If the Nebraska football team is going to defy the odds and put together a really successful 2026 season, it’s going to need plenty of help from players who haven’t gotten a ton of mention this offseason. According to CBS Sports analyst Brad Powers, there are two NU players who could have a massive impact on how the team does this year. Jamal Rule and Jahsear Whittington.
There are bound to be players like Anthony Colandrea and Justin Evans who are singled out as having a direct impact on just how good the Huskers can be this season. But Rule and Whittington make this list not because they’re known commodities as great players. They are on this list because they could be breakout players in 2026, surprising everyone with how good their campaign is.
The pick for Rule is surprising and yet … not. The Nebraska running back room is trying to rebuild without All-World back Emmett Johnson’s nation-leading numbers. There isn’t an obvious replacement on the unit at the moment, but Rule has impressed coaches since arriving this spring. The freshman running back has been good enough that there’s even talk he could get the bulk of the carries for the Huskers.
“Spring standouts in a reserve role are sometimes overlooked, but not this true freshman,” Powers wrote. “What's most encouraging for the Huskers is how quickly Rule appears to have adjusted to the college game. He flashed big-play ability and looked every bit like a running back capable of competing for meaningful carries right away in Nebraska's final spring scrimmage, and several observers came away believing he had made a serious push for the RB1 role entering the fall.”
Jamal Rule and Jahsear Whittington named Nebraska football breakout candidates
Powers went on to say that Nebraska could definitely use the downhill running that Jamal Rule offers. The backfield seems pretty open at the moment. Jamal Rule could steal a ton of carries, if not the starting job, out of the gate.
As for Whittington, he joins the Huskers after two mediocre seasons with Pittsburgh. However, Powers believes that some of the defensive tackle’s underwhelming time with the Panthers was just a matter of playing in a system that wasn’t a great fit for him.
“Nebraska needs more disruptive plays at the point of attack defensively, particularly against the run,” Powers wrote. “Whittington has the instincts and power to provide them if he's able to secure snaps. Playing at 6-foot, 250 pounds in the middle of the defensive line in the ACC, Whittington was undersized with the Panthers. He's added 15 pounds since signing with Nebraska and hopes to become a vital piece of defensive coordinator Rob Aurich's attacking unit. Whittington said that's what made the Huskers such an attractive landing spot, Nebraska's gritty mentality within its defensive front.”
If the defensive front is more aggressive this fall, that would certainly be a welcome sight for Huskers fans who watched a season where the unit was a major liability under former DC John Butler. One reason Aurich was hired is that he promised to revamp the defense so it wouldn’t get gouged as often as it did last year. Whittington could certainly help if he takes the developmental steps Powers thinks he might.
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