There is no guarantee that the Nebraska football team won't have Emmett Johnson at its disposal next season. However, if the running back does bolt for the NFL, the Huskers could do worse than Mekhi Frazier as his replacement.
Frazier, a running back who played the last two seasons at Michigan State, announced this weekend that he intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2. While his stats were far from eye-popping in 2025, he might have been limited by a team and offense that was bad enough that his head coach, Jonathan Smith, was fired on Sunday.
Frazier, who ran for 520 yards and 2 touchdowns this year, becomes one of the top running backs to announce he's hitting the portal and, thanks to his familiarity with the Big Ten, is expected to be targeted by Nebraska. Granted, it's still very early, and the portal will likely be fuller than ever before, considering there is only one two-week window rather than a winter and spring window like past years.
Mekhi Frazier emerges as an intriguing Big Ten option for Nebraska
Frazier has two more years of eligibility at whatever school he ends up at. He is the first Michigan State player to officially announce their intentions to leave the program after Smith's firing; he will certainly not be the last.
As a high school recruit, Frazier was ranked 1,719th overall in the class of 2024, per the 247Sports Composite, and was ranked No. 126 among running backs.
For now, Nebraska is still playing the waiting game with Emmett Johnson, who was easily one of the best running backs in college football this season. He's been flying up most draft boards, but he has some aspects to his game, including pass blocking, that could use some more work. Ideal for Husker fans, he would return for his final season in Lincoln, but that may not be realistic.