Mark Whipple raves about Rahmir Johnson's versatility, previews 2022 role

Mark Whipple is one of the better offensive coordinators in college football. This fall, he’s excited about one of his shiniest new toys with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the player that is calling himself a “wide-back”, running back/receiver Rahmir Johnson. Whipple raved about Johnson’s versatility recently in his recent press conference and how he plans to deploy him in a hybrid role for the 2022 season.

He first started out by saying he’ll utilize Johnson as both a running back and receiver. “Both. He’ll play both. He’ll play running back and some receiver stuff that way. He’s probably the best receiving running back we have. Also, those protections so there’s a bunch of little stuff we can do in packages. You know, we can bring him in certain things. And that’s what the plan is now. Situational gameplan with him on offense,” Whipple said.

It’s a smart idea for any offensive coordinator to find more ways to get their best athletes the football in space. Johnson was a track star in high school and was clocked at a blistering 10.5-100-meter dash during his days at Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey). It’s not surprising to see Johnson embracing his new “wide-back” role with the ‘Huskers, since he displayed his versatility as a receiver last season. In 2021, he hauled in 16 catches for 197 receiving yards (12.3 yards per catch) and two touchdowns through the air.

Whipple then explained his thought process behind switching Johnson to more of a hybrid running back/receiver role. “Well, he was working on it in the summer….Because we had a bunch of running backs come in and [we’re] a little bit deeper. Tre [Trevin Lubin] was hurt for a little bit. And Brody [Belt]. We moved those guys around at the position. So, we said, ‘This thing could be could for you.’ I’ve seen him really take a big jump. Last couple of days, he had a couple of big catches that way. And he’s fast. [We’re] just trying to develop depth. You know, we’re not gonna be able to play the same running back. We know he can go back there. So, that was the thought process,” Whipple said.

Last season, Johnson posted the best rushing numbers of his college football career thus far, with 112 carries for 495 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. He’ll figure to do even more damage through the air this season with the Huskers. While he’s only pulled in 242 receiving yards on 23 catches in his college football career thus far (10.5 yards per catch), Nebraska fans are hoping he can add to that total and in a big way in the 2022 campaign.