With Thursday's announcement that Mekhi Nelson is officially back with the Nebraska football team, the Huskers might have their starting running back for their season opener. Of course, there will now be more of an open and honest competition about who should be the starter. Still, Nelson certainly seems like he could be the favorite based on how he was used at the end of last year, and the relative lack of experience among the rest of the players at his position in the room.
Nelson had been in a form of Limbo since the spring after getting arrested in Florida. Earlier this month, authorities in the Sunshine State said they would not press charges and essentially cleared the biggest hurdle out of the running back’s way to rejoining the Huskers. Earlier this week, AD Troy Dannen said that the university would not discipline Nelson because there were no formal charges. That just left one last obstacle to get around.
On Thursday afternoon, shortly after Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule spoke at the podium during Big Ten Media Days, he confirmed that Mekhi Nelson was officially cleared to return to the team after having sat out most activities this spring and summer when the arrest came to light.
Nelson joined Nebraska in 2024 after playing at Wilkes-Barre High School in Pennsylvania and St. Thomas More Prep School in Connecticut. In 2025, Nelson played in 12 games with one start and rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He also caught eight passes for 102 yards.
Mekhi Nelson returns to Nebraska football and enters wide-open RB1 battle
After Emmett Johnson left the team before the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah to get ready for the 2026 NFL Draft, Nelson quickly became “the man” at the running back spot. His performance in that game, against one of the better defenses in the Big 12, seemed to be a hint that he could be in for a big 2026 season. Against the Utes, he tallied 12 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also had 3 catches for 48 yards in that game.
Nelson has also drawn quite a few superlatives from the Nebraska coaching staff about what he brings to the table that the other running backs are still learning.
“His superpower is seeing the hole, understanding the read, understanding the timing — and accelerating through the line of scrimmage,” running backs coach E.J. Barthel told Steven Sipple of Husker Online earlier this year. “If he can make one guy miss, he has the chance to take it to the house.”
Barthel has also liked what Nelson has done to improve from one year to another and really looks like he wants to take the next step.
“I think it’s the maturity of focusing on his body,” he added. “That’s the key missing point for Mekhi. It’s going to help him be physical in (pass) protection. It’s going to help him be physical upon contact. There’s a big difference between running at 190 and 202 or 203 pounds. When you can walk around between 197 and 203 pounds consistently, you can get to 205 and play at 205. Can he consistently put on the weight? The last four weeks he’s done an excellent job of doing that.”
Now cleared just ahead of fall camp, the running back position is Mekhi Nelson’s to claim. He’ll fight for the starting job at Nebraska with Isaiah Mozee, Jamal Rule, Kwinten Ives and Tikey Hayes — just added in July from Iowa Western — who are other top competitors.
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