Last season, Ohio State’s “20 million dollar roster” became a big story as the Buckeyes rolled to a national championship. This season, with the introduction of the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap in college athletics, $20 million doesn’t get you halfway to the best and most expensive roster in the country. Matt Rhule understands that reality.
In his Monday press conference after Nebraska’s loss to Michigan and its $12 million quarterback Bryce Underwood, Rhule was asked about the running back position on his roster, and laid out just how difficult it can be to compete for top talent in the revenue-sharing and NIL era.
“Some people paid more money than I had. That’s the reality of it.”
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) September 22, 2025
In the world of revenue sharing every dollar matters and Nebraska must carefully decide where its money is spent. pic.twitter.com/3dDiU3jsRh
Nebraska’s financial limitations showed up in Week 4 loss to Michigan
As rule points out in the response, Nebraska lagged behind many of the powerhouse programs in the country when it came to NIL spending. “This is the first roster, this is the first year that we’re at where everyone else is at,” Rhule told the assembled media about his program’s financial situation.
Despite his claim that Nebraska now has, “maybe not what 10 other teams have but about what everyone else has,” Rhule’s Year 3 roster in Lincoln has some significant holes that were exposed by the Wolveriens on Saturday.
The original question was about the running back position, where junior Emmett Johnson has taken the overwhelming majority of the carries this season, including 19 for 65 yards in Week 4. Behind Johnson, Nebraska has been lacking depth. Kwinten Ives is second on the team in carries with just 16 through four games for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Mekhi Nelson, Kenneth Williams, Conor Booth, Vincent Genatone, Izaac Dickey, and Isaiah Mozee have all combined for just 21 carries and 63 yards.
The running back position isn’t where the problems end, however. The Cornhuskers were dominated in the trenches, and that’s not a surprise considering the portal movement this offseason.
One of Nebraska’s most significant additions was offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett from Alabama, but he failed to win the starting job out of fall camp and has been overmatched anytime he’s seen the field this season. Rhule and his staff nailed the additions of Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter at wide receiver, but when you’re not spending at the top of the market, you have to be perfect with the money you do spend, and the Pritchett miss appears too big to overcome.
With Gunnar Gottula primarily playing ahead of Pritchett at left tackle against Michigan, Dylan Raiola was pressured on nearly 50 percent of his dropbacks. And on the other side of the ball, Nebraska’s defensive line was overmatched by Michigan, allowing the Wolverines to run the ball consistently in the second half to close out the three-point victory.
That, too, can be traced back to spending with top defensive linemen from 2024, Jimari Butler, James Williams, and Princewill Umanmielen being poached away by LSU, Florida State, and Ole Miss, respectively.