Kwinten Ives photo via Twitter
2023 Signee Analysis: Running Back Kwinten Ives
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Things could certainly change after spring practices and the next transfer portal window opens (April 15-30), but as it stands now, Nebraska has a pretty deep running back room. One of the biggest offseason wins for the Huskers' new football coaching staff was keeping redshirt freshman Ajay Allen in the fold. Allen showed flashes of being a special player early last season before injuring his collarbone and having season-ending surgery in late September.
Also coming back is last year’s starter, Anthony Grant, who rushed for 915 yards and six touchdowns. Those two should be a formidable duo in 2023. If things stand pat, the team will also have quality depth pieces like Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson. Ervin was the first true freshman running back to start a season opener for Nebraska in the modern era. He ended up starting two of the first four games in 2021 before a knee injury cut his season short. The previous staff had high hopes for him, but he battled a turf toe last year and was limited to just 20 carries. If his injuries are behind him, he could carve out a niche.
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Johnson is someone that E.J. Barthel spoke highly of during a mid-January press conference. He’s certainly someone this staff would have gone after on the recruiting trail. Remember, he was a track standout coming out of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. He was timed at 6.54 seconds in the 55 meters, 10.75 in the 100 meters, 21.46 in the 200 meters and hit 22′ 1.5″ in the long jump. He was Nebraska’s primary starter in 2021 and has appeared in 30 career games. He was on a milk carton on offense for most of last season, but still contributed heavily on special teams. The previous staff had him practicing at receiver for parts of last season. Is that something Matt Rhule and the new coaches explore too?
Let’s also not forget about Emmett Johnson, who played in four games on special teams last year to preserve his redshirt. This is someone who was named Minnesota’s Mr. Football and earned MaxPreps Player of the Year for the state. He earned offensive MVP honors playing in the Minnesota High School Football Showcase, an annual All-Star game that features the best players in the state. During Johnson’s recruitment, several schools were looking at him as a wide receiver or defensive back. Will the new staff have a different plan for him?
No matter what the room looks like, taking a class running back is something I would always do. The new staff came in and quickly identified “their” guy for this class. When Rhule was hired, the Huskers had a commitment from Arnold Barnes, who pledged to Mickey Joseph on Nov. 1. Barnes decommitted on Dec. 5, a few days after the contact period opened back up. The decision was mutual. E.J. Barthel had his guy in mind already.
On the same day Barnes was announcing his decommitment, Barthel was making an in-home visit with Palmyra (N.J.) High School playmaker Kwinten Ives. The Huskers had offered Ives on Nov. 29, just three days after Rhule was hired.
Ives is someone Barthel had been recruiting heavily and offered while still coaching for Jim Mora Jr. at UConn. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Ives was viewed by most schools as a hybrid with some liking him more as a receiver. The Huskers are recruiting him as a running back, and they think they’ve found a hidden gem. While Ives received heavy interest from Rutgers and Pitt, outside of Barthel, his only scholarship offers came from Temple and regional FCS programs Monmouth and Stony Brook.
Barthel and Ives had an extensive relationship and the Husker running backs coach decided to continue the recruitment after becoming part of Rhule’s staff. The team moved quickly, getting Ives to Lincoln for an official visit Dec. 9-11, having him on campus for the staff's first recruiting weekend. Ives committed before leaving town.
Barthel is excited to bring him to Nebraska. While Ives was an under-the-radar prospect to some, Barthel has been keeping tabs on him for over a year and a half. He was also able to work hands-on with Ives at a camp, which really sold him on his potential.
Ives fits the profile this staff typically likes to recruit. He’s a multi-sport athlete who checks a lot of the athletic boxes they look for. As a sophomore, he won the Burlington County Divisional Championship in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump while finishing second in the triple jump. Last spring as a junior, he finished second at the county championships in the long jump and was fourth in the 100 meters. He has personal bests of 11.29 in the 100m, 22.87 in the 200m, 17.46 in the 110m hurdles, 23′ 1.25″ in the long jump and 43′ 3.5″ in the triple jump. He also threw the discus 114′ 2″ and was part of Palmyra’s 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
Ives is also a standout basketball player, having scored over 1,000 career points on the hardwood. You combine his physical measurables and this staff's history of development, and you can see why Barthel thinks Nebraska got a steal.
Barthel touted Ives’ vision and ability to put his foot in the ground to get vertical and separate himself from the defense and outrun defenders.
Ives was a four-year varsity player who established himself as one of the best running backs in the region. He rushed for 3,055 yards and scored 49 total touchdowns in his last two seasons starting for the Panthers, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in each of his final 14 games. He also caught 22 passes for 465 yards and six touchdowns in that span.
Ranked by On3 as the No. 10 player in New Jersey for 2023, Ives is someone to keep tabs on in the future. He’ll almost certainly redshirt this coming season while he works to build on his frame. He doesn’t fit the prototypical mold of a Big Ten back, but he is someone who could be used in various roles down the line.
Tomorrow, I’ll continue my review of the offensive skill players by taking an extensive look at the wide receiver additions.
Related: HuskerMax 2023 recruiting central
