Spring grade out: Running back/Fullback

We continue our spring grade outs today by giving our final take on the running back and fullback positions.

Head coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf continue to express their hopes that eventually one of their running backs will emerge as the clear feature back they've generally always had throughout their careers together.

Based on where things stand with the Huskers' backfield coming out of spring practice, though, it's looking more and more as if the position will once again be handled via a committee approach.

That's not necessarily a bad thing by any means, as NU has a fairly diverse set of skills between the trio of senior Terrell Newby and sophomores Devine Ozigbo and Mikale Wilbon. This should give the offense some nice versatility in the running game and should help boost the screen pass game, something Riley has been vocal about wanting to improve.

Maybe one of those three will separate himself from the pack during fall camp or even after the season gets underway, but until that happens the Huskers are preparing to once again utilize their running back depth in 2016.

At fullback, the task of replacing the rare talent lost with the graduation of Andy Janovich remains far from finished. Juniors Luke McNitt and Harrison Jordan and senior Graham Nabity look to be the frontrunners, but like running back, it very well could be a combination of that group that handles the fullback duties come game day.

While Nebraska has some options with how it wants to run the football this season - including more designed runs with the quarterback and receivers - one of the keys to the Huskers' success is going to be its ability to grind out victories on the ground when the game is on the line.

We saw far too many times last season where NU either couldn't or wouldn't seal close games in the final minutes with a power running game, especially during Big Ten Conference play.

Riley and Langsdorf have both said several times they have to run the ball better this season, and Nebraska's performance in the Foster Farms Bowl certainly gave reason to believe that a more power-oriented game plan could very well be their recipe to win.

The question, though, is whether the Huskers' trio of backs and their offensive line - which has been completely reshuffled from last year - will be able to keep up that type of production for a full season? Also, will the coaching staff stay disciplined enough to stick with the run even when it's not working the way they hoped?

Few would argue that from a standpoint of running the football, Wilbon was more than talented enough to be a factor for Nebraska last season.

Unfortunately, when it came to all the other details of playing the position at the major college level, the former four-star recruit left much to be desired in the eyes of his coaches.

As a result, Wilbon's playing time was few and far between in 2015, seeing action in only four games and carrying the ball nine times for 35 yards with two catches for 28 yards.

The good news is that the switch seemed to get flipped for Wilbon this spring. His running ability is as good as ever, but he's paired that with a much better grasp of the offense and, maybe most importantly, has improved vastly in his pass blocking.

By doing so, Wilbon's coaches will finally be able to trust him enough to keep him on the field. In turn, Nebraska should actually be able to put one of its most explosive backfield weapons to use.

Another advantage of playing multiple running backs is that there should be little to no drop-off in terms of experience as the years go on.

Though Nebraska will lose Newby after this season, both Ozigbo and Wilbon will have two more years left and should only continue to get better better.

The Huskers will also add talented true freshman Tre Bryant to the mix this fall.

Bryant, a three-star prospect from St. Louis, rushed for 1,331 yards and 30 touchdowns while averaging 10.4 yards per carry last year as a senior at Christian Brothers College High.