Talk around the Nebraska football team since last winter has centered on confusion and concern about the running back room. Earlier this summer, it felt like the Huskers might name a starter before the season. That’s looking less likely after RB coach EJ Barthel addressed the media Tuesday afternoon.
It’s that time of year when coaches are announcing starters at important positions. Last week, the Huskers officially announced that Anthony Colandrea is NU’s starting quarterback. However, when Barthel discussed the starting running back battle, he was far from naming Isaiah Mozee, Mekhi Nelson or Jamal Rule as “the man.”
What Barthel did reveal was that Nebraska doesn’t have a dedicated RB1 right now and probably won’t have a featured back who clearly gets the bulk of the carries. Instead, the Huskers look set to use a running-backs-by-committee approach that favors the hot hand or the best player for a given situation.
“As far as I’m concerned, we have multiple starters,” Barthel said. “We have guys that can go be the guy. Different skill sets in the room. But the top of the room, I feel really comfortable with multiple guys starting right now.”
Nebraska football running back committee must replace Emmett Johnson’s 1,800 yards
Even if Barthel had named a starting running back, it still seems there would be a committee approach this season, with a couple of players not in the running for RB1 handling short-yardage and goal-line situations.
Mozee, Nelson and Rule look to be competing for the starting spot, and that isn’t surprising. Those three have been the frontrunners since spring practice started. The main difference is that Nelson’s performance in Nebraska’s bowl game against Utah seemed to put him in frontrunner status. Mozee and Rule have now played well enough to make it a clear three-man race.
Rule could have plenty of playing time this fall even if the true freshman loses out to Mozee and Nelson as the featured back. Barthel said Rule, Kwinten Ives, and Vincent Genatone are competing for short-yardage and goal-line carries.
After the kind of season Emmett Johnson had in 2025 (1,800 total yards, 15 touchdowns), Nebraska football fans naturally want a featured back and someone to seize the starting job before the Ohio game on September 5. But Barthel says this situation is better overall than when EJ had to carry the team on his back: “Like I said in the spring, this is the most talented room I’ve had,” Barthel said. “So they push each other each and every single day, and I think keeping them together is my biggest challenge because there’s only one guy that’s really going to be out there getting the ball. So the competition part of it has been paramount…”
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