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How Emmett Johnson’s Bet on Himself Sparked Heisman Conversations

Emmett Johnson nearly left Lincoln. Eleven months later, he's asserted himself as one of the best players in college football.
Trevor Tarr|
Emmett Johnson is recognized after becoming a Maxwell Award semifinalist and launching a Heisman Trophy campaign during the first half against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Emmett Johnson is recognized after becoming a Maxwell Award semifinalist and launching a Heisman Trophy campaign during the first half against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

LINCOLN — The scene inside Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday night felt like a celebration of more than basketball. As Nebraska fans roared, all eyes turned to running back Emmett Johnson, wearing a “H21SMAN” shirt with his own face on it, the latest symbol of a storybook rise few saw coming.

Eleven months ago, Johnson wasn’t sure he’d even be here. After entering the transfer portal in December, the Minnesota native weighed his options, uncertain if his role under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen would ever expand. But something kept him in Lincoln, a belief that his story wasn’t finished, that his best football was still ahead. Now, standing before thousands of fans in that very same shirt, his faith feels poetic.

What began as a quiet bet on himself has become one of the most electric breakout seasons in college football. Eleven weeks into his junior year, Johnson leads all Power Four backs in rushing, has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, and has just earned a spot as a Maxwell Award semifinalist. More than that, he’s become the heartbeat of the program, an underrated recruit who’s reignited belief in Nebraska football and reminded fans that something special might be brewing again in Lincoln.

After a strong 2024 finish, one that saw him seize RB1 duties down the stretch, questions still lingered about Johnson’s future. Just six days after Nebraska’s 13–10 loss in Iowa City, reports circulated that he intended to enter the transfer portal when it opened later that month. But a couple of days later, on Dec. 8, he reversed course, declaring he’d return to Lincoln for 2025.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Playing time and usage had been sticking points. Through the first nine games of 2024, Johnson averaged just 6.4 carries and 31.6 yards per contest. Over the final three, after Holgorsen took over playcalling, those numbers jumped to 14.7 carries and nearly 80 yards a game, a glimpse of what he could become with a full workload.

“At the end of the day, if I was staying, he was staying, and we were going to make this thing good,” Holgorsen said earlier this season. “I promised him that, and he’d be a big part of it.”

That conversation proved to be the turning point. Johnson’s trust in Holgorsen, and Holgorsen’s belief in Johnson, became the foundation for everything that followed. But it wasn’t blind faith; both knew the offseason ahead would determine whether Johnson could evolve from a situational spark to a full-fledged workhorse.

He’d withdrawn from the temptations of the portal, but the doubts still lingered. Could he hold up to the physical grind of a full Big Ten slate? Could he be more than a change-of-pace back? Those questions became fuel for the most determined offseason of his life.

By season’s end, Johnson had already shown he was capable. In Nebraska’s bowl game against Boston College, just weeks after announcing his return, he totaled 19 touches for 99 yards and a touchdown, capping a four-game stretch in which he averaged 20.5 touches and 121 total yards per outing. That consistency cemented him as Nebraska’s most reliable offensive weapon, setting the stage for what was to come.

Johnson didn’t do much talking that offseason; he just worked. Teammates noticed the quiet consistency, and coaches saw the intent. After months of intense strength work and position drills, he emerged stronger, faster, and more explosive than ever before. His commitment to lower-body strength became a talking point inside the program, and it’s easy to see why: every run now comes with more burst, balance, and power than before. Through 11 weeks, that offseason grind has made him the Big Ten’s leading rusher.

It wasn’t just physical, though. Johnson carried himself differently as well. That mindset showed from the moment Nebraska’s 2025 season began, as he turned opportunity into production and production into stardom.

Dylan Raiola hands the ball off to Emmett Johnson against Cincinnati Bearcats.
Dylan Raiola hands the ball off to Emmett Johnson against Cincinnati Bearcats. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

When Johnson chose to stay in Lincoln, it wasn’t just loyalty; it was trust in Holgorsen’s vision. The two had built a connection late in 2024, and Johnson believed Holgorsen’s system could finally unlock his ceiling. That faith paid off immediately when Nebraska opened the season against Cincinnati.

In that Week 1 matchup, Johnson shouldered the load like never before. He ran 25 times for 108 yards and caught seven passes for another 27, for a total of 32 touches, the most of his career. It wasn’t a highlight-reel day, but it was the kind of gritty, every-down performance that signaled a new era for Nebraska’s offense. From that point on, Johnson wasn’t just part of the plan; he was it.

After the game, Johnson downplayed the numbers, saying his focus was simply on making the most of every opportunity. But inside the locker room, that game changed everything. The Huskers had found their offensive identity in their every-down back.

As the weeks rolled on, that foundation only grew stronger. What began as a promising opener quickly turned into a breakout season that would make Johnson a household name far beyond Lincoln. By November, he had already eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, the first Husker to do so since 2018. Each week brought new milestones, capped most recently by a 232-yard, three-touchdown performance against UCLA that solidified his place among the nation’s best.

The national attention soon followed. Earlier this week, Johnson earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, a Maxwell Award semifinalist nod, and even a few whispers in early Heisman conversations, a surreal turn for a player who, less than a year ago, wasn’t even guaranteed a starting job. But what stands out most isn’t just the stats, it’s the consistency. While others took advantage of matchups against lesser competition, Johnson’s greatness comes from showing up every Saturday.

His quiet confidence off the field mirrors his composure on it. When he showed up courtside at Pinnacle Bank Arena in that now-famous “Heisman” shirt, fans erupted, but Johnson’s grin said everything. It wasn’t arrogance, just belief. The same belief that made him stay when leaving would’ve been easier.

For Nebraska fans, that moment symbolized more than a potential Heisman run; it captured the story of a player who bet on himself… and won.

Realistically, the Heisman may still be a long shot, as history tells us the award almost always finds its way to a quarterback. But that doesn’t make what Johnson is doing any less extraordinary. Week after week, he’s been the engine that’s brought Nebraska football back into the national conversation, the kind of player who reminds you why this program means so much to so many.

If he keeps this up through the season’s final two games, he won’t just be one of the best backs in the country; he’ll go down as one of the best players in school history. The numbers, the moments, the meaning behind his rise, all add up to something Husker fans will talk about for years to come.

So, while the Heisman chatter might fade or the spotlight might shift elsewhere, one truth remains: what Johnson is doing right now matters. And if this season does turn out to be his last in Lincoln, as NFL conversations suggest it could, Nebraska fans would be wise to take in every carry, every cut, and every roar he instigates. Players like this don’t come around often, and neither does this kind of loyalty, especially in today’s college football world.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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