Five new faces to watch during Nebraska's Spring Game

Saturday's annual Red-White Spring Game will feature plenty of familiar players back on both sides of the ball for Nebraska this year.

But a handful of new faces have emerged this spring as potential names to keep an eye on going into the season.

Here are five Huskers to watch that could make some noise during NU's spring game...

For a player who has never taken a single game snap at the FBS level, Samori Toure arrived at Nebraska this winter, expected to live up to a high bar.

The 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver transfer from FCS-level Montana joined the Huskers with the expectation to push for a starting job this season immediately and to possibly emerge as the No. 1 target.

A former FCS first-team All-American who holds multiple Montana receiving records, Toure has already made quite the impression on his new coaches and teammates.

All eyes will be on Toure to see if he can live up to all of the praise he's garnered over his first spring as a Husker.

Every year, a player comes seemingly out of nowhere to become the star of the spring.

This year, it looks like Jaquez Yant is well on his way to claiming that title.

A former three-star recruit who walked on to NU, Yant has been the most physical, consistent, and reliable running back for the Huskers during spring ball.

At 6-2, 245, the Tallahassee, Fla., native brings a power element to Nebraska's running game unlike any of the other six scholarship backs on the roster.

Yant should get ample opportunity to show everyone what he's capable of on Saturday. As long as he continues to do what he's done all spring, Yant could have fans talking all offseason.

Chris Kolarevic left Northern Iowa as a graduate transfer this offseason as one of the better defensive players in the Gateway Conference.

After an impressive winter of strength and conditioning, the junior inside linebacker is already emerging as a potential fixture on Nebraska's defense this season.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Kolarevic is the prototype of a Big Ten inside linebacker, as he's tough, strong, intelligent, and intuitive on and off the field.

The Huskers already had good depth at that position going into the spring, but Kolarevic has already made a compelling case to push for a starting job this season.

Nebraska had some pressing questions to answer about its quarterback depth behind starter Adrian Martinez going into the start of spring practices.

The surprisingly rapid development of true freshman Heinrich Haarberg could go a long way in easing some of those concerns.

While he's still very raw as an early enrollee, Haarberg has looked every bit the part physically with a solid 6-5 frame and a powerful right arm.

The former Kearney (Neb.) Catholic standout has put himself firmly in contention with Logan Smothers for the No. 2 quarterback job, and a quality performance on Saturday could go a long way in deciding that battle.

Guys like Toure, Omar Manning, and Zavier Betts have gotten the bulk of the attention in Nebraska's receiving corps this spring, and for a good reason.

But don't leave out Will Nixon when talking about the Huskers' top receiving threats going into the fall.

A freshman who missed all of the 2020 season with a knee injury, Nixon has picked up right where he left off during spring ball.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder was poised to see the field last year before his injury. Early reports are have been glowing about Nixon and what he's shown in his comeback.

He runs excellent routes and could emerge as a reliable option working out of the slot this season.