Nebraska Football: What we’ve learned from Huskers spring ball so far

(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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Running back is a concern

One of the bigger disappointments of the spring for Nebraska football is the injury to Markese Stepp. But, the fact of the matter is that the Huskers have suffered a rash of injuries at running back, which makes it a big question mark.

Stepp, who was added from USC out of the transfer portal, is expected to be the starter next fall and as long as he’s healthy by then, he should still have a good chance.

But, not having him available for the spring is still a missed opportunity for him to get more comfortable with his new team.

On the plus side, three-star freshman Gabe Ervin has taken advantage of the opportunity. He enrolled early and the 6-foot, 200-pound back out of Georgia is getting plenty of work. Here’s what the Lincoln Journal Star said about him:

"“Freshman running back Gabe Ervin, who’s drawn praise this week, is as physically impressive as any of NU’s backs, though it’s a tough comparison to Stepp considering Stepp wasn’t in uniform.”"

At some point, Frost needs to hit on one of these running back recruits and maybe Ervin will be it. He will certainly be someone to watch during open practice and the spring game.

Beyond running back, there are injuries to JoJo Domann and Ben Stille, among some other notable players, so that’s something to watch going forward.

But some guys are also probably being held out as a precaution and the defense has a lot of young players that need to gain experience, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as everyone is ready to go in the fall.