If there's one newcomer that has to pan out for Nebraska, it's junior college transfer running back Dedrick Mills.

The former Garden City (Kan.) C.C. and Georgia Tech product comes to NU with three years of college football experience after leading the Yellow Jackets in rushing in 2016. Following Tech, Mills was regarded as the top junior college back in the country after leading Garden City to the junior college national championship game in 2018.

Mills was a mid-summer arrival to Lincoln, but it hasn't slowed him down one bit.

Just off first glance, fifth-year senior defensive lineman Darrion Daniels said Mills has been the real deal in practice.

"Oh yeah, Mills is getting it done, and he's running through the hole like we’ve got full pads on," Daniels said. "But that’s the type of offense we need in order for the defense to get better. I love it, and him running hard forces all the other running backs to run hard.

"So you’ve got running backs running hard, you’ve got linebackers having to push hard too. It’s like a domino effect, every time somebody steps up their level of intensity everybody else has to."

Mills joins a very competitive backfield that includes sophomore Maurice Washington, freshman Rhamir Johnson, sophomore Jaylin Bradley and senior Wyatt Mazour. Redshirt freshman Miles Jones and true freshman Wan'Dale Robinson could also take snaps at running back as well.

Daniels added when he watches Mills run he doesn't look like your typical newcomer.

"I can definitely tell," Daniels said when asked if he could tell that Mills played major college football before NU. "That first practice he ran through me, it reminded me of (former Oklahoma State back) Chris Carson.

"My freshman year Chris Carson was a JUCO transfer as well and the tenacity that he ran with without pads made me think these guys are hungry and the way (Mills) runs the ball you can tell that he’s running for a bigger purpose."

The defense has even tried to rattle Mills and the other backs in practice, but Daniels joked it hasn't been very effective.

"He gets his head down and goes," Daniels said of Mills. "On the defensive line, you know we instigate a lot of stuff, but he really just runs the ball and keeps pushing and then jogs back."

The Huskers are scheduled to take the practice field again on Wednesday for the first time in full pads. They were off on Tuesday.