3 Nebraska football breakout candidates emerging after spring practice

It’s been a few years since the Nebraska football team has had a winning season. Folks in and around Lincoln certainly feel that it’s past time for the Huskers to resemble a functional program once again. And with Matt Rhule (and some healthy NIL funds flowing), it’s starting to look like the Nebraska football team might just be taking some steps in the right direction. 

Last year wasn’t perfect. It really wasn’t particularly great, but over the offseason, Nebraska has made some huge strides in the right direction. Getting an infusion of impressive talent on the roster is certainly something that helps (shoutout to the five-star who joined Nebraska’s quarterback room).

So, let’s go over three Huskers who look like they could make a huge impact during the upcoming 2024 Nebraska football season.

3. Dante Dowdell, RB

Matt Rhule has to love having multiple solid options at running back. Having talented depth at a position that involves a lot of physical collisions on a routine basis? That’s a solid advantage for Rhule to enjoy having this season.

But right now, based on what we saw in Nebraska’s spring game, it looks like Dante Dowdell might have an argument to claim that he’s currently the best running back that Nebraska has in its arsenal. 

He didn’t get many carries (which is more than fine for a spring game, to be completely honest), but he made the most of the 7 carries he did get. Dowdell managed to average over 10 yards per carry as he ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns (his longest run was 49 yards) and he also caught a few passes in the process.

No other running back on the Cornhuskers’ roster managed to come close to matching that showing in the Red-White game. So, if there’s some sort of competition going on at running back, it’s certainly likely that Dowdell might end up leading the pack there. 

Dowdell looked like someone who could help keep Nebraska’s offense moving this season and Husker fans are almost certainly going to be excited about that. 

2. Dylan Raiola, QB

It's generally a pretty good thing to be compared to one of the best quarterbacks dominating the NFL right now. And right now, Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola is getting comparisons to Patrick Mahomes.

Not that there’s any sort of insane pressure or anything like that that happens to go with being compared to one of the best and most dynamic quarterbacks at football’s highest level. You know. No big deal trying to live up to anything like that.

But Raiola doesn’t even have to play up to the level that Mahomes did in college for this year to be successful for him and the Huskers. 

All he has to do is show that he can be consistent, can elevate the level of play of those around him, and he can avoid making too many mistakes. It’s not like the Nebraska football team has seen a ton of success in recent years, so avoid errors and perform at a reasonably high level. And Raiola, being one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, sure seems more than capable of that.

During Nebraska’s spring game, Raiola completed 16 of 22 passes for 239 yards to go with two touchdowns against an interception.

That’s a pretty solid debut for the young quarterback. It’s not perfect, but Raiola looked solid. That’s especially true when considering the way he didn’t play a complete spring game and was sharing reps with other quarterbacks. 

1. Jacory Barney Jr., WR

Speaking of young stars who will almost certainly play a key role in improving Nebraska’s passing attack, the Huskers seem to have a phenomenally talented young receiver in Jacory Barney Jr., who thrived in Nebraska’s spring game as both a receiver and on special teams as a returner.

He didn’t end up leading Nebraska in receiving yards during the Husker’s annual Red-White game, but Barney Jr. did showcase some impressive talent as he caught a trio of passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. 

That’s solid for a freshman. 

As for his special teams showcasing, Barney Jr. returned a kickoff 78 yards and came close to ending up in the end zone. In total, the young receiver racked up 163 all-purpose yards during Nebraska’s spring game. 

As Matt Rhule and the Huskers try to punch above their weight class in the Big Ten this season, having someone like Barney Jr. break off big plays on a fairly regular basis would certainly help. While the early season slate of games isn’t impossible to navigate, things get difficult at times later on in the year.

Unfortunately for the Huskers, they get the distinct pleasure of meeting up with Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin, and Iowa within a six-week span. So, it’ll be important to have someone who can deliver a spark on offense (or special teams) from time to time. Right now it’s more than plausible that Barney Jr. can fill that sort of role.