Nebraska football landed a commitment on Monday from 2025 running back Mekhi Nelson. He made the announcement on X.
Nelson is the 54th overall running back in the 2024 class, and the sixth overall player in his class from the state of Connecticut, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
He had offers from Bowling Green, Connecticut, and Massachusetts in addition to Nebraska. He visited Lincoln on June 18.
Nelson was recruited to the Nebraska football program by running backs coach EJ Barthel.
Nelson is a shifty running back, and his skill set allows him to be a big-time playmaker. One of the things he can do really well is bounce to the outside. That allows him to accelerate quickly, and get to the second level. He has a unique blend of speed and strength that allows him to play physically.
He is not really a power back in that sense, but he is also not really a finesse back either. It would be accurate to say that he is a mix of the two.
On top of that, he has talent. He recorded 1,670 yards and 25 touchdowns for Wilkes-Barre High School in Pennsylvania in 2022.
This adds to what is a strong 2024 recruiting class that ranks 18th in the country per the 247Sports Team Rankings.
A nice get for Nebraska football
This is a nice get for Nebraska football, because it allows them to have some flexibility at the running back position. Their top back for the future is Dante Dowdell. Jamarion Parker is in the fold as well. Nebraska football struggled with getting running back commitments over the last couple of cycles. Now, they’re making sure that is not the case again. Matt Rhule and the coaching staff have done a nice job of adding depth to the position.
Parker is a high-caliber running back. There is a chance that other teams will come calling for him. Nelson’s commitment allows for a bit of a buffer in case that happens. We saw it happen with Kewan Lacy last year. The Huskers have made sure that they have depth at the position in case this happens again.
Overall, this was a needed get for Nebraska, as they look to continue to stabilize the running back room. Nelson offers some solid depth at the running back position. The program has done a nice job of filling in needs, and they certainly did that with Nelson.
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