field and the fact that he has shadowed Janovich the past two seasons, I think that he would be the perfect choice for next year’s starting Fullback.

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Riley and the coaching staff could choose one of the other two, or an entirely different player, but I think it is the most likely that we will see Jordan on the field next year with Nebraska Football’s offense. However, were going to have to wait till September to know for sure.