Can Jamal Rule Break Through Early? What Nebraska's Running Back History Says

Nebraska didn't add a running back from the transfer portal this offseason. That means they're banking on the guys already in the room in 2026.

Even with several returning players who contributed in reserve roles last fall, there's room for true freshman Jamal Rule to factor in. To gauge what that could look like, I dove into historical data points surrounding true-freshman running backs the Huskers have showcased going back 20 seasons.

Here's how other yearling RBs have panned out in year one, the careers they went on to have, and what it all might mean for the freshman from Charlotte, N.C., this fall.

Under Matt Rhule

Isaiah Mozee carries the ball against Northwestern in 2025 as tight end Luke Lindenmeyer provides interference. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

As Matt Rhule heads into his fourth season as Nebraska's head coach, he's featured only one true freshman running back who has produced in the top three at the position in carries or yards gained — the criteria in assembling this list. That player is rising sophomore Isaiah Mozee.

The 2025 season at running back was highly unusual. Emmett Johnson made it essentially a one-man show, accounting for 75.1% of the carries and 77.3% of the rushing yards at the position. Still, Mozee earned the third-most carries on the team.

In 13 games as a true freshman, Mozee rushed 26 times for 115 yards and caught 14 passes for 155 yards. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but it was his first season in college and he was making the transition from wide receiver. In 2026, he's expected to take a leap in production.

Under Scott Frost

Ajay Allen (9) played one season at Nebraska during the Frost Era before leaving the program after the 2022 season. — Ajay Allen played one season at Nebraska before leaving the program after the 2022 season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska spent four full seasons and three games of a fifth with Scott Frost as its head coach from 2018 to 2022. During that time, three running backs contributed as true freshmen. The first was Maurice Washington, who rushed 77 times for 455 yards and three touchdowns in 2018.

Washington even earned two starts toward the end of the season, leading Husker fans to believe they had a star in the making under Frost's new-look offense.

It never panned out, though. The 2019 season saw Washington total 460 all-purpose yards and three scores before he was dismissed from the team. Washington eventually found his footing at Grambling State, where he added another 676 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns to his career total. In all, he amassed 1,812 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. He still serves as one of the biggest "what ifs" in recent Nebraska football memory.

Maurice Washington runs with the ball as he rips tape off an Illinois linebacker. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Second during the Frost era was Jaquez Yant, who in 2021 ranked third on the team in carries and rushing yards as a true freshman. (That comes with an asterisk, as he was also a true freshman during the 2020 COVID season but didn't play.) The Florida native totaled 47 rushes for 294 yards and one touchdown in 2021, while also catching one pass for five yards.

As a sophomore in 2022, Yant played in just seven games before transferring out of the program after Matt Rhule took over. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound power back finished his collegiate career with the Florida A&M Rattlers. His career totals included 688 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Jaquez Yant (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against Purdue. — Jaquez Yant celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Purdue. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

After Yant's first year at Nebraska in 2021 came Ajay Allen's true-freshman campaign in 2022. Regarded as the No. 5 running back recruit in his high school class, the Louisiana native came to Lincoln with high expectations.

His lone season wearing the scarlet and cream, however, was cut short. Allen suffered a season-ending injury four games into the year after totaling 33 carries for 190 yards and two touchdowns, plus one reception for nine yards. After transferring out of the program, he has played for Miami (Fla.) and Tulsa. In total, he has earned 1,229 rushing yards, 139 receiving yards, and 14 total touchdowns with a year of eligibility remaining.

Under Mike Riley

Mike Riley's three seasons as head coach featured two running backs with notable production as true freshmen. The first was Devine Ozigbo, who in 2015 was one of four Husker running backs to go over the 200-yard mark. Across 11 games, he had 38 carries for 209 yards and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 62 yards.

He built on those numbers as his career progressed. Before Emmett Johnson emerged last fall, Ozigbo was the last Nebraska running back to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a single season (2018). For his career, he totaled 2,684 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. Ozigbo is also the most recent player on this list to exhaust his eligibility at Nebraska.

After Ozigbo's first season in Lincoln, Riley's staff appeared to have struck gold once again with Tre Bryant. Despite playing behind Ozigbo and Terrell Newby, the St. Louis native hit the ground running as a true freshman, playing in all 12 regular-season games before suffering an injury. Bryant totaled 43 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown, while adding eight catches for 56 yards and a score.

As a sophomore in 2017, Bryant got off to a phenomenally hot start. In the first two games, he totaled 299 yards on 51 carries (5.9 per rush) and two touchdowns. He ranked ninth nationally in rushing at that point but then suffered an injury that not only ended his season but also forced him to medically retire from football. He's another great example of a Husker "what if."

Under Bo Pelini

In seven seasons as head coach, Bo Pelini saw six true freshman running backs make an impact on the field. The first was Rex Burkhead in 2009. That fall, the Plano, Texas, native was the Huskers' RB2 behind junior Roy Helu Jr. Burkhead carried the ball 81 times for 349 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 90 yards and a TD.

Across his four seasons in Lincoln, Burkhead become one of the most productive rushers in program history before embarking on a 10-year NFL career. He finished his time at Nebraska having amassed 3,839 all-purpose yards and 35 touchdowns. As a senior in 2011, he was a Doak Walker Award finalist, an honorable-mention All-American, and a first-team All-Big Ten honoree.

Dontrayevous Robinson runs against the Iowa State Cyclones. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Dontrayevous Robinson was also a first-year ball carrier for the Huskers in 2009. His career was far less memorable than Burkhead's because the Euless, Texas, native left the program after his sophomore season.

His first season was his most productive as a Husker: 39 rushes for 165 yards and two touchdowns while earning reps behind Helu and Burkhead. The following season, 2010, Robinson totaled just 67 yards on 24 carries and then transferred to Montana State. He blossomed as a dual-threat back during his two seasons at the FCS level, racking up 1,266 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns.

Ameer Abdullah waves to the crowd as he walks of the field. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Two seasons after Robinson and Burkhead came Ameer Abdullah in 2011. In his true-freshman season, the Alabama native earned an RB2 role behind Burkhead, beating out much-hyped newcomer Aaron Green. In total, Abdullah rushed 42 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 11 yards while seeing action in all 13 games.

Abdullah went on to become an even more productive offensive weapon than Burkhead. From 2012 to 2014, the Husker legend rushed for 1,000+ yards in three straight seasons before ending his collegiate career with 5,278 all-purpose yards and 36 total touchdowns. He's the greatest example of a success story for a true freshman ball carrier on this list, and that is only reinforced by his 11-year NFL career, which is still ongoing.

Braylon Heard carries the ball against Iowa. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Much like 2009, the Big Red in 2011 had two true freshman running backs featured in the top three rotationally. While Abdullah would go on to become one of the most prolific rushers in school history, his classmate Braylon Heard would leave the program after two years.

As a first-year ball carrier, Heard rushed 25 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for one yard. The following season, 2012, he stayed slotted in the third-string role but saw a significant increase in production: 366 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. He then transferred to Kentucky and totaled 957 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns in his only season on the field for the Wildcats.

Though nowhere near the level of career productivity that Abdullah gained, what Imani Cross turned out to be for Nebraska in his four-year career was nothing short of valuable. During his true freshman season in 2012, Cross carried the ball 55 times for 324 yards and scored seven touchdowns.

The 18-year-old was the Huskers' short-yardage back and was a trusted option on the goal line. The three years that followed saw his role continue to grow. By the time his career was over, he had totaled 1,629 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns.

Right after Cross' true freshman campaign, Terrell Newby joined the pack in 2013. In a loaded running back stable with Abdullah and Cross, the true freshman had a sparing role. Still, he earned 54 carries for 298 yards and two touchdowns.

Newby's role remained much of the same in 2014 before his breakout year in 2015. As a junior, he led Nebraska in rushing with 765 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 24 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Newby patiently waited for his turn, and when it presented itself, he didn't squander the opportunity. In four seasons, Newby totaled 2,593 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns before he signed as a free agent in the NFL.

Under Bill Callahan

Roy Helu Jr. runs against Kansas State | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Bill Callahan coached the Huskers from 2004 to 2007, and that brings us to the end of the 20 years of Nebraska running backs' true-freshman seasons. His final year as head coach in Lincoln served as Roy Helu Jr.'s first on campus. That fall, the eventual 3,905 all-purpose-yard earner recorded the first 45 carries and 209 rushing yards of his career. He did not find the end zone, but would do so 27 times over the next three seasons.

Helu went on to spend five seasons in the NFL. Oddly enough, in 2007, he wasn't the only true freshman running back to earn a role. Quentin Castille was also in his first season of college football and beat out Helu for second on the depth chart. That season, Castille totaled 343 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 73 carries. He followed that up with another 576 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns as a sophomore before being dismissed from the team prior to the 2009 season.

While Castille serves as yet another "what if," Nebraska was able to lean on Helu for the remainder of his career, and it proved to be just fine. Now, that leads us to what this historical context means for 2026 true freshman Jamal Rule.

Jamal Rule

Disregarding Mozee, because his career has just begun, the remaining 10 ball-carriers featured in this article averaged 2,379.7 all-purpose yards and 20.7 touchdowns during their careers. Obviously, it's no longer routine to finish a career at the same school one signed with out of high school, but if Rule can do that, he figures to have a productive career for the Big Red.

Of course, we don't know if he will factor into the running back rotation this fall. However, there isn't an Abdullah, a Helu, or even a Newby in front of him. If he's going to be a dude at this level, we'll likely see it start to happen this fall. The only recent argument one can make is that Emmett Johnson did not qualify for this list but turned himself into an All-American by his junior season.

Even if Rule does develop into a solid, professional-level ball-carrier, his true freshman season likely won't be one in which he takes the country by storm. It'll look closer to a 150-450 rushing yard year, where he scores anywhere from one to four touchdowns in 13 games.

That would be a major win for the Huskers in 2026. It would also almost certainly mean that other Nebraska running backs are even more productive than he was, which points to the Big Red being able to reliably move the ball via the ground game this upcoming fall.

Nebraska's offense won't need to revolve around Rule in 2026. But if history is any indication, he could have a solid year ahead, chipping in as these former RBs did on average. That could put the Huskers on a path toward having a dependable ball-carrier through the next four seasons — and that correlates to wins in the Big Ten.

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