Emmett Johnson
- Thread starter steinek11
- Start date
I believe he won because of a fan vote. I hope he has a great career at Nebraska.
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I believe Nebraska was the only school in the Big 10 to believe he could play RB in that conference. Now let's find out if they were right. They've taken a shot at small RBs in the past who haven't stuck around but this kid could be different.
Maybe a utility player that they line up at different spots. We need a quality return man.
the national player of the year utilized as just a utility player? - surely you jest
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So comparing with JD Spielman senior year in MN:
Emmett was a workhorse getting about 30 carries per game, averaging 7.5 yds per carry and scoring a TD on every 8 touches (41 total TDs). 2400 yds total rushing.
JD only got 9 touches per game (8 rushes+1 catch), averaging 14 yds per touch and scoring a TD on every 4 touches (crazy)- 21 total TDs.
Emmett has a lot more work under his belt coming in than JD from that lense.
I don’t know anything about MN HS football class groupings re: competition faced.
Emmett said he felt snubbed not getting a look from Fleck and Co. so it would be that much sweeter if he was able to come here and do well.
I think he’s still considered raw, but he’s been out there putting in work.
Emmett was a workhorse getting about 30 carries per game, averaging 7.5 yds per carry and scoring a TD on every 8 touches (41 total TDs). 2400 yds total rushing.
JD only got 9 touches per game (8 rushes+1 catch), averaging 14 yds per touch and scoring a TD on every 4 touches (crazy)- 21 total TDs.
Emmett has a lot more work under his belt coming in than JD from that lense.
I don’t know anything about MN HS football class groupings re: competition faced.
Emmett said he felt snubbed not getting a look from Fleck and Co. so it would be that much sweeter if he was able to come here and do well.
I think he’s still considered raw, but he’s been out there putting in work.
Emmett seems to have really good vision. Some RBs you watch on tape and they just out athletic everyone. EJ played in a lower tier HS I believe but he didn’t just try to get to the edge and turn on the jets. He actually followed blocks and shifted speeds at the LOS. This is what I loved seeing. I think tempo is the hardest thing for so many backs to learn especially as they transition to college. Sometimes you gotta go slow before you can go fast
I’ve been saying for some time now that EJ is my top choice of a sleeper to be a star
I’ve been saying for some time now that EJ is my top choice of a sleeper to be a star
special teams may be his best chance to see immediate playing time. I think he needs to add 20 pounds of muscle.
I think he could be real good too. Ajay Allen is my sleeper, but this dude is high on the list.
I think 6ft 183# is small. Light for now, but would imagine 20#s on him before next Spring is certainly doable
He needs to be at the correct weight, and doesn't necessarily need to gain much. There are plenty of really good players at the college level who are tiny and utilize their speed and agility and it works vs. trying to put on weight that ends up killing their play.
I am the only person who doesn't think this makes any sense? How can a player be the 6th best player in Minnesota who is not a powerhouse of HS recruiting along with a short list of offers with Nebraska the only P5 offer, no other B1G schools offered and yet he wins a National Player Award? I don't care who voted, fans or whatever, this is strange.
I don't think his film is all that impressive to be honest. He's fun to watch, the way he uses his arms/shoulders to shift his weight and pivot, but at the next level I worry about a guy who makes his living on being able to cut multiple times in a row. You need a guy who can make one cut and go.. dip the shoulder and get some YAC. This guy is like watching a bunny rabbit, fun to watch, but that trick doesn't work so well at the higher levels of football.
Nebraska fans are famous for winning Internet polls. Sure it is a nice honor but don’t read too much into it.
And Johnson was a guy Frost came in on late. Visited late and signed a few days later.
Yeah, unless there is some growth spurt but that is a lot of weigh.
Hell it is hard to add 20 pounds of bad weight when you are 17/18 years old.
The better backs can do both. Think we’ve been missing a guy that can shift gears and adjust when the blocking breaks down and a play is sniffed out.
yeah, the blocking aspect is a whole 'nother story.. I don't mean to knock the kid, we will see how it goes and how he develops.
I hope they keep on Boo Carter for next years class. We have enough backs right now.
Yep. We haven't had a full complete back for a long time. We've had some better than average guys like Ameer, Helu, Burkhead, but all of those guys were missing something. Personally I want to have a back again that is a homerun hitter. I think that is why I liked Helu so much is he had the potential to take it to the house at anytime. I loved Ameer, but he just lacked the top end speed. He'd make some incredible runs, but then get caught and we would settle for a FG.
With that said, I really think Ajay Allen could be the dude. He may not be in the mix early, but I could see him being a Mo Washington type that you just have to get him on the field.
How is it rough? None of those guys were elite. Ameer was probably the closest, but every single one of those guys is probably 3 or 4th on the roster of a Bama, Georgia, so on and so forth. Very very good players, but not the total package of an elite back.
relatively speaking. Burkhead has had a long and pretty successful NFL career. That there makes him elite from a football player standpoint.
I agree and he has a perfect role in the NFL for him. NFL is also a different game than college. I almost feel like Rex is more suited for the NFL game than college. I'm not saying he's a bad player. He's above average for sure, he's just not a Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Najee Harris, etc. A RB that has elite acceleration, top end speed, power, vision and elusiveness. I know those come few and far between, but I literally don't feel like we've had a homerun threat at RB since Roy with Ameer fitting the bill to an extent.
I believe Ron Brown was the lead recruiter and closer. Think he knows a thing or two about running backs.