Honors & Awards
» Academic All-Big Ten (2023, 2024)
» Three-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2023)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2023, 2024)
» Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar (2024)
2024 (Sophomore)
Emmett Johnson has played in every game this season with four starts. He ranks second on the team with 102 carries, 523 rushing yards and 809 all-purpose yards. Johnson has added 35 catches for 262 yards and one touchdown, setting career highs in each of those categories. Johnson is one of two Huskers with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, and his 35 receptions are the most by a Husker running back since the 2007 season.
Johnson had eight carries for 72 yards against UTEP, leading the Huskers in rushing. Johnson had a career-long 42-yard run against the Miners. He also had a five-yard catch. Johnson had a three-yard carry against Colorado. Against Northern Iowa, Johnson had four carries for 50 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown run. He also had three catches and set a career high with 43 receiving yards. Johnson finished with 93 scrimmage yards against the Panthers on only seven touches. Johnson had eight carries for 50 yards at Purdue while adding three catches for 49 yards. He tied his career high in receptions and set a career high in receiving yards while also hauling in a 27-yard pass for the longest reception of his career.
Johnson made his first start of the season against Rutgers and had 14 carries for 33 yards with a seven-yard reception. He rushed eight times for 24 yards at Indiana, caught three passes for six yards and had two kickoff returns for 24 yards. At Ohio State, Johnson gained 30 yards on eight carries and set a career high with four receptions. He had seven carries for 23 yards with a seven-yard reception against UCLA. Johnson started at USC and led Nebraska with 55 rushing yards on 10 carries. He also led NU with a career-high seven receptions, finishing with 36 receiving yards including a 29-yard touchdown for his first career receiving touchdown.
He had a career game in the win over Wisconsin, posting the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. Johnson had 16 carries for 113 yards against the Badgers, the first 100-yard rushing game by a Nebraska running back in 19 games. He also caught six passes for a career-high 85 receiving yards against the Badgers. Johnson made his third straight start at Iowa and had 71 rushing yards on 18 carries while catching six passes for 25 yards, leading Nebraska in receptions.
2023 (Redshirt Freshman)
Johnson played in 12 games in 2023 and started six of the final seven contests. He had 90 carries for 411 yards and two touchdowns to help Nebraska rank second in the Big Ten in rushing. He also caught seven passes for 46 yards and returned one kickoff for 15 yards.
Johnson had two carries for six yards against Louisiana Tech. He rushed for nine yards and caught two passes for 20 yards against No. 2 Michigan. He started his first game at Illinois and totaled seven carries for 29 yards.
Johnson started against Northwestern and had 12 carries for 73 yards. In his third consecutive start against Purdue, he set then-career highs in carries and rushing yards for a third straight game with 13 carries for 76 yards. He scored on a 28-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that marked the longest run of his career and his first career touchdown. Johnson set career highs with 17 carries and 84 rushing yards in a start against Maryland. He had 13 carries for 50 yards in his start at Wisconsin. Johnson had 11 carries for 27 yards against Iowa, and he also caught an 11-yard pass.
2022 (Redshirt)
Emmett Johnson played in four games while utilizing his redshirt season in 2022. He made his Husker debut by playing on special teams against No. 17 Illinois, and he also saw action on special teams against Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Before Nebraska (Academy of Holy Angels)
Johnson came to Nebraska as the top high school player in Minnesota. As a star running back and two-way player for the Academy of Holy Angels, Johnson was named Mr. Football by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association in 2021.
Honored as the top player in the state, Johnson rushed for more than 2,500 yards and scored 42 touchdowns in his senior season. He had at least 100 rushing yards in all 11 games as a senior, including seven 200-yard rushing efforts. Johnson also had eight four-touchdown games and accounted for more than 2,800 all-purpose yards. He also played safety for Holy Angels, recording 85 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 2021. As a junior, Johnson carried the ball 174 times for 1,521 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In his prep career, Johnson ran for nearly 5,000 yards and totaled nearly 6,000 all-purpose yards with more than 130 tackles on defense. He was a two-time District MVP, three-time all-district selection, two-time all-metro pick and an all-state honoree. Johnson was named the Offensive MVP for the South team in the Minnesota High School All-Star Game following his senior season. Johnson also played basketball and competed in track and field for Holy Angels.
The top running back in Minnesota, Johnson was ranked among the top 10 overall players in the state. The three-star prospect chose Nebraska over scholarship offers from numerous FCS programs and interest from several Big Ten schools.
Personal
Emmett was born on Oct. 10, 2003, and he is the son of Charles and Precious Johnson. He is majoring in advertising and public relations and was a 2023 Academic All-Big Ten selection.