College football programs would rather not play true freshmen. Programs would rather give the kids a year to mature, get reps and get stronger. Learn behind experienced players, learn the system, grow mentally and physically. Make inevitable mistakes on the practice field, not in games.

Nebraska is no exception.

But Huskers true freshman running back Jamal Rule might be an exception.

Rule, one of the stars of Nebraska’s spring game, recently was cited by CBS Sports as one of 11 Big Ten true freshmen to watch who could have an immediate impact in 2026.

There is buzz around the Nebraska program regarding Rule, a 6-foot, 205-pound, three-star recruit from Charlotte, N.C. In the spring game, Rule scored on a 75-yard touchdown sprint and had 119 yards on 10 carries. He also caught a pass for 15 yards.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule certainly has noticed. The early enrollee has them talking around the Huskers’ program and around Lincoln, too.

What Rhule said about Rule

“Jamal had a really good spring,” Rhule told reporters after the spring game. “What he looked like today, he looked like all spring long. He’s very conscientious. He’s big, he’s tough, he’s fast, he’s got home run ability.”

Rule comes along at an opportune time for himself and Nebraska, which lost 2025 Big Ten Running Back of the Year Emmett Johnson to NFL Draft and the Kansas City Chiefs. Without Johnson, who gained a conference-leading 1,451 yards on the ground last season, the Huskers’ running back room was a serious question mark coming into the season.

Now, Nebraska is dealing with the arrest of presumed starting running back Mekhi Nelson in Key West, Fla. Nelson was arrested last week, charged with aggravated battery, as first reported by Pete Nakos, of On3.

Nelson’s legal ramifications are unknown as well as how this will affect his football status.

What CBS Sports said about Jamal Rule

CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford wrote this about Rule in selecting him as a Big Ten freshman to watch: “Some would say he was overlooked a bit by the elite programs during the recruiting process, but this three-star out of Charlotte, North Carolina, was identified early as a must-have for the Huskers and checked every box for coach Matt Rhule and his staff.

“Virginia Tech, Michigan State and Syracuse were in on Rule as well, but Nebraska won his commitment and may have grabbed an unexpected freshman starter as a result.

“Hoping to prove a point during spring camp, Rule showed aggression and ran hard on every rep. The expectation is that the Huskers will take a by-committee approach in the run game this season following the departure of leading rusher Emmett Johnson, and Rule should get some totes along with Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson.”

Rhule, whose Huskers face a brutal schedule in 2026, said after the spring game that Rule is “certainly preparing to play this year as a freshman.”

What it could mean for the offense

An established running attack certainly could help new quarterback Anthony Colandrea and the offense. If Rule is the real deal, Nebraska’s now uncertain running back room could become a much-needed strength.

A running back who can break a big play would add a dimension to the Huskers’ offense that could allow them to run on obvious passing downs and keep defenses off-balance.

Opponents might be forced to specifically game-plan for that aspect of the Huskers’ offense. That added defensive focus on the running game could mean less attention paid to the passing attack — a potential Nebraska advantage.

A strong passing game begins with a strong ground game. That was a go-to, bread-and-butter Nebraska strategy for years.

Everyone will know soon enough, as the season begins in a mere two months.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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GRAND FORKS — If all goes according to plan, Cole Reschny will sign with the Calgary Flames at the end of the 2026-27 season and begin his pro career.

But Reschny made it clear to everyone in Calgary that he intends to do one thing this year at UND — win a national championship.

Reschny repeatedly mentioned his desire to bring a national title back to Grand Forks during his media availability at Calgary’s development camp last week.

“I think one more good year at North Dakota to help me develop as a player, as a person, off the ice, with my body in the gym and nutrition-wise,” Reschny said about his timeline to turn pro. “That’s the goal: hopefully win a national championship, then make the jump at the end of the year and hopefully get a couple (NHL) games in and get that experience.”

UND lost 2-1 to Wisconsin in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals last season in Las Vegas.

After the game, Reschny said the program’s standard should be Frozen Fours, and that he was driven to finish it off in 2027 in Washington, D.C.

“College hockey is getting very strong,” Reschny said. “There are some powerhouse teams. You see Michigan, you see Michigan State, Denver obviously, us, Minnesota Duluth is coming. It’s going to be a grind. Whoever comes out on top, it’s going to be tough. But I think we’ve got the team to do it. It’s always tough in those one-off games but that’s college hockey and you’ve got to play it. But I think we’ve got a very good shot ourselves.”

Reschny had a strong freshman season at UND, scoring six goals and tallying 35 points in 36 games. He was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Rookie of the Year.

Reschny said there were some growing pains early in the season, coming from Victoria of the Western Hockey League.

“The first month was hard,” Reschny said. “You don’t realize how hard college hockey is until you’re playing it. You go from playing 16- to 20-year-olds to… there are 24-year-olds out there. I think the time and space was the biggest thing. No one takes a shift off. Every night is going to be hard. You’ve got to grind it out and find a way. But that was very good for my game. I’m not the biggest guy but I play strong and play hard. So, just learning to play against those bigger guys, putting my time in the gym, nutrition-wise, too. We’re very lucky at North Dakota. I used that to my advantage.

“It was very good having Dane Jackson as my head coach. He’s played pro. He understands. It was a good year, we had a good group around us. We just fell short, so hopefully we can do it this year.

A Calgary media member asked Reschny why players coming out of North Dakota always talk about how special it is.

“We’re so lucky there with the facilities, the people, the environment,” Reschny said. “Every day it’s so fun to go to the rink and just try to get better and push each other on the ice, in the weight room and we’re always battling with little things, too. The ice is always available for us. We’re always going out, playing games, shooting pucks, doing things like that. The environment, the culture, the rich history, the pride of the program and the facilities are second to none. It’s a special place to be. I’m very excited to go back there another year. I think we’ve got an extremely good team again, so it will be good.”

One of the players UND is adding to its roster also was at Calgary Flames development camp.

Carson Carels, the No. 6 overall draft pick, is slated to be a freshman defenseman.

“I think UND is going to shape me to be a more complete player and continue my maturity as a player,” Carels said. “I think it’s going to be a good step and I’m really happy going there.”

Carels was asked if there’s temptation to sign an NHL deal right away and try to make Calgary’s roster.

“There’s obviously temptation to hop in this,” Carels said, “but in the long run, you don’t want a five-year career. You want to get to the 15- or 20-year mark. I think that extra year of college is going to set my body right and set my mind right for a longer career.”

Leighton Chamblee / UND athletics

Carels and Reschny were teammates at the World Junior Championship last year in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

“We’ve played together a lot,” Carels said. “I think we’re going to play together for a long time, just going to North Dakota, and then, obviously, hoping to play on the Flames together as well. We’re going to have a long relationship and hopefully a long career together as well.”

Reschny also had high praise for Carels.

“Very, very, extremely good player but he’s even better off the ice,” Reschny said. “He’s so easy to talk to, to get along with. He understands the game. He understands what it takes. Being around a guy like that is huge. You push each other. Any time you get a chance to add a guy like that to your team, it’s great.

“He’s going to be huge for us. He’s going to play a lot of minutes this year. Just having him come in, alongside (Keaton) Verhoeff, they’re going to be two young D-men, but they’re going to be very big and play a lot of minutes for us. It will be big and it’s exciting. We’ve got a good team this year and I think we can go for it.”

Reschny said he watched the NHL Draft a couple of weeks ago and saw Carels go No. 6 and Verhoeff go No. 9 to the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s exciting,” Reschny said. “You obviously have buddies in the draft. I lived with Verhoeff all year and played with him the last few years. It’s exciting to see guys like that. I know Cars, too. It’s great. You play with guys like that at World Juniors, big tournaments like that. To see him come this way was very exciting. . . a D-man like that, of his caliber, it’s very exciting. This is a group that’s coming up.”

Their next stop is Grand Forks.

Players will begin gathering this week to go through voluntary offseason workouts together.

Carels said there were a few reasons why he chose to spend this season at UND.

“One thing that stands out is how close it is to home,” said Carels, who grew up on a Manitoba farm. “It’s only two-and-a-half hours away and that’s awesome. I haven’t really played that close to home in a long time. Getting family down there would be awesome. But I think it’s more about the people and the organization as well. When I went down there, it felt like home. It felt like it did in Prince George. It’s going to be a second home. That’s what jumped out to me.”

James Doyle / Prince George Cougars

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