Emmett Johnson helped lead Nebraska to victory on Saturday night, going for 232 total yards and scoring three touchdowns. With an All-Big Ten season in the cards, could his time as a Cornhusker be coming to a close?

On this week’s After Nebraska Football, Jack Mitchell and Josh Peterson explored the possibility of Johnson heading off to the NFL when this season comes to a close.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of their discussion.

Josh: Sadly, I think I feel pretty good that we are watching the end of the Emmett Johnson Nebraska experience. I think you probably have two games left, depending on what he wants to do for the bowl game. That’s the part that now you start getting kind of sad because the dude has blossomed before our eyes in such a special way this year. And again, he’s getting better over the course of it.

If I’m him and I’m guessing, knowing what I do about Matt Rhule, he’s told him, “Yeah, you got to go to the next level.” And so you got to chase after that second contract as soon as possible. So I think we’re watching the end of his Husker career. Which is a bummer, but it’s obviously happening for the best reason. It’s because he’s good. 

Jack: I’ll tell you this, if I were him, it’d be the end for me. I’ll tell you that right now. If I were him, there would be no question for so many reasons, Josh. I hadn’t really been thinking about it until John [Bishop], Nate [Rohr]. and I talked through it Friday morning.

Josh: I hadn’t been thinking about it until like two weeks ago! This has totally caught me off guard, man. It really has.

Jack: If he’s a top ten running back in the draft and by the way, I’m sure he’s going to continue to climb if he keeps doing this and catching the ball out of the backfield and those sorts of things; if he’s a top ten running back in the draft, it would be really hard not to go. Especially because his stock is [in] a place where you’re afraid it’s never going to be this high again.

Josh: Correct.

Jack: Because how many times do you have game after game after game like he’s had, right? That’s not a rip on him or saying it’s a fluke. It’s just freaking hard to do that. And that doesn’t even take into account the possibility of an injury.

Josh: Yes, exactly. And like we looked at the Cam Skattebo contract because he was the eighth running back drafted last year. He had like a million guaranteed* and that was all signing bonus. Plus, he got a million dollars this year for his salary. So that’s two [million dollars].

*The official numbers can be found here: $1,073,040 in guarantees, $840,000 salary in 2025.

Running backs in the portal; as much money is being thrown out there in college football these days, a running back is not going for $2 million. So already you are making a whole lot more money in the pros. And then of course the other thing is you are then one year closer to your second contract, which is the one where, if you’re getting off to a good start and you have a good NFL career, that’s where the real money would be made.

Jack: I hope I’m wrong. If it were me, I’d be out. I’d be out and I wouldn’t be transferring either. I’d be going to the pros. [Mel] Kiper had him number eight [on his latest Draft Board]. That would be for reference, Cam Skattebo in last year’s draft. The fourth round is where it falls. John went through a list of them. It was really interesting. Chuba Hubbard was the number eight running back one year. It’ll take a few years, but as you are pointing out, that’s when you get life-changing money, right?

That was what Kiper had. I’m not a huge draft guy, so I actually hadn’t even looked it up till just the other day because there’s no reason to think about it. But the thing is he’s going to go pro. His stock is gonna rocket. Imagine that was like a national game or a game people really paying attention.

Josh: Jack, let’s see what happens now over the course of the next couple [games]. He’s now rushed for 100-plus in his last three. He’s rushed for more than a hundred in four of his last five. In terms of all-purpose yards, he has hit over 100 all-purpose yards in every game going back to Michigan State. So that’s now six in a row. His worst Power [Four] game this year was 97 yards on 24 total touches against Michigan. So even against Michigan, he got close to 100 all-purpose yards. Every other power game, he’s gotten well past that. And then, of course, yesterday, he finishes with 200-plus yards. And now he has 14 total touchdowns on the year.

Remember coming into the season, you and I liked him, of course. We thought he was really good. All of that was based off of some flashes here and there early in his career, but in particular the last four games [in 2024]. And we had like two questions. One, his durability. Is he gonna be able to touch the ball as much? Because he averaged 20.5 touches in the final four games last year. He’s answered that one obviously with flying colors. He’s getting 30 touches a game.

The other was, he just doesn’t score a lot of touchdowns. [Dante] Dowdell was always a touchdown guy and now he’s got 14 and he’s tied for fourth in the country. He’s answered those questions with flying colors over the course of the whole season, but certainly over the last month.

Jack: Dude, isn’t it crazy that he split time with Dante Dowdell last year?

Josh: It really is.

Jack: I didn’t even like [it] then. When he wasn’t maybe gonna be getting Heisman votes. I didn’t even like it then, and now I hate that they could not develop him faster.

Josh: But in the end, and this is the other thing that John brought up, he doesn’t have a whole lot of carries on his odometer. That’s the other thing that’s gonna work in his favor when you start looking at the NFL draft. He’s gotten better over the course of his career, but he doesn’t really have a whole lot of carries early on in his career either.

Jack: Third down back, man.

Josh: What a special season for him.

Jack: Yep. It’s been awesome. I need him to stay healthy, but they’re going to have to ride him in the next two games. Think if it’s bad weather in either of these games or something.

Josh: This second off week could not have come at a better time because they’re going to catch Penn State who will have played another game, and they’re probably all caught in their feels. And then Iowa’s Iowa. In a season with two off weeks, getting the second one in week 12, that’s pretty good.

Jack: That guy’s got to be so freaking happy. Everybody does, I’m sure.

But man, can you imagine that Iowa game? Like if he walks on Senior Day and you’re going to have the national spotlight at that time slot pretty much.

Watch the entire postgame show below, including Jack and Josh’s breakdown of TJ Lateef’s first start, the performance by the defense, and a preview of what bowl games Nebraska could be looking at.

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