Heisman / Players / Emmett Johnson /Nebraska

Emmett Johnson

RB · Nebraska · Jr · #21

Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22

Emmett Johnson arrives at Nebraska with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.

1,451RUSH YDS12RUSH TD251CARRIES

STRAIGHT 100-YD RUSH GAMES

longest 2025 run of 100+ rushing yds

Read the story so far

Emmett Johnson arrived as a 3-star prospect. He lines up at RB for Nebraska.

On the field, the headline is 1,451 rush yds, with 12 rush td.

He inherited the RB job from Dante Dowdell (4-star).

The number to watch: 5 — straight 100-yd rush games.

RB successioncontinuity

Inherited fromDante Dowdell 4★

Why nowHe changed programs heading into 2026 — a fresh fit to prove out.

season totals
longest 2025 run of 100+ rushing yds
throne-line + Filling-the-Shoes

AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data

2026 NFL DRAFTDrafted by Kansas City — Rd 5, Pick 21, #161 overallAs of Jun 22, 2026

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Kansas City2026 NFL rookie season

#161Rd 5 · Pick 21

Kansas City2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

RB · NEBRASKA · BIG TEN

Emmett Johnson

3
#21
5-11 | 200 lb
Minneapolis, MN

CFB Zeitgeist Score

Elite in the position cohort. Carried by rush yards at the 99th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#149

<1% win probability

Fan Belief

Awaiting

Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.

Respect Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

Reality Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

ACCOLADE PROBABILITY

Heisman

<1%

TOP RB AWARD

Doak Walker

—

CONSENSUS

All-American

—

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career arc · Season-by-season Standing

3 seasons on the ladder

Peak: R12 All-American · 2025

2023

Nebraska · RB

—

2024

Nebraska · RB

—

★

2025

Nebraska · RB

R12 · All-American

Elite

NFL Draft 2026 · Rd 5, Pick 21 · #161 overall · Kansas City

Development Trajectory · rushing yards

2023–2025

4112023

5982024

1,4512025

+253%

Up 253% from first season to most-recent.

Career Arc

Recruit

★★★

#899 national

CFB

College

Nebraska

2023–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R5 · #161

Kansas City · 2026

Heisman futures · live sportsbook odds

#29 in market ▼ from #23 · 5 books

+35002.8% implied▲ tightened from +6600

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionRB

Class3

Jersey21

Measurements5-11 | 200 lb

HometownMinneapolis, MN

Primary teamNebraska

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 899 recruit

Composite rating 0.8641 HighSchool

Signed with -- 2022

Origin Academy Of Holy Angels Minneapolis, MN, USA

Class	Profile	Context
2022	3-star \| 0.8641	No. 899 recruit \| HighSchool

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file

Latest destination -- 2025

Transfer stars 3-star CFBD transfer rating context

Eligibility Withdrawn Dec 9, 2024

Season	Move	Context
2025	Nebraska -> --	3-star \| 0.8500 \| Withdrawn

Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final

Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.

HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16

Current nowcast#149Latest modeled ballot order

Season forecast#160Where the full season sim points

Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy

Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier

Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot

Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

Achievements

Honors Badge 0.7%
Volume King 1.3%
Program Benchmark 5.5%

Selector Grid · 2025

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN—

SI—

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to —

Composite

0.8641

#899 national

NFL Draft

2026 · Rd 5, Pick 21

#161 overall · Kansas City

Today’s Hot-Take

1,451 rushing yards (total) — #3 in a 69-RB cohort, 97th percentile in the modern era.

Rank #3Cohort p4_plus_nd_rbs (P4 + Notre Dame RBs)Sample n=251Percentile 97

Volume reflects opportunity. Per-play efficiency inside the same cohort will tell a different story; we lead with the harder read.

Belief Meter

100

Grounded Optimism

Sample 1 mentions

Confidence BELOW-FLOOR

Top Take

Trajectory

Cohort divergence map

Own fans · n=2
Rivals · n=1

Only 1 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.

2025 Signature · 2025 season

Rushing WEPA per carry

+0.180

EPA

P4 + Notre Dame RBs, min 80 carries

National rank #23 of 66

Percentile vs P4 + Notre Dame RBs, min 80 carries 66th

Why it matters

#23 of 66 P4 + Notre Dame RBs by rushing weighted- EPA per carry — +0.180 EPA/carry on 239 carries.

Vs cohort

This player +0.180 (66th)

HIGH · n=239 cohort 66

Also strong
Yards per carry#13 / 69
Rushing yards (total)#3 / 69

Signature Moment

No signature moment on the ledger yet.

Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the rushing totals stand

projecting to 13-game

Through 12g

1,451Rush yards

251Carries

12Rush TDs

Per game

120.9Rush yards

21Carries

1Rush TDs

Projected (13g)

1,572Rush yards

272Carries

13Rush TDs

✓ Hit 750-yard season · finished with 1,451.

✓ Hit 1,000-yard season · finished with 1,451.

To hit 1,500-yard season (currently 1,451): needs 49/game over remaining 1.

✓ Hit 10 rushing TDs · finished with 12.

To hit 15 rushing TDs (currently 12): needs 3/game over remaining 1.

To hit 20 rushing TDs (currently 12): needs 8/game over remaining 1.

Why this is more than a rushing profile

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

Emmett Johnson is not a one-lane back. The profile is interesting because the workload spills beyond pure rushing volume: 1,451 rushing yards, 46 catches, and 0 return yards for Nebraska. That kind of all-purpose footprint gives the card a much richer story than a basic carry total.

Current place #149 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist

Role load 39.1% Overall usage share

Profile quirk Honors spine 6 honors loaded

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

RB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level

Scrimmage yards 1,821 1,451 rush | 370 rec | #4/735 (100th pct)

Rush TD 12 251 carries | #19/739 (98th pct)

Yards/carry 5.8 Per-rush efficiency | #139/735 (81st pct)

Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Workhorse | Efficient runner | Passing-game back against FBS RB peers.

WorkhorseEfficient runnerPassing-game back

Rushing

CAR

251 99th

YDS

1,451 100th

YPC

5.8 81st

12 98th

Receiving

REC

46 100th

YDS

370 98th

YPR

8.0 63rd

3 99th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 20-17@ Cincinnati	25	108	4.3	0	16
Wk 2	W 68-0vs Akron	14	140	10.0	2	47
Wk 3	W 59-7vs Houston Christian	13	78	6.0	2	17
Wk 4	L 27-30vs Michigan	19	65	3.4	0	14
Wk 6	W 38-27vs Michigan State	13	83	6.4	3	23	3 rushing TDs
Wk 7	W 34-31@ Maryland	21	176	8.4	0	50	176-yard day
Wk 8	L 6-24@ Minnesota	14	63	4.5	0	12
Wk 9	W 28-21vs Northwestern	27	124	4.6	2	15
Wk 10	L 17-21vs USC	29	165	5.7	1	23	165-yard day
Wk 11	W 28-21@ UCLA	28	129	4.6	1	13
Wk 13	L 10-37@ Penn State	19	103	5.4	0	52
Wk 14	L 16-40vs Iowa	29	217	7.5	1	70	Season-high 217 yds
Total		251	1451	5.9	12	70

Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2023Nebraska5-7HC: Matt Rhule · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2024Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Balanced

2025Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Run-leaning

Season	Team
2025	Nebraska	251	1,451	5.8	12	--
2024	Nebraska	117	598	5.1	1	--
2023	Nebraska	90	411	4.6	2	--
Career	3 loaded seasons	458	2,460	5.4	15	--

Season	Team
2025	Nebraska	46	370	8.0	3	--
2024	Nebraska	38	273	7.2	2	--
2023	Nebraska	7	46	6.6	0	--
Career	3 loaded seasons	91	689	7.6	5	--

Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context

Rushing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted rushing value. It helps separate empty volume from carries that actually move the scoreboard.

Role share

How much of the team's offense flows through this back once rushing work and receiving work are combined.

Peer percentile

Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.

Traditional first

The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.

Receiving work 46 370 rec yds | #1/552 (100th pct)

Usage 39.1% 63.9% rush share | #1/738 (100th pct)

Rushing WEPA +0.18 Opponent-adjusted rush value | #84/362 (77th pct)

Open full stat explorer

Group	Metric	Value	Rank	Pct	Why it matters
Rushing	Rushing yards	1,451	#4/735	100th pct	Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing	Rush TD	12	#19/739	98th pct	Scoringvs FBS RB
Rushing	Yards / carry	5.8	#139/735	81st pct	Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving	Receptions	46	#1/552	100th pct	Volumevs FBS RB
Receiving	Receiving yards	370	#10/548	98th pct	Volumevs FBS RB
Value	Rushing WEPA	+0.18	#84/362	77th pct	Opponent-adjusted rushing value \| 239 weighted playsvs FBS RB
Usage	Role share	39.1%	#1/738	100th pct	Share of team offensevs FBS RB
Rushing	Carries	251	#5/739	99th pct	Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing	Rushing LONG	70	#62/733	92nd pct	Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving	Receiving LONG	56	#34/540	94th pct	Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving	Yards / catch	8.0	#206/548	63rd pct	Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving	Receiving TD	3	#5/552	99th pct	Scoringvs FBS RB
Usage	Rush share	63.9%	#2/738	100th pct	Ground-game usagevs FBS RB
Usage	1st-down usage	43.5%	#2/738	100th pct	Early-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage	Standard-down usage	42.5%	#1/738	100th pct	Base-situation sharevs FBS RB
Usage	2nd-down usage	36.5%	#3/738	100th pct	Middle-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage	3rd-down usage	35.6%	#1/738	100th pct	Money-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage	Passing-down usage	28.7%	#2/738	100th pct	Known-passing sharevs FBS RB
Usage	Pass share	16.1%	#2/738	100th pct	Air-game usagevs FBS RB
Ball Security	Fumbles lost	1	#78/256	70th pct	Turnoversvs FBS RB

ALL-AMERICAN

On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex

ALL-AMERICAN · Rung 12 of 16

Why he’s here

All-American — named 1st team by at least one NCAA-recognized selector.

What moves him up

Add selectors to reach Consensus (3 of 5).

What moves him down

Lose the selector and this slips to national-watch territory.

Accolade streams

1st-team selections3×1ST

Listed 1st-team by 3 selectors — on the doorstep of Consensus All-American.

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN1st

SI1st

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	125	6.2	1.6
Road5g	116	5.4	0.2

Win vs Loss

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Wins7g	120	6.3	1.4
Losses5g	123	5.3	0.4

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	108	6.4	1.2
Weeks 8+6g	134	5.4	0.8

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

90Elite

8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (99th). Strength: rush yards (98th).

Receptions#1 / 338 · 100th pct

46rece

Rush yards#4 / 349 · 99th pct

1451rush

Carries#5 / 349 · 99th pct

251rush

Rec yards#9 / 338 · 97th pct

370rece

Rush TDs#19 / 349 · 94th pct

12rush

Long run#57 / 349 · 83rd pct

70rush

Yards / carry#60 / 349 · 82nd pct

5.8rush

Fumbles lost#55 / 201 · 49th pct

1fumb

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

EPA / dropback—

awaiting

CPOE—

awaiting

Success rate—

awaiting

Explosive rate (20+)—

awaiting

aDOT—

awaiting

Deep-ball accuracy—

awaiting

Pressure-to-sack—

awaiting

3rd-down EPA—

awaiting

Red-zone TD rate—

awaiting

Play-action EPA—

awaiting

Scramble EPA—

awaiting

Turnover-worthy play rate—

awaiting

wepa_rushing0.18Mid (p50–p75) (n=178)High (p75–p90) (n=184)High (p75–p90) (n=362)

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 8 metrics

Emmett JohnsonNebraskaCam CookJacksonville State· 95% simNate SheppardDuke· 95% simLincoln PareTexas State· 93% sim

Receptions

100
Johnson

90
Cook

97
Sheppard

97
Pare

Rush yards

99
Johnson

100
Cook

94
Sheppard

94
Pare

Carries

99
Johnson

100
Cook

93
Sheppard

94
Pare

Rec yards

97
Johnson

96
Cook

96
Sheppard

96
Pare

Rush TDs

94
Johnson

99
Cook

92
Sheppard

94
Pare

Long run

83
Johnson

88
Cook

73
Sheppard

75
Pare

Yards / carry

82
Johnson

74
Cook

79
Sheppard

68
Pare

Fumbles lost

49
Johnson

49
Cook

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Speed Merchant

Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Travis Dye’s 2022 season.

Travis Dye

79%match

USC · 2022

Eric Gray

Oklahoma · 2022

NFL Rd 5

71%

Wayne Taulapapa

Washington · 2022

71%

Jarquez Hunter

Auburn · 2024

NFL Rd 4

69%

Jamal Roberts

Missouri · 2025

67%

Matches Travis on

Yards / carry

Receiving share

Height

Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Mekhi Sargent’s path through Iowa.

Mekhi Sargent

93%match

Iowa · 2020

Charles McClelland

Cincinnati · 2022

93%

Jacory Merritt

Arizona · 2024

92%

Reynaldo Flores

UTEP · 2022

91%

Chase Brown

Illinois · 2022

90%

Matches Mekhi on

Yards per carry

Recruiting rating

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jonathon Brooks's junior season at Texas (2023).

Jonathon Brooks

70%match

Texas · 2023

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 14

Dae Dae Hunter

Liberty · 2022

70%

Kentrel Bullock

South Alabama · 2023

All-Sun Belt

70%

Charles McClelland

Cincinnati · 2022

69%

Jamal Roberts

Missouri · 2025

69%

Matches Jonathon on

Height

Weight

Receiving share

Differs from Jonathon on

Class year (higher)

Yards / reception (lower)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Matt Rhule

Pass share

46.4%

378 pass / 437 run

Plays / game

62.7

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

9.5%

315 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

1 coach

2023

Matt Rhule

Nebraska

2024

Matt Rhule

Nebraska

2025

Matt Rhule

Nebraska

Played his entire career under Matt Rhule.

HometownMinneapolis, MN

Height5'11"

Weight200 lb

Class3

PositionRB

Jersey21

Trophy Case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

6 entries

🥇

ALL-AMERICA

Named All-American (2025)

3 selectors honored him

🥈

ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM

All-Conf 1st team (2025)

All-Big Ten

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

All-America

3 All-America selections

National selector recognition is one of the strongest non-Heisman signals on a player card and should sit near the top of the showcase.

All-Conference

3 all-conference honors

Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.

Honors Timeline

Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.

Season	Honor	Scope	Team / Selector	Context
2025	All-America (CBS)	all_america	CBS	AP-RET
2025	All-America (SN)	all_america	SN	AP-RET
2025	All-America (SI)	all_america	SI	RB
2025	All-Big Ten	all_conference	Nebraska \| Big Ten	RB
2025	All-Big Ten	all_conference	Nebraska \| Big Ten	AMEC
2025	All-Big Ten	all_conference	Big Ten	--

Heisman By Year

Modeled rank and official finish by season.

Season	Team	Role	Latest Model	Forecast	Win	Finalist	Official Finish	Points	Context
2024	Nebraska	RB3	#149	#160	0.0%	0.0%	--	--	W16 snapshot \| Big Ten
2023	Nebraska	RB3	#915	#1072	0.0%	0.0%	--	--	W19 snapshot \| Big Ten
2022	Nebraska	RB3	#3172	#3292	0.0%	0.0%	--	--	W20 snapshot \| Big Ten

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season	Team	Conference	Pos	Class	Bio
2025	Nebraska	Big Ten	RB	3	No. 21 \| 5-11 \| 200 lb \| Minneapolis, MN
2024	Nebraska	Big Ten	RB	3	No. 21 \| 5-11 \| 200 lb \| Minneapolis, MN
2023	Nebraska	Big Ten	RB	3	No. 21 \| 5-11 \| 200 lb \| Minneapolis, MN
2022	Nebraska	Big Ten	RB	3	No. 21 \| 5-11 \| 200 lb \| Minneapolis, MN

Emmett Johnson

R07 · Impact starter

+253%

Identity & Role

Recruiting Pedigree

Transfer Arc

Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final

The Room on Emmett Johnson

How rival fanbases talk about Emmett Johnson

Rushing WEPA per carry

Why this is more than a rushing profile

2025 Season · Final

RB season snapshot

What kind of player is this?

2025 Season · Final

Traditional Stats

Advanced Metrics

Player Standing

Percentile Card

Advanced Savant

The Speed Merchant

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Trophy Case · Detail

3 All-America selections

3 all-conference honors

Honors Timeline

Heisman By Year

Roster Timeline