Running back Mekhi Nelson’s future with Nebraska has been in limbo for several months now. However, on Wednesday, he took yet another step towards making a return just ahead of fall camp. While there is still one more hurdle to clear, it appears that the player, who ran into some legal trouble in Florida this spring, will play at least part of the 2026 season.
The Huskers’ leading returning rusher was arrested in the Sunshine State earlier this year. However, in July, prosecutors declined to file official charges, seemingly opening the door for Nelson to stay with the team. On Wednesday, athletic director Troy Dannen told a group of reporters in a short meeting that the program would not discipline Nelson and he’d been cleared by the Title IX office to return to the team. However, as head coach Matt Rhule has not issued a statement or shared his view on the situation publicly, there is still one more obstacle for the running back to get around.
On that note, Andy Kendeigh of Lincoln television station KETV 7 reports that a source within Nebraska told him that Nelson would indeed play this season. There is of course, still a question as to whether the running back will be fully cleared by Rhule to play in Week 1, or if he might still be suspended for part of the 2026 season but still see the field at some point.
There is a very good chance that Nelson might face no discipline of any kind. Because there are no charges, Dannen told reporters, Nelson has not violated NU’s student-athlete code of conduct. Avoiding that violation could allow Rhule to make him eligible to return to team activities immediately.
Mekhi Nelson could rejoin Nebraska football backfield before fall camp
While it wasn’t made public, reports earlier this summer did note that he had not been participating in activities with Nebraska teammates as the university waited out the legal issues.
Provided he’s full-go for training camp, Nelson is one of five backs vying to start this season for the Huskers, who lost Emmett Johnson to the NFL Draft in the offseason. Isaiah Mozee, Jamal Rule, Kwinten Ives and Tikey Hayes — just added in July from Iowa Western — are other top competitors.
Of those competitors, Nelson was given the most action in Nebraska’s bowl game against Utah, when Emmett Johnson sat the game out after declaring for the NFL Draft. In the Las Vegas Bowl, Nelson carried 12 times for 88 yards and a touchdown with a 38-yard run mixed in. He also showed he can be a weapon out of the backfield, catching 3 passes for 48 yards.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule will make his appearance at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday morning and will likely shed more light on whether Mekhi Nelson will miss any time.
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