When Dana Holgorsen came in as the Cornhuskers’ new offensive coordinator, with just four games left to play, including the Pinstripe Bowl, the differences were immediate. Under Holgorsen, the team rose above the debacles of Marcus Satterfield and finally secured its bowl birth. Cornhuskers won 2 of the 4 games he called. This makes you think, what if Matt Rhule had taken that decision initially and offered the same $1.2 million contract to Holgorsen earlier? Perhaps we wouldn’t even be talking about how bad the 2024 season was. But this wasn’t it. In Holgorsen’s offense, one of Matt Rhule’s ace running backs also shone.

Yes, we are talking about the Cornhuskers’ top running back last year, Emmett Johnson. The RB rushed for 598 yards and received 286 yards last season. But under Satterfield, Johnson’s abilities were probably underutilized. With Satterfield calling the plays, the offense was ranked 96th nationally. Moreover, the Cornhuskers’ rushing game regressed to just 136.5 yards per game, standing at 101st nationally. In conference play, the running game was particularly weak, averaging just 101 yards per game and frustrating Matt Rhule, who desired a run-heavy identity. So, it’s obvious that Johnson’s performances also dropped with that regression.

Wilson Dittman, a Nebraska insider, on his 6th June episode, analyzed how good Emmett Johnson can finally be under Dana Holgorsen, with a healthy skepticism. “Within the Nebraska fan base, there are a lot of Husker fans who expect him to potentially be a top 10 running back in America, to be potentially top five in the Big 10. And I just don’t know if I’m there yet because Johnson, while he’s a very productive running back, is very durable. I just don’t know if he has that high ceiling. I don’t know if he has the motor ability to be a top-five running back in America.” But why the skepticism?

Under Satterfield, Johnson had just 351 yards in 95 carries in his first nine games, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. While he was the second leading rusher behind Dante Dowdell, there wasn’t much focus on improving the running game. That changed when Holgorsen came in. Under him, the running back’s snaps grew, and he was better utilized, which showed in that Pinstripe Bowl game. In that game, Johnson led the team with 16 carries for 75 yards and received 24 yards, showing a dual-threat all-around ability. If there is significant improvement, what’s holding him back?

Johnson has many pros, as Dittman highlighted. These include his vision, the balance that he shows in his runs, and his work ethic, which stands out. But the major problem Dittman highlighted was his speed, size, and lastly, the lack of pass protection ability he offers. “He’s not super fast, by any means. He’s not great in pass protection, which is the main reason he wasn’t on the field when Marcus Satterfield was our offensive coordinator.” Dittman pointed out that for Emmett Johnson to be successful under Dana Holgorsen, the RB will need to provide pass protection and elite speed, which he doesn’t quite deliver.

“His top-end speed is not great. His burst is phenomenal, right? He can go from zero to 100 very quickly. His footwork is great, but he’s just not the fastest guy in the world… And then the size, obviously, he’s been a little bit undersized throughout his career,” said Dittman.

Standing at 5’11” and 220 lbs, Johnson’s frame might not be suitable for reliable pass protection, and his speed may limit him. For context, last year, Johnson had just three 20+ yard runs. And so, Holgorsen’s scheme will need to be tweaked in his favor for him to perform in big-play opportunities. All these factors make it difficult for him to cut into the top 10 RBs in CFB. But considering his versatile talent as a basketball and track and field athlete in high school? Anything seems possible. And it’s not out of the question that he could still become one of the Big Ten’s premier backs.

Matt Rhule is finally changing his strategy ahead of hot-seat rumors?

Recruiting lately for Nebraska hasn’t been a bright spot, and Matt Rhule has struggled to land top recruits. Sure, Dylan Raiola’s steal from Georgia was a coup. But in terms of overall impact, we haven’t seen recruiting at the level a playoff-aspiring program will do. Take, for example, the recent 2025 class, which is 21st ranked nationally and doesn’t even have a single five-star. Similarly, the 2024 class was also ranked 24th nationally, except for Dylan Raiola in the class. But signs suggest a shift is underway.

“Nebraska is going to get the first kind of move on this—to show what they’ve got and how to run an event like this. And it’s just about getting kids to Lincoln. I mean, that’s, you know, you want to get them in the facilities. It’s a camp setup, so they’re going to be around the coaches, and, you know, there’s going to be some coaching and stuff going on in the morning,” Michael Bruntz said about the change in recruiting strategy for Matt Rhule.

Rhule has already secured a potential 5-star QB, Trae Taylor, for his 2027 class. The long-term focus seems to be on recruiting. But before that happens, Rhule will have to keep in mind that the 2025 season will be crucial, and non-performance will probably not be seen leniently, at least not by the fans.