Nebraska enters its bowl matchup with Utah facing a mix of stability, opportunity, and uncertainty across the depth chart.
With several seniors playing their final game in a Nebraska uniform, a handful of young players pushing for bigger roles, and a few expected absences due to injuries or pursuit of careers in the NFL, this game offers one final look at how Matt Rhule’s roster is shaping up heading into 2026.
The bowl setting also gives Nebraska a chance to showcase its next wave of contributors. Players who spent most of the season in situational roles now have a chance to play meaningful snaps, while others who redshirted have the opportunity to play in a game that doesn’t count towards their eligibility.
For veterans, this game is about closing the season with momentum. For underclassmen, it’s an audition for 2026. And for a program that expects to return significant pieces on both sides of the ball, the matchup with Utah provides a valuable preview of what Nebraska football could look like next fall.
Doubling down.
Nebraska will face Utah in the 2025 @LasVegasBowl.
🎲ℹ️ https://t.co/6KjRTnx3ms pic.twitter.com/ifFIDYHnec
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 7, 2025Quarterback Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
TJ Lateef
Freshman
5
3
Jalyn Gramstad
Senior
3
0
Marcos Davila
Redshirt Freshman
2
The injury of former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola is not new; however, following a 40-16 loss to Iowa on Black Friday, Matt Rhule confirmed TJ Lateef is dealing with an injury of his own. While the head coach did confirm he expects the true freshman to be ready to go come Dec. 31, Lateef has yet to start practicing with the team.
Assuming he’s back, the Huskers will trot out Lateef against the Utes for his fourth career start. To this point, he’s led Nebraska to a 1-2 record with a combined 57% completion percentage. In his three starts, Lateef has had a mixed bag of results. Against UCLA, he showed what he’s capable of when everything’s clicking. Tougher competition showed how far the Huskers’ offense declined through the air without Raiola taking reps.
Behind Lateef is senior quarterback Jalyn Gramstad, who started his collegiate career as a safety at the NAIA level. Gramstad eventually went on to transition to quarterback before leading his former team to an NAIA national championship and earning NAIA Player of the Year. Were he to find himself on the field, Nebraska would have one of the most veteran players in all of college football under center. However, in his career with the Huskers, Gramstad has thrown just eight passes in two seasons.
Emmett Johnson declared for the NFL Draft after accounting for 84% of the Huskers’ rushing production in 2025. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Running Back Depth
Player
Class
Games
Isaiah Mozee
Freshman
12
Mekhi Nelson
Redshirt Freshman
9
Kwinten Ives
Sophomore
5
Running back may serve as the biggest question mark for Nebraska, not only heading into the bowl game, but also in the offseason. Junior running back Emmett Johnson announced his intentions to declare for the NFL draft earlier in the month, leaving a sizeable hole in the Huskers’ offensive gameplan heading to Las Vegas.
Behind Johnson, true freshman Isaiah Mozee and redshirt freshman Mekhi Nelson are listed as co-No. 2’s, per the official depth chart prior to the Huskers’ last game against Iowa. If that holds true when Nebraska takes the field in Allegiant Stadium, running backs coach EJ Barthel has a tandem of underclassmen backs that recorded just 34 carries on the year to bring the Huskers’ season to a close.
The duo is sure to be as fresh as anybody on the field; however, there isn’t enough of a workload outside of Johnson’s to reliably predict how these two will fare. With that in mind, expect Nebraska’s staff to dip into the transfer portal for a more proven back over the coming months.
Jacory Barney Jr. started the season strong, but due to lack of reliable protection for the quarterback, he saw his numbers dip towards the end of the year. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Wide Receiver Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
Dane Key
Senior
50
46
Jacory Barney
Sophomore
25
15
Nyziah Hunter
Sophomore
24
20
Quinn Clark
Redshirt Freshman
13
0
Cortez Mills
Freshman
12
0
Keelan Smith
Redshirt Freshman
9
0
To this point, Nebraska’s wide receiver room is still fully intact. Through 12 games this fall, nine wideouts have combined for 1,776 total yards and 16 touchdowns. As it stands, Nebraska is set to bring its top three receivers to Las Vegas for the last time the trio will play together in a collegiate game.
Dane Key, who’s totaled 2,294 receiving yards in his career, will look to play in his final game before turning pro, while sophomore wideouts Jacory Barney and Nyziah Hunter will attempt to end their seasons on a high note.
Apart from them, expect the Huskers to trot out younger players like Cortez Mills, Quinn Clark and Keelan Smith. Mills and Clark have both scored touchdowns this season and will be wise to use this extended run of practices to develop into the players Nebraska will need them to be next fall.
Heinrich Haarberg appears to be taking bowl preparations very seriously as he tries to parlay his development into a shot at the NFL. | Cory Edmondson, KFGE
Tight End/Fullback Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
Luke Lindenmeyer
Junior
38
19
Heinrich Haarberg
Senior
12
1
Carter Nelson
Sophomore
25
0
Cayden Echternach
Sophomore
12
0
Junior tight end Luke Lindenmeyer will be heading into the game with a newly appointed honorable mention All-Big Ten award. His 306 receiving yards and two touchdowns were nearly as much as tight end Thomas Fidone’s in 2024, who ended his collegiate career being drafted by the New York Giants this spring.
Assuming he returns to Nebraska for his final collegiate season, Lindenmeyer will quickly become one of the most trusted players on the entire team. What he’s developed into is something nobody saw coming at the start of his career.
The bowl game also serves as a great opportunity for senior tight end Heinrich Haarberg to put his skills on tape. He noted prior to the Iowa loss that he believed it was a great opportunity to further develop at the position. With it being his final collegiate game, I wouldn’t be surprised if offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen sees the ball thrown his way as much as possible within the flow of the offense, in an attempt to see him earn a shot at the NFL.
Elijah Pritchett has started 20 games in his collegiate career and is one of two Husker starters set to return next fall. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Offensive Line Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
Elijah Pritchett
Junior
41
20
Henry Lutovsky
Senior
50
27
Justin Evans
Junior
37
30
Tyler Knaak
Junior
29
0
Turner Corcoran
Senior
40
31
Jason Maciejczak
Sophomore
20
0
Grant Brix
Redshirt Freshman
2
0
Preston Taumua
Redshirt Freshman
2
0
Jake Peters
Redshirt Freshman
2
0
Sam Sledge
Sophomore
10
0
Henry Lutovsky and Turner Corcoran will play their final game as Huskers in Las Vegas later this month. Nebraska will also see several other players exhaust their eligibility following the game. Rocco Spindler previously announced his intentions to declare for the NFL draft, but following an injury sustained during the season, he elected to have surgery, effectively ending his time with the Huskers.
Fellow senior Teddy Prochazka sustained a season-ending injury during a game against Northwestern earlier in the year. The injury marks the end of his career in Lincoln as well. With that in mind, Nebraska will likely have several new faces in various roles in this game.
Elijah Pritchett, Justin Evans, and Tyler Knaak are juniors by class and have extensive experience playing on the line. Apart from the trio of juniors, the Huskers will likely allow the likes of Jason Maciejczak, Preston Taumua, and Grant Brix to see the field. New offensive line coach Geep Wade will have his hands full planning the rotation for this contest.
Cameron Lenhardt was a part of Matt Rhule’s inaugural recruiting class. He has totaled 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in his career. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Defensive Line Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
Williams Nwaneri
Redshirt Freshman
16
8
Elijah Jeudy
Senior
37
12
Keona Davis
Sophomore
24
11
Cam Lenhardt
Junior
35
13
Riley Van Poppel
Sophomore
28
2
Kade Pietrzak
Freshman
12
1
Gabe Moore
Sophomore
10
1
David Hoffken
Redshirt Freshman
11
0
Jaylen George
Junior
30
23
Nebraska’s defensive line room remains one of the healthiest rooms on the Huskers roster and only appears to be losing one defensive lineman over the offseason. Junior Cameron Lenhardt is set to return and has shown promise in his career to this point. Joining him are sophomores Keona Davis, Riley Van Poppel, and redshirt freshman Williams Nwaneri.
The Huskers are also reportedly linked to be in the mix to hire one of college football’s premier defensive line coaches over the coming days. With six of Nebraska’s top nine players in terms of snap counts this fall set to return, the hire of Elijah Robinson would be a tremendous get for Rhule’s staff.
This unit will be tasked with helping stop one of college football’s best offenses against the Utes. Nebraska allowed a staggering 4.8 yards per game through the regular season and will attempt to slow down a Utah offense that averaged 6.1 yards per attempt on the ground. Expect additions to be made; however, there are plenty of promising young players already on the roster that, in time, could show their worth.
Vincent Shavers Jr. (9) has played in all 25 games of his two-year Husker career while starting in 13. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Linebacker Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
Vincent Shavers
Sophomore
25
13
Javin Wright
Senior
44
13
Dasan McCullough
Senior
32
19
Marques Watson-Trent
Senior
60
41
Dylan Rogers
Sophomore
16
1
Dawson Merritt
Freshman
8
2
Jacob Bower
Sophomore
18
0
Nebraska has recruited the linebacker position well to this point in the Matt Rhule era, and it will serve them well to see those underclassmen take a jump over the coming months. The Huskers are set to say goodbye to three seniors over the offseason, including Nebraska’s leading tackler, Javin Wright.
Joining him in their final collegiate contest are Dasan McCullough, who previously announced his declaration for the NFL draft, and Marques Watson-Trent, who has totaled 400 tackles in his six-year career.
Nebraska is set to return sophomore linebackers Vincent Shavers, Dylan Rogers, and Jacob Bower next fall. And assuming the roster stays intact, they will also bring back two promising freshmen in Dawson Merritt and Christian Jones as well.
Andrew Marshall started every game for the Huskers in 2025 on his way to earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Defensive Back Depth
Player
Class
Games
Starts
DeShon Singleton
Senior
36
30
Andrew Marshall
Junior
38
26
Ceyair Wright
Senior
48
30
Donovan Jones
Redshirt Freshman
17
10
Rex Guthrie
Redshirt Freshman
12
8
Jamir Conn
Junior
32
11
Justyn Rhett
Sophomore
11
0
Marques Buford
Senior
42
29
Amare Sanders
Redshirt Freshman
11
0
Caleb Benning
Redshirt Freshman
13
0
Jeremiah Charles
Sophomore
27
1
Nebraska’s defensive back room will look vastly different in 2026 as the Huskers will need to find replacements for starters Ceyair Wright and DeShon Singleton. They are also set to lose the contributions from fellow senior Marques Buford Jr. as well.
Junior cornerback Andrew Marshall, who earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition this fall, is set to return. With him, the Huskers can also bring back a trio of promising underclassmen, including Donovan Jones (10 starts), Rex Guthrie (8 starts), and Caleb Benning (13 games played). Often forgotten due to an injury sustained against Cincinnati is Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who redshirted this fall. He made a game-sealing interception against the Bearcats in Arrowhead Stadium to get the Huskers’ season started on the right track, and to this point in his career has totaled eight interceptions in 38 contests.
There are also several other underclassmen that have seen playing time before. Sophomore safety Justyn Rhett saw an increased role down the stretch, and any player recruited by Georgia out of high school is a player who has the potential to make it to the NFL. Defensive backs coach Addison Williams also managed to secure the commitment of newly appointed 5-star Danny Odem. Expect the Orlando native to fight for playing time immediately next fall.
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