Top 40 Huskers for 2023: 31-35

With Nebraska football’s 2023 season around the corner, the HuskerOnline team voted on the top 40 Huskers for Matt Rhule’s first season.

The voting criteria was to rank the players based on importance to the team, overall talent and future potential for the upcoming season. Our voters focused specifically on the 2023 season, not future seasons or a player’s long-term importance or future talent.

The voting panel consisted of HuskerOnline Publisher Sean Callahan, columnist Steven Sipple, senior writer Robin Washut and staff writer Abby Barmore. Each voter submitted their own Top 40 list from which the votes were tallied.

Today, we roll on with the top 31-35 Husker players. The group features some up and coming underclassmen and two juniors entering their fifth season in Lincoln.

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RELATED: 40-36

35. Blaise Gunnerson, DL, Soph.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
28th	34th	36th	31st

Nebraska needs someone, or several someones, to step up in the defensive trenches. Blaise Gunnerson could be defensive line coach Terrance Knighton’s man.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder spent most of this spring working at defensive end. During the spring game, he tallied two assisted tackles and quarterback hurry while playing for the white team. Gunnerson did suffer a leg injury that held him out of the earlier portion of the spring.

A native of Carroll, Iowa, Gunnerson played in every game last season. He made five stops during intermittent playing time on special teams and defense. Two of those tackles came against Rutgers including one of the touchdown-saving variety following a blocked punt by the Scarlet Knights.

Gunnerson’s future likely includes a fall-camp battle with freshman standouts Cameron Lenhardt and Princewill Umanmielen among others. At the very least, the sophomore could provide the Blackshirts with some much-needed depth.

34. Ethan Piper, OL, Jr.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
38th	NR	24th	24th

Ethan Piper may be listed as a junior for the upcoming 2023 season, but his level of experience is far higher.

He began his career in Lincoln with a redshirt season in 2019. Piper appeared in all eight games with seven starts during the COVID-19 season in 2020. As a redshirt freshman in 2021 he played in just five games, but saw his involvement jump to 10 games with eight starts during 2022.

Piper’s versatility could be his greatest asset in the year ahead. While the vast majority of his starts and playing time has come at left guard, Piper said he worked at all interior positions this spring. Having a lineman capable of playing center, left and right guard is a depth boost for Donovan Raiola’s unit.

33. Rahmir Johnson, RB, Jr.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
30th	30th	28th	38th

The last few years have been a winding road full of ups and downs for Rahmir Johnson.

Like Piper, he has been with the Huskers since 2019 but didn’t truly burst onto the seen until 2021. Johnson separated himself from Nebraska’s crowded backfield to lead the running backs with 495 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He was also a receiving threat with 197 yards and two more touchdowns.

Johnson broke out against Michigan racking up 172 all-purpose yards, including 105 of those through the air. The highlight was a 41-yard touchdown pass from Adrian Martinez that brought the Huskers within 19-14 of the Wolverines.

Then came 2022 and for lack of a better word, Johnson disappeared. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder underwent a change to the Huskers’ unofficial new “wide back” position. Splitting time between receivers and running backs didn’t result in a boost Johnson’s production. In fact, it resulted in a precipitous drop down to 85 rushing yards and seven receiving yards.

So what type of impact will Johnson have in 2023? It’s hard to say. Johnson has proved his playmaking ability in the past. A bounce back would make for a welcome addition to the running-back room.

32. Janiran Bonner, TE, Redshirt Fr.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
29th	21st	39th	37th

Janiran Bonner is a bit of an enigma.

He arrived in Lincoln as a wide receiver in February of 2022 under former head coach Scott Frost. The four-star recruit caught 50 passes for 816 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior at Cedar Grove in Georgia. But, Bonner didn’t see any action during the season that followed.

Then his first spring under new head man Matt Rhule rolled around and things changed.

Specifically, Bonner moved from wide receiver to tight end. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he will serve in a tight end/fullback role going forward. Bonner spoke on the hybrid position following the spring game and it’s clear he feels the position change as a positive.

Bonner was entrusted with the fullback-dive tribute to Frank Solich at the beginning of the spring game. He finished with 12 rushing yards and an 11-yard catch while affecting the game as a lead blocker, too.

Nebraska’s staff has compared Bonner to 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk at times. His versatility makes him an intriguing piece of the 2023 squad.

31. Tristan Alvano, K, Fr.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
37th	22nd	38th	27th

A kicker battle in fall camp? Nebraska may have just that between freshman Tristan Alvano and the returning Timmy Bleekrode.

Bleekrode gave the Huskers stability at the position they hadn’t had in years with the exception of Connor Culp’s strong 2022 campaign. Bleekrode went 34-for-35 on extra points with his only miss coming on a block. The junior was 9-for-12 on field goals with a streak of seven consecutive makes.

Enter Alvano.

He represented one of the first in-state wins for Rhule’s staff when he committed to Nebraska in December. The Westside star made a state-record 16 field goals in his senior season.

He earned his offer from the previous staff in Memorial Stadium itself after making five field goals, four longer than 40 yards, in the Warriors 43-41 state championship win over Gretna. A 45-yarder from Alvano pushed Westside ahead with just seconds remaining.

Bleekrode said this spring that he welcomes the competition. Alvano is capable of raising the ceiling for the Huskers’ kicking came and can push Bleekrode for the starting job.

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