Post-spring progress and projected depth chart for Nebraska running backs
When discussing high-level players and hard workers from his coaching past, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule often points to Christian McCaffrey.
Rhule and running backs coach EJ Barthel learned plenty from McCaffrey during their time with the Carolina Panthers. However, players like McCaffrey are one of a kind — the current San Francisco 49er is a three-down running back who hardly leaves the field.
A committee approach with multiple running backs sharing the workload is increasingly common, and Rhule’s return to the college game showed why. Nebraska lasted just two games with a healthy backfield in 2023, losing both Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson to season-ending injuries in Week 3.
“Going through what we went through last year, that was the first (time) ever I came into the office and you lose your one and two on the same day,” Barthel said. “From the experience of last season, I’d think the more depth the better.”
A multi-back approach with two or three players featuring heavily over the course of the game appears likely for Nebraska this fall. As for who will hold those roles, that competition is far from settled.
