Voting Criteria: Player's importance to the team in 2017, talent and potential for the upcoming season. A player's long term/NFL potential was not taken into consideration.
Voting Panel: Publisher Sean Callahan, HuskerOnline.com staff Robin Washut, Nate Clouse, Gregg Peterson, and HOL interns Matt Reynoldson and David Eickholt.
30. Michael Decker, C, So.
Omaha native Michael Decker committed to Nebraska in 2015 as a three-star prospect ranked the No. 2 player in the state, so expectations have been high for him since the beginning.
After seeing primarily only special teams action last year as a redshirt freshman, the door was opened for him to make a big jump towards securing the No. 1 center spot following the departure of Dylan Utter.
Decker still has work to do for that to happen, though, as the Huskers opted to move tackle Cole Conrad inside to center this spring and now many feel Conrad is the frontrunner for the starting job.
29. Caleb Lightbourn, P, So.
Maybe no player in all of college football was put in a more difficult situation to start his career than what Caleb Lightbourn had to go through last season as a true freshman.
After originally planning to redshirt, Lightbourn was thrust into the starting punter spot following the tragic death of Sam Foltz just before the start of fall camp.
Having to try and replace one of the best punters in the country and most beloved players on the team, Lightbourn had a rollercoaster first year. He ended up averaging 39.7 yards on 65 punts, while downing 21 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
28. Mohamed Barry, LB, So.
Few players have seemed to benefit from Nebraska's move to the 3-4 than Mohamed Barry.
After being somewhat lost in the shuffle the past two seasons in the Huskers' 4-3 defense, Barry was able to put his natural playmaking skills on full display this spring and is currently working with the second-team defense at inside linebacker.
Having bulked up to 6-1, 230, Barry is as physically ready to make an impact as he's ever been.
27. Mikale Wilbon, RB, Jr.
Talk of Mikale Wilbon's potential has been swirling prior to each of his first two seasons at Nebraska, but it's never quite panned out.
Working in a crowded backfield last year as a sophomore, Wilbon only managed 89 yards on 15 carries for the season, with 55 of those yards coming in one game at Northwestern.
He'll once again be part of a three-man rotation at running back in 2017 along with Tre Bryant and Devine Ozigbo, but Wilbon certainly has the skills to be a unique weapon in certain packages.
26. Devine Ozigbo, RB, Jr.
After spending the past two seasons as Terrell Newby's primary backup, Devine Ozigbo enters is junior year with a chance to establish himself as Nebraska's workhorse at running back.
While the Huskers are likely to start the season with a three-man backfield rotation along with Tre Bryant and Mikale Wilbon, Ozigbo features the size, strength and power to separate himself from the pack in certain situations.
He may have the potential to be a No. 1 back, but Ozigbo must improve his overall play and consistency this fall from where it was in the spring, where his first-team reps were at one point few and far between due to injury and his coaches' decision.
