Spring Preview: Husker running backs with experience, options for new coach

The Nebraska football team officially starts spring practice on Feb. 28, as they practice for two weeks, take a week off for spring break and then are back for three more weeks before the spring game set for April 9.

As spring practice approaches, it's time to take an in-depth look at each of Nebraska's position groups. Next is the Huskers running backs, a group with lots of talent and experience.

Series: QB |

Nebraska's running back room has four returning players who had over 37 carries. Three different players started for the Huskers at one point.

Gabe Ervin Jr., a true freshman, started Nebraska's first two games of the season but suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Oklahoma. Ervin Jr. rushed for 124 yards as the first true freshman to start in the season opener at Nebraska. The 6-foot-0, 215-pound back won't participate in spring camp as he continues to recover from his injury.

After Ervin Jr. went down, Rahmir Johnson started seven of the last eight games. The sophomore had the most carries of all the backs with 112. He had 495 rushing yards and 197 receiving yards on 16 receptions.

Markese Stepp didn't contribute as much as expected as he came into an inexperienced room with 16 games in three seasons at USC under his belt. Stepp started two games, one against Buffalo and the other against Wisconsin.

Finally, Jaquez Yant had the second-most carries of the group with 47 attempts and 294 rushing yards. Yant, who started against Iowa, had the highest average yards per carry on the team (6.3).

Yant had the third-longest run on the team with a 64-yard carry. Johnson had the second-longest of the running backs with a 33-yarder.

Nebraska has several returners who contributed a lot in 2021 but also several incoming players ready to make an impact.

Because Nebraska has a variety of running backs that have different strengths, they used several backs during games depending on the situation. The player that started occasionally depended on the play the offense ran first. So who will be NU's top two backs?

On paper, Johnson looks like the front runner in the group due to his experience and that he was the favorite last season. However, Nebraska has a new running backs coach in Bryan Applewhite who will have a fresh perspective on each player and his expectations for the on-field product.

Ervin Jr. was the talk of spring and fall camp and did well during the beginning of the season. He will be sitting out spring camp and his health and time away from the sport could be a factor come Aug. 27.

With Ervin Jr. out during spring, more reps will be available other backs like JUCO transfer Anthony Grant.

Grant was named the 2021 NJCAA Division I Offense Player of the Year after leading the New Mexico Military Institute to a national championship.

Applewhite said he is "tickled to death" to work to Grant due to his explosiveness, his "tremendous" vision, his great hands and his "unbelievable" start and stop for his size. Applewhite helped recruit Grant to Nebraska and might know him better than the current backs on the roster.

Grant, who was named an All-American, dominated at the JUCO level as he rushed for 1,730 yards and 18 touchdowns with 241 carries. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound back has Power Five experience as he played every game for Florida State as a freshman in 2018.

Grant will likely be in the top three competing for Nebraska's starting position.

Stepp has high expectations as the oldest and most experienced running back in Nebraska's room before the 2021 season. However, whether it was missing spring camp due to a previous foot injury or something else, Stepp didn't play as much as expected.

He voiced his frustration about his lack of playing time to local media after the season and Nebraska's former running back coach Ryan Held was fired. He said he was completely healthy after a foot injury during the off-season.

In his two starts of the season, Stepp posted a 100-yard game with 18 carries against Fordham and gained 17 yards on nine carries against Buffalo.

During the rest of the season, he played sporadically, making it harder for him to get a feel for the game.

Stepp still has an opportunity to live up to Husker Nation's expectations and his own expectations. With Applewhite, he and the other running backs have a clean slate.