3 Nebraska football players who will have sneaky big roles this season

We are 10 days away from the start of the Nebraska football season. Many fans and pundits are making their predictions about the Huskers’ record this season, which should be improved.

There’s no doubt that the roster is deeper and more talented than in Rhule’s previous two seasons. The Huskers also have an experienced starting quarterback.

There are still question marks, though. Maybe not as many as the previous season. Some players will emerge this season that we aren’t necessarily counting on, and here are three Huskers who will play a bigger role than expected this season for Nebraska football.

And they could answer some of those questions.

Mekhi Nelson, RB

Talk about second-year leaps, Nelson is about to make one. After re-classifying following a junior season in high school that saw him rush for over 1,600 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, plus 22 touchdowns, Nelson is ready to make an impact as a redshirt freshman.

There has been chatter that Nelson is the best pure runner on the roster. Emmett Johnson is a more complete back. He’s going to be the starter this season, but Nelson could emerge as a reliable No. 2 option. The 6-foot, 195-pound back only got one carry last season, but running back is more about instincts and natural talent, maybe than any other position.

We’ll see how Nelson does in pass protection. That’s going to be a key area for all of the running backs in this offense, but as it stands right now, Nelson will be the Huskers’ second-leading rusher in 2025.

Jordan Ochoca, JACK

If Nebraska football is going to take the next step on defense, the pass rush needs to improve. The Huskers were 47th in sacks last season with 30. That’s 2.3 per game. Not terrible, but certainly not elite.

Dasan McCullough, a transfer portal addition, should make an impact. But another who could emerge at the JACK/EDGE position is 6-foot-4, 240-pound Jordan Ochoa.

The three-star recruit coming out of high school redshirted last season, playing in just the bowl game. Yet, he had a quarterback pressure against Boston College and sure looked the part as a true freshman.

Ochoa has looked the part this fall, too. Here’s what outside linebackers coach Phil Simpson said about him earlier this week: “He has this natural ability. He has natural rush ability. He’s naturally a physical person off the initial strike.”

After seeing him flash in the Pinstripe Bowl, I’m excited to see what he can do this season. With James Williams and others gone, Ochoa should have a great chance to get a few sacks this season, as the Huskers should try to get sack that total into the 40s.

Jamir Conn, CB

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback who played at Southern Illinois has moved up the depth chart this fall. In two seasons with the FCS program, Conn played in 23 games with 11 starts and totaled 68 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Conn has played well in fall camp. Blye Hill suffered a season-ending injury, which thinned out the depth chart, but with Conn, Donovan Jones, and Andrew Marshall all playing well, Nebraska football should be just fine at cornerback.

What makes that even better is that Conn is just a junior, just like Marshall. Jones is a sophomore, and some other young cornerbacks are waiting in the wings.

Suddenly, the cornerback position feels like a strength, both this season and in the long term.

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