Emmett Johnson is headed for the NFL after a breakout season for the Nebraska football team in 2025.
The junior running back announced his decision to enter the draft on social media Dec. 5. However, he’s taking his time reflecting on his journey getting there, starting with his time playing for the Huskers.
“It’s an honor to wear that N on our helmet,” Johnson told Hail Varsity. “There are a lot of players that have played before us, and there are a lot that are going to come after us, so just wearing the N, being in front of 90,000 and that fan base is just something that I can only thank God for. I’m thankful that I chose this university too, because the ups and downs have shaped me into who I am today, and I just know that they have great humans here, a great support system, great brotherhood and things for you to believe in.”
Emmett Johnson heads to the locker room after the win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Johnson’s path to where he’s at now hasn’t been an easy one, after being the top-ranked running back in Minnesota to Nebraska being his only Division-I offer to not seeing the field very often his first two years with the program. He said that journaling helped him through these difficult times.
“I just learned patience and perseverance through that too, because coming out of high school, obviously I played offense, defense, I was the national player of the year, all that stuff,” Johnson said. “And then to come here and not play was hard mentally, but I knew that adversity was just going to become my biggest strength just because of a lot of the hard times I’ve been through in my life. So just taking it one day at a time got me through that, and then also having my family coming here. They’ve been at every single game, even when I wasn’t playing, so that’s just another reason for me to keep going hard.”
Johnson’s chance came late in the 2024 season after Dana Holgorsen took over as offensive coordinator. He logged double-digit carries in each of the final four games and recorded his first career 100-yard game against Wisconsin on Nov 23, 2024. He carried that momentum into the 2025 season and emerged as one of the best backs in the country, becoming the first Husker to have more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in the same game against UCLA on Nov. 8, while also being named a Doak Walker award semifinalist, Maxwell Award semifinalist, and Nebraska’s first Big Ten Running Back of the Year. He was also a first-team All-American, the first for the Huskers since Lavonte David in 2011.
During his junior campaign, Johnson, pounded the rock for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns on 250 carries while adding 46 receptions for 370 yards and three more scores, totaling 1,821 yards from scrimmage.
Husker teammate and junior tight end Luke Lindenmeyer and Johnson lived together throughout their careers, with the former often recalling Johnson’s hunger for a chance.
“Opportunity is everything, especially at this level,” Johnson said. “Just working and understanding that at some point, you’ll get a chance or opportunity to show what you can do, is what kept me going, and also my faith too …
“I would always just pray to God about it. I pray for the good and the bad too. A lot of people think you only pray to God when things are going bad, but when things are going good, I pray to him too, because this game could be taken away from you tomorrow. That’s really what it was, was just staying down in my faith.”
Throughout his time with Nebraska, Johnson’s seen a lot of coaching changes, including current running backs coach EJ Barthel joining the staff in 2022. Johnson and the coach have developed a close relationship, with Barthel helping the back get to where he’s at now.
“He just told me to stay down and just keep grinding,” Johnson said. “I took his word for it, and our relationship has gotten a lot closer ever since then, because he’s seen every step of the way, from me not playing to me playing now and playing at a high level. He’s been a big part of my development in terms of just teaching me football …
“We’ve became really close. I would say that’s more like a homie now, rather than a coach, because at first he was coaching me, but now I understand things really well, so we can kind of just like have fun and play around with things now.”
After feeling overlooked for much of his career, the 5-foot-11 back is carrying one message with him as he prepares for the next level.
“I always train like I have nothing, and that’s kind of my mindset even now going into the league,” Johnson said. “Obviously I know what I’ve done here was pretty good, but I’m always going to grind because I know what it feels like to not have anything and not have the opportunity to play. So my mindset’s always been to just outwork everybody, and all my coaches and teammates know that as well. That’s what’s helped me get to this point.”
Emmett Johnson (21) stiff arms Penn State Nittany Lion safety Dejuan Lane (10). Photo by John S. Peterson.
Before deciding to enter the draft, Johnson spent time praying and talking to his family about his next steps. He said that he’s planning on watching Nebraska’s bowl game before going to Florida to prepare for the draft, with hopes of getting an invitation to the NFL Combine in February.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL, it’s a childhood dream,” Johnson said. “I’ve been here for four years, and I feel like looking back on it, I gave everything I had to the program. So just understanding that I had no regrets has kind of helped me realize that I should go chase my NFL dreams.”
Dana Holgorsen and Johnson have a close relationship, with Johnson making a list of Husker members that he’s thankful for including the offensive coordinator. Holgorsen said that he’s also grateful for all Johnson did for the program while watching him develop in the year that the two spent together.
“He’s just the hardest working kid on the team,” Holgorsen said. “The kid just really loved practicing every single day. Every single day this entire last year, was Emmett Johnson just coming to work, and practicing and playing his tail off. The skill set is exactly what I thought it was when I saw him. He got better as a receiver, he got better in pass blocking, he got better in making people miss, he got better in explosive runs.”
As for the legacy Johnson hopes to leave, he said that he wants Husker fans to remember him for the things that he did off the field.
“I want people to remember me for just the person that I am, and how important it is to do work in the community, not just be a football player,” Johnson said. “There are many kids out there that aspire to be like us, and whether it’s not football or whatever it may be, just trusting in God, and having confidence in whatever His plan is for you, and just seeing that pay off. That’s my message to Husker fans and anybody that wants to be in this position, is just being remembered in that way because that will take you way farther. At some point, football’s going to be done. You’re going to have to have connections and a brain, and you’re going to have to understand when life hits you in your toughest times, and like Coach (Matt) Rhule was saying, you’ve got to be able to bounce back from those things and just learn and grow from it.”
For more on Johnson’s journey, check out Avarie Howard’s exclusive interview.
