Three Third-Year Nebraska Players Ready to Break Out in 2026

Entering their third seasons in college football, these three Huskers appear poised to make their biggest impact yet this fall.

Nebraska wide receiver Quinn Clark avoids Akron defenders on the way to a 37-yard touchdown. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

For these three Huskers, it's time to take the next step.

Nebraska, which has quietly become one of the oldest teams in the Big Ten, heads into the 2026 season with 44 players on its roster who are entering their third year of college football. I've identified three of them as potential difference-makers — guys who are expected to have the biggest impact of their careers to date.

Nebraska wide receiver Quinn Clark avoids Akron defenders on the way to a 37-yard touchdown. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Quinn Clark- Wide Receiver

By now, Quinn Clark is a name Husker fans know well. Despite having recorded just five receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound pass-catcher is expected to compete for a significant role in Nebraska's offense in 2026.

Out of high school, Clark was regarded as a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. However, the Bozeman, Montana, native and Husker legacy offers a unique frame that the Big Red could be looking to depend on this fall.

Having an NFL pedigree in his bloodline certainly doesn't hurt. Clark's father, Ken, was an I-back for Nebraska from 1985 to 1989 before spending three seasons in the league. He left campus as the program's No. 2 all-time leading rusher, and now his son is making plays for the Huskers nearly 40 years later.

While Clark won't necessarily start for the Big Red, there's no denying he's an ideal target for Anthony Colandrea to throw to in the red zone this fall. Expect the third-year wide receiver to see a significantly bigger workload as early as game one.

Nebraska running back Mekhi Nelson gains yardage on a pass reception against Akron. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Mekhi Nelson - Running Back

Third-year sophomore running back Mekhi Nelson is next up on the list. In two seasons with the Big Red, the Pennsylvania native and former three-star ball carrier has seen action in 13 games, including one start.

Nelson thus far has totaled 251 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on 36 touches. However, it's worth noting that 136 of those yards and 15 of those touches came against Utah in the 2025 Las Vegas Bowl alone.

Regardless, Nelson enters the 2026 season as the only running back on NU's roster who's started a collegiate game. He's unequivocally expected to take over the Huskers' RB1 role, though his workload will look far different from Emmett Johnson's a season ago.

Even so, he'll be asked to take a significant step forward during his redshirt sophomore season. I'd fully expect Nelson, assuming he stays healthy, to earn well over 100 carries in 2026. How well he performs could play a noteworthy role in determining how many games the Big Red wins this fall.

Williams Nwaneri led all Husker defensive lineman with 2.5 sacks in 2025. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Williams Nwaneri - Edge

Fellow redshirt sophomore Williams Nwaneri will also be asked to take a noticeable jump this fall. In 2025, the former five-star defensive line recruit played in all 13 games for the Big Red, including nine starts.

Listed at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, the Missouri native is currently the highest-rated high school prospect on Nebraska's entire team. A season ago, he totaled 27 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

However, the Huskers will likely be asking him for even more this fall. No player on NU's defensive line has more God-given ability than Nwaneri does. Entering his third season of college football, he'll need to begin proving worthy of the talent he was thought to have as a high school recruit.

There's little doubt he'll secure a starting edge role for the Big Red in 2026. Even so, with a four-down defensive front, the Huskers will have other options available as well. For Nwaneri, the season ahead serves as an opportunity to prove he was worth the price tag that likely came with retaining him. Expect the former No. 6 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class to be highly motivated to perform this 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.