Depth Chart Preview for Nebraska vs Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl

As Nebraska prepares for Utah, here’s a breakdown of the depth chart battles worth watching.

Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule prepares his team to take on the Utah Utes on Dec. 31 in Las Vegas. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska enters its bowl matchup with Utah facing a mix of stability, opportunity, and uncertainty across the depth chart.

With several seniors playing their final game in a Nebraska uniform, a handful of young players pushing for bigger roles, and a few expected absences due to injuries or pursuit of careers in the NFL, this game offers one final look at how Matt Rhule’s roster is shaping up heading into 2026.

The bowl setting also gives Nebraska a chance to showcase its next wave of contributors. Players who spent most of the season in situational roles now have a chance to play meaningful snaps, while others who redshirted have the opportunity to play in a game that doesn't count towards their eligibility.

For veterans, this game is about closing the season with momentum. For underclassmen, it’s an audition for 2026. And for a program that expects to return significant pieces on both sides of the ball, the matchup with Utah provides a valuable preview of what Nebraska football could look like next fall.

Doubling down.

Nebraska will face Utah in the 2025 @LasVegasBowl.

 🎲ℹ️ https://t.co/6KjRTnx3ms pic.twitter.com/ifFIDYHnec

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 7, 2025

Quarterback Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
TJ Lateef	Freshman	5	3
Jalyn Gramstad	Senior	3	0
Marcos Davila	Redshirt Freshman	2

The injury of former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola is not new; however, following a 40-16 loss to Iowa on Black Friday, Matt Rhule confirmed TJ Lateef is dealing with an injury of his own. While the head coach did confirm he expects the true freshman to be ready to go come Dec. 31, Lateef has yet to start practicing with the team.

Assuming he's back, the Huskers will trot out Lateef against the Utes for his fourth career start. To this point, he's led Nebraska to a 1-2 record with a combined 57% completion percentage. In his three starts, Lateef has had a mixed bag of results. Against UCLA, he showed what he's capable of when everything's clicking. Tougher competition showed how far the Huskers' offense declined through the air without Raiola taking reps.

Behind Lateef is senior quarterback Jalyn Gramstad, who started his collegiate career as a safety at the NAIA level. Gramstad eventually went on to transition to quarterback before leading his former team to an NAIA national championship and earning NAIA Player of the Year. Were he to find himself on the field, Nebraska would have one of the most veteran players in all of college football under center. However, in his career with the Huskers, Gramstad has thrown just eight passes in two seasons.

Emmett Johnson declared for the NFL Draft after accounting for 84% of the Huskers' rushing production in 2025. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Running Back Depth

Player	Class	Games
Isaiah Mozee	Freshman	12
Mekhi Nelson	Redshirt Freshman	9
Kwinten Ives	Sophomore	5

Running back may serve as the biggest question mark for Nebraska, not only heading into the bowl game, but also in the offseason. Junior running back Emmett Johnson announced his intentions to declare for the NFL draft earlier in the month, leaving a sizeable hole in the Huskers' offensive gameplan heading to Las Vegas.

Behind Johnson, true freshman Isaiah Mozee and redshirt freshman Mekhi Nelson are listed as co-No. 2's, per the official depth chart prior to the Huskers' last game against Iowa. If that holds true when Nebraska takes the field in Allegiant Stadium, running backs coach EJ Barthel has a tandem of underclassmen backs that recorded just 34 carries on the year to bring the Huskers' season to a close.

The duo is sure to be as fresh as anybody on the field; however, there isn't enough of a workload outside of Johnson's to reliably predict how these two will fare. With that in mind, expect Nebraska's staff to dip into the transfer portal for a more proven back over the coming months.

Jacory Barney Jr. started the season strong, but due to lack of reliable protection for the quarterback, he saw his numbers dip towards the end of the year. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Wide Receiver Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
Dane Key	Senior	50	46
Jacory Barney	Sophomore	25	15
Nyziah Hunter	Sophomore	24	20
Quinn Clark	Redshirt Freshman	13	0
Cortez Mills	Freshman	12	0
Keelan Smith	Redshirt Freshman	9	0

To this point, Nebraska's wide receiver room is still fully intact. Through 12 games this fall, nine wideouts have combined for 1,776 total yards and 16 touchdowns. As it stands, Nebraska is set to bring its top three receivers to Las Vegas for the last time the trio will play together in a collegiate game.

Dane Key, who's totaled 2,294 receiving yards in his career, will look to play in his final game before turning pro, while sophomore wideouts Jacory Barney and Nyziah Hunter will attempt to end their seasons on a high note.

Apart from them, expect the Huskers to trot out younger players like Cortez Mills, Quinn Clark and Keelan Smith. Mills and Clark have both scored touchdowns this season and will be wise to use this extended run of practices to develop into the players Nebraska will need them to be next fall.

Heinrich Haarberg appears to be taking bowl preparations very seriously as he tries to parlay his development into a shot at the NFL. | Cory Edmondson, KFGE

Tight End/Fullback Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
Luke Lindenmeyer	Junior	38	19
Heinrich Haarberg	Senior	12	1
Carter Nelson	Sophomore	25	0
Cayden Echternach	Sophomore	12	0

Junior tight end Luke Lindenmeyer will be heading into the game with a newly appointed honorable mention All-Big Ten award. His 306 receiving yards and two touchdowns were nearly as much as tight end Thomas Fidone's in 2024, who ended his collegiate career being drafted by the New York Giants this spring.

Assuming he returns to Nebraska for his final collegiate season, Lindenmeyer will quickly become one of the most trusted players on the entire team. What he's developed into is something nobody saw coming at the start of his career.

The bowl game also serves as a great opportunity for senior tight end Heinrich Haarberg to put his skills on tape. He noted prior to the Iowa loss that he believed it was a great opportunity to further develop at the position. With it being his final collegiate game, I wouldn't be surprised if offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen sees the ball thrown his way as much as possible within the flow of the offense, in an attempt to see him earn a shot at the NFL.

Elijah Pritchett has started 20 games in his collegiate career and is one of two Husker starters set to return next fall. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Offensive Line Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
Elijah Pritchett	Junior	41	20
Henry Lutovsky	Senior	50	27
Justin Evans	Junior	37	30
Tyler Knaak	Junior	29	0
Turner Corcoran	Senior	40	31
Jason Maciejczak	Sophomore	20	0
Grant Brix	Redshirt Freshman	2	0
Preston Taumua	Redshirt Freshman	2	0
Jake Peters	Redshirt Freshman	2	0
Sam Sledge	Sophomore	10	0

Henry Lutovsky and Turner Corcoran will play their final game as Huskers in Las Vegas later this month. Nebraska will also see several other players exhaust their eligibility following the game. Rocco Spindler previously announced his intentions to declare for the NFL draft, but following an injury sustained during the season, he elected to have surgery, effectively ending his time with the Huskers.

Fellow senior Teddy Prochazka sustained a season-ending injury during a game against Northwestern earlier in the year. The injury marks the end of his career in Lincoln as well. With that in mind, Nebraska will likely have several new faces in various roles in this game.

Elijah Pritchett, Justin Evans, and Tyler Knaak are juniors by class and have extensive experience playing on the line. Apart from the trio of juniors, the Huskers will likely allow the likes of Jason Maciejczak, Preston Taumua, and Grant Brix to see the field. New offensive line coach Geep Wade will have his hands full planning the rotation for this contest.

Cameron Lenhardt was a part of Matt Rhule's inaugural recruiting class. He has totaled 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in his career. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Defensive Line Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
Williams Nwaneri	Redshirt Freshman	16	8
Elijah Jeudy	Senior	37	12
Keona Davis	Sophomore	24	11
Cam Lenhardt	Junior	35	13
Riley Van Poppel	Sophomore	28	2
Kade Pietrzak	Freshman	12	1
Gabe Moore	Sophomore	10	1
David Hoffken	Redshirt Freshman	11	0
Jaylen George	Junior	30	23

Nebraska's defensive line room remains one of the healthiest rooms on the Huskers roster and only appears to be losing one defensive lineman over the offseason. Junior Cameron Lenhardt is set to return and has shown promise in his career to this point. Joining him are sophomores Keona Davis, Riley Van Poppel, and redshirt freshman Williams Nwaneri.

The Huskers are also reportedly linked to be in the mix to hire one of college football's premier defensive line coaches over the coming days. With six of Nebraska's top nine players in terms of snap counts this fall set to return, the hire of Elijah Robinson would be a tremendous get for Rhule's staff.

This unit will be tasked with helping stop one of college football's best offenses against the Utes. Nebraska allowed a staggering 4.8 yards per game through the regular season and will attempt to slow down a Utah offense that averaged 6.1 yards per attempt on the ground. Expect additions to be made; however, there are plenty of promising young players already on the roster that, in time, could show their worth.

Vincent Shavers Jr. (9) has played in all 25 games of his two-year Husker career while starting in 13. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Linebacker Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
Vincent Shavers	Sophomore	25	13
Javin Wright	Senior	44	13
Dasan McCullough	Senior	32	19
Marques Watson-Trent	Senior	60	41
Dylan Rogers	Sophomore	16	1
Dawson Merritt	Freshman	8	2
Jacob Bower	Sophomore	18	0

Nebraska has recruited the linebacker position well to this point in the Matt Rhule era, and it will serve them well to see those underclassmen take a jump over the coming months. The Huskers are set to say goodbye to three seniors over the offseason, including Nebraska's leading tackler, Javin Wright.

Joining him in their final collegiate contest are Dasan McCullough, who previously announced his declaration for the NFL draft, and Marques Watson-Trent, who has totaled 400 tackles in his six-year career.

Nebraska is set to return sophomore linebackers Vincent Shavers, Dylan Rogers, and Jacob Bower next fall. And assuming the roster stays intact, they will also bring back two promising freshmen in Dawson Merritt and Christian Jones as well.

Andrew Marshall started every game for the Huskers in 2025 on his way to earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Defensive Back Depth

Player	Class	Games	Starts
DeShon Singleton	Senior	36	30
Andrew Marshall	Junior	38	26
Ceyair Wright	Senior	48	30
Donovan Jones	Redshirt Freshman	17	10
Rex Guthrie	Redshirt Freshman	12	8
Jamir Conn	Junior	32	11
Justyn Rhett	Sophomore	11	0
Marques Buford	Senior	42	29
Amare Sanders	Redshirt Freshman	11	0
Caleb Benning	Redshirt Freshman	13	0
Jeremiah Charles	Sophomore	27	1

Nebraska's defensive back room will look vastly different in 2026 as the Huskers will need to find replacements for starters Ceyair Wright and DeShon Singleton. They are also set to lose the contributions from fellow senior Marques Buford Jr. as well.

Junior cornerback Andrew Marshall, who earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition this fall, is set to return. With him, the Huskers can also bring back a trio of promising underclassmen, including Donovan Jones (10 starts), Rex Guthrie (8 starts), and Caleb Benning (13 games played). Often forgotten due to an injury sustained against Cincinnati is Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who redshirted this fall. He made a game-sealing interception against the Bearcats in Arrowhead Stadium to get the Huskers' season started on the right track, and to this point in his career has totaled eight interceptions in 38 contests.

There are also several other underclassmen that have seen playing time before. Sophomore safety Justyn Rhett saw an increased role down the stretch, and any player recruited by Georgia out of high school is a player who has the potential to make it to the NFL. Defensive backs coach Addison Williams also managed to secure the commitment of newly appointed 5-star Danny Odem. Expect the Orlando native to fight for playing time immediately next fall.

---

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.