Happy Statehood Day, Nebraska!

Published

2 years ago

March 2, 2024

Today is Nebraska Statehood Day, marking the 157 anniversary of Nebraska officially becoming the 37th state in the Union.

Nebraska is unique; overcoming two vetoes by President Andrew Johnson to become the only state admitted despite a presidential veto .

Congressional Republicans passed a statehood bill for Nebraska in 1866, but President Johnson vetoed the measure.

A second attempt the following February was also vetoed, but this time supporters had the votes to override the veto and Nebraska was officially approved as a state on March 1st, 1867.

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2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Emmett Johnson (RB – Nebraska)

Published

3 hours ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in February. Here’s a look at Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson.

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Emmett Johnson

Emmett Johnson (RB – Emmett Johnson)

5-foot-11 | 200 Pounds

Background

Emmett Johnson was a three-star recruit who redshirted in 2022, then worked his way into the running back rotation over the next two years, finishing with 90-411-2 (4.6) in 2023 and 117-598-1 (5.1) in 2024, also catching 39-286-2 that season. This past season, Johnson took over as the team’s workhorse and put together a huge 251-1,451-12 (5.8) line with 46-370-3 receiving.

Positives

Established himself as the lead back in Nebraska’s balanced rushing attack in 2025. Shows nice flexibility and knee-bend, with a naturally low center of gravity. Bread and butter are one-cut concepts where he can stretch the defense laterally before planting his foot and getting upfield. Has solid speed to outrun defenders to the corner on sweeps, tosses, etc. Makes very clean, crisp cuts as a runner.

Johnson skinnies through congestion, with a good feel for pockets of space. Shifty jitterbug type with impressive suddenness and lateral quickness to make defenders miss in a phone booth; very difficult to tackle one-on-one, and was rarely brought down by the first defender in range. Has a lot of creativity in his game and can salvage something out of nothing at times. Mixes in a lot of different moves, from stutter-steps to jukes to spins to back-jukes, with outstanding stop-start movement skills.

Not the most powerful back, but shows the ability to work through some arm tackles. Good competitiveness and leg drive in short-yardage situations. Ball security has been very solid, with only three career fumbles as a runner, plus one as a receiver. Johnson’s role as a receiver expanded significantly this past year, where he showed reliable hands. Has ideal quickness/creativity to scheme into space against opponents.

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Negatives

On the smaller side for a feature back, with a thinner build than usual. As his size might suggest, Johnson doesn’t bring a ton of power as a runner and isn’t going to consistently push the pile. Rather than burrowing ahead for what he can get, his tendency to escape and bounce runs can compound problems when the blocking isn’t there.

Johnson’s pad level rises on contact. When combined with his competitive finishing, it leads him to take a lot of punishment from opponents. Struggles in pass protection. Doesn’t have the ideal contact balance when taking on opponents in blitz pickup. Might not be the ideal choice to protect the quarterback on third downs, which may limit his usage in the passing game overall.

Summary

A very quick, agile back who makes crisp cuts upfield and shows excellent creativity to make defenders miss in space. His impressive, statement-making 2025 campaign put him on the map.

While Johnson is not a very powerful back and struggles in pass protection, he should be able to contribute as a change-of-pace type at the next level. Looks poised to be among the first handful of backs off the board on draft day.

Projection: Round 4

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Nebraska

What Nebraska Softball’s 2026 Lineup Might Look Like

Published

15 hours ago

January 25, 2026

Press Room

What Nebraska Softball’s 2026 Lineup Might Look Like

The Nebraska Cornhusker softball team returns the majority of its lineup from last year’s Super Regional roster.

Could this finally be the year the Huskers break through and return to the Women’s College World Series? It might be.

The 2026 Nebraska roster is upperclassman-heavy with 12 seniors and five juniors on the 23-woman roster.

The vacancies left in the lineup from the graduation of Ava Bredwell and Abbie Squier have been filled with transfers.

Here is a look at what the lineup could look like for head coach Rhonda Revelle.

Formally known as Jordy Bahl, the newly married Jordy Frahm was named the 2025 NFCA Player of the Year and enters 2026 as the No. 2-ranked player in the country by Softball America and D1 Softball. She has earned Preseason All-American accolades from both outlets and was also named to USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Preseason Watch List.

The 2025 Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Year is coming off one of the best individual seasons in Nebraska program history, setting single-season records for home runs with 23, total bases with 167, runs scored with 72, extra base hits with 41, batting average at .462, and slugging percentage at .988.

Frahm is the ace of the Nebraska pitching staff and will be in the lineup every game. When she isn’t pitching, she can play first base, outfield, or hit as the designated player.

Jordy (Bahl) Frahm is one of the top players in the country. | Amarillo Mullen

Jesse Farrell, Junior, C/UTL

Jesse Farrell arrived in Lincoln after two seasons with Nevada Las Vegas.

With the Rebels, Farrell was one of 25 finalists for National Freshman of the Year in 2024, was a Second-Team NFCA All-West Region selection in 2024, and was named to the Second-Team All-Mountain West in 2025.

The backstop batted .318 with 39 runs scored, 48 hits and 28 runs batted in last season. Across 100 games in two seasons, she has batted .338 with 100 hits, 72 runs, 74 RBIs, 26 doubles, three triples and 19 homers.

Bella Bacon, Senior, 1B

Bella Bacon has been a key part of the Husker infield since transferring in from Purdue after the 2023 season. Her offense isn’t overwhelming but has been improving steadily since arriving in Lincoln.

Bacon’s defense is some of the best in the country and that’s what makes invaluable at first base.

Lauren Camenzind, Senior, 2B

Lauren Camenzind’s batting average wasn’t a career-high but every other offensive category for the second baseman marked a new high.

Sammy Bland, Junior, 3B

In her first season as a starting infielder, Sammy Bland played an outstanding third base. Her offense also exploded, hitting .318 and slugging .574 with 11 home runs, 47 RBis, and 53 runs scored.

Bland earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Second-Team All-Big Ten honors last season.

Aa Kuszak led the team in walks with 30 as a junior in 2025. She also had the second-highest batting average on the team with .412, the second-most hits with 70, the second-most runs scored with 59, the second-most RBIs with 64, and the second-most home runs with 21. She also had an on-base percentage of .507.

Kuszak was named First-Team All-Big Ten, and NFCA All-Mountain Region First Team. She enters this season as one of the top shortstops and players in the country, according to Softball America and D1 Softball.

Nebraska shortstop Ava Kuszak | Nebraska Athletics

Hannah Camenzind, Senior, LF/LHP

Hannah Camenzind had a breakout season with the Huskers in 2025, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and she was also named to the NFCA All-Mountain Region Second Team.

The lefty started 11 games in the circle, 18 in right field, 15 in center field and nine in left field.

At the plate, Hannah batted .369 with 39 runs scored, 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 44 RBIs. She walked 21 times and had an on-base percentage of .429.

Hannah Coor, Senior, CF

Hannah Coor might prove to be one of the biggest transfer pickups in the country this season. She won three national championships with Oklahoma, playing in 152 games with 25 starts in her career with the Sooners.

Known to be a defensive substitution at OU, Coor brings a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage to the Husker outfield.

Kacie Hoffmann, Senior, RF

In her first season after multiple surgeries, Kacie Hoffmann made 39 starts in right field last season and earned a spot on the NFCA All-Mountain Region Third Team.

Hoffmann recorded a career-high 44 hits in 46 games played. She hit seven home runs and 10 doubles while driving in 24 runs.

Designated Player: Emmerson Cope, Junior and Olivia DiNardo, Senior

There’s no telling who will get the majority of at-bats between junior right-handed bat Emmerson Cope and left-handed hitter Olivia DiNardo, but there will be a designated player in the lineup most of the time this season. Most likely, Hannah Coor will have someone hit for her.

Behind Frahm, the Huskers will rely on junior right-hander Kylee Magee and freshman lefty Alexis Jensen.

Frahm is the ace but will hopefully not have to throw as many innings during the regular season in order to save whatever she has left in the tank for a WCWS push.

Nebraska survives comeback to defeat Illinois 81-75

Published

1 day ago

January 25, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska survives comeback to defeat Illinois 81-75

Nebraska (15-5, 4-5) returned to Lincoln on the back of a three-game losing streak to take on Illinois (15-5, 5-4) Saturday afternoon. The Huskers snapped their streak, taking down the Fighting Illini 81-75 despite nearly blowing a 19-point lead.

Nebraska dominated in the first half, going up 41-23 after shooting 17-of-36 from the floor. Illinois only managed 9-of-24 in the first half, but stormed back in the second, hitting 19-of-36. This allowed the Fighting Illini to erase the major deficit, bringing the score within six. But Nebraska’s lead proved to be too big.

The Huskers struck from the free throw line in the second half, hitting 18-of-23. They finished 21-of-27 after Illinois suffered 22 fouls on the afternoon. Nebraska also shot 27-of-55 from the floor and 6-of-14 from three-point range in the win. Illinois ended the game 28-of-60, 4-of-11 and 15-of-19, respectively.

Britt Prince shot a team-high 20 points for the Huskers, going 6-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. She also earned a team-high four assists. Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie both scored 15 points for Nebraska in the win.

Nissley hit 5-of-7 from the floor, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the foul line. Petrie tossed up 6-of-11 from the floor and secured a team-high six rebounds. Petra Bozan rounded out the Huskers’ double-digit scorers, dropping 11 on the day.

Nebraska remains home for its next matchup, welcoming in Northwestern on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

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