Nebraska Football: Newest walk-on running back Yant has lighting speed

Nebraska football landed a talented walk-on running back Thursday.

Nebraska football continued its success with the walk-on program Thursday, as Florida running back Jaquez Yant walked on to the program.

Yant is a member of the class of 2020, and has not been rated in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is however a three-star running back with an 82 overall numerical rating in the 247Sports overall rankings. He held offers from Ole Miss and Southern Miss.

More from Husker Corner

• Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
• Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
• Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
• Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
• Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims

When I watch his highlights, the first thing that stands out to me is his speed. He breaks away from defenders with ease. As soon as he hits the hole, good luck trying to catch him. It’s like he is shot out of a cannon, and he runs with authority and hits the holes quickly. He would be a great addition to a Nebraska backfield that is already crowded. I can picture him finding open space and finding the end zone frequently.

As a walk-on, this is another huge get for the running back room. Earlier this year, they landed running back John Bivens the same way. Nebraska has had success with the walk-on program. Yant’s addition to the roster is proof of that.

I really like what I see from his film. That speed cannot be coached. Yant’s tremendous natural athletic ability would fit very well in the Big Ten. These days you need to have a multitude of good running backs. Just look at Ohio State for example.

Last year, we saw firsthand the duo of Master Teague and JK Dobbins. If Dobbins needed a breather, Teague was there to pick him up. Together, they lead an Ohio State rushing attack that put up 368 total rushing yards against Nebraska alone. It was truly a dominating performance by an Ohio State team that wound up being one of the best in the country.

As a football program, you can never have too much talent. Nebraska is exemplifying that here. They have put out a plethora of offers over the past couple of weeks. Now, they are using the walk-on program to get even more talent.

It will be interesting to see how the running back room shakes out. Yant is definitely a player that could find his way onto the roster. With how Nebraska utilizes their running backs, the more they have,  the better. This allows them to keep each one fresh and rotate throughout the course of the game. That type of depth could be the factor between winning and losing.