5/19/2021 football Edit

Back-up Nebraska running back Ronald Thompkins enters the transfer portal

Back-up Nebraska running back Ronald Thompkins has entered the NCAA transfer portal. (Tyler Krecklow)

Sean Callahan • InsideNebraska

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Sean Callahan has worked with Rivals.com since 2000, and has been the Publisher of HuskerOnline since 2007. He also reports for KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, NET's Big Red Wrap-Up and KFAB Radio in Omaha.

It was inevitable we were going to see some movement in Nebraska's running back room from now until August, and that first piece turned on Wednesday.

Third-year freshman Ronald Thompkins has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal HuskerOnline has confirmed.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Thompkins found himself in a very crowded room that featured six scholarship players, along with at least two walk-on running backs who were receiving reps with the top offensive units.

Coming out of the spring freshmen Gabe Ervin, Marvin Scott and Jaqeuz Yant pulled ahead of the pack.

Before coming to Lincoln, Thompkins suffered a major knee injury that also knocked him out for the entire 2019 season at NU. He missed a majority of the 2017 and 2018 seasons for Loganville (Ga.) Grayson as a junior and senior.

In 2020 he started the season as the No. 2 running back behind Dedrick Mills, but only saw action in the Huskers' first game at Ohio State and their third game vs. Penn State. He finished the year with five carries for 24 yards, to go along with one catch for 10 yards.

Thompkins saw 14 snaps of action at OSU, and then just four snaps vs. PSU. That was the final time he saw the field in 2020.

Thompkins is the third Husker player that has entered the transfer portal since spring ball ended, joining wide receivers Jamie Nance and Demariyon Houston. Nance recently committed to Utah State, while former tight end Kurt Rafdal announced he's transferring to Boise State.