What does HIRO think of Emmett Johnson’s final year as a Husker?
In the first HIRO Report, we examined Nebraska's quarterback room and explored what the metric revealed about Dylan Raiola and TJ Lateef's 2025 seasons. Now, as promised, we’ll take a deep dive into Nebraska’s bell-cow back, Emmett Johnson, and his 2025 campaign.
This report will continue our preview of what HIRO analysis will look like during the upcoming 2026 season. Rather than focusing on a single game, we’ll examine Johnson’s season as a whole.
For those that need a little refresher, below are the tiers used to classify HIRO scores.
| HIRO Score | Tier |
| 100+ | Historic |
| 90–99 | Elite |
| 85–89 | Excellent |
| 80–84 | Great |
| 70–79 | Good |
| 60–69 | Average |
| 55–59 | Replacement Level |
| Under 55 | Detrimental |
Best Performance: 87 vs Iowa
Johnson’s best HIRO score came in the regular season finale against Iowa, with a score of 87. That places it in the Excellent tier and is the highest score of Nebraska’s RBs last season.
Looking at the ring chart, the performance was driven by Johnson’s work on the ground and was very balanced. Consistency, Explosiveness and Vision all played major roles in building the score. Johnson’s 70-yard run in the first quarter boosted the Explosiveness component, but the performance as a whole was not built around a single highlight. Instead, Johnson hit the holes to boost the Vision portion of his score and produced when he touched the ball, hence the large Consistency chunk.
Even with a heavy workload, Johnson didn’t turn the ball over, meaning none of the value he created was lost. The result was a great rushing performance, with a little added from his work in the receiving game.
Ironically, Johnson’s best performance came in a loss. While the game got away from Nebraska, Johnson carried more than his fair share of the offensive burden.
Toughest Outing: 59 vs Michigan
Johnson’s lowest score of the season slipped below the Average tier and ended up in the Replacement Level tier, the range where a typical backup would be expected to provide similar production.
The performance differs significantly from Johnson’s best against Iowa. Rather than being fueled by consistent rushing output, much of the value came from Explosiveness and Versatility. Johnson was still able to create a few impactful plays and contribute as a receiver, but there was not enough sustained success to create a higher score.
Unlike other lower HIRO scores, ball security was a non-factor. Johnson didn’t fumble, meaning none of the value was lost through turnovers.
While the Iowa game showcased Johnson at his best, the Michigan game serves as a reminder that even great players can have difficult afternoons.
Defining Moment: 82 vs UCLA
If one game could encapsulate Johnson’s 2025 season, it would be his performance against UCLA. Even though his highest score came against Iowa, the UCLA game represented how dominant he could truly be. With TJ Lateef making his first start(a start in which he was incredibly efficient), Nebraska needed EJ to step up. He responded by leading the team in both rushing and receiving yards and scoring three touchdowns.
The chart reflects the unique performance. Versatility is the largest portion of the score, with Explosiveness being the other main source. To understand why his Versatility and Explosiveness make up so much of the score, you can easily understand why when you look at Johnson’s receiving touchdowns, both of which were 40+ yards.
Some readers may be surprised that a game featuring more than 200 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns resulted in an 82 rather than a score in the 90s. The reason can be found in Johnson’s Consistency and Vision scores, which are relatively small. Johnson averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which is solid, but most of his value came from explosive plays. The result was still a Great performance, which was the third-highest in both the season and the Rhule era.
Takeaways
Johnson finished the season with an average HIRO score of 73.8, placing his typical performance in the Good tier. Rather than a season shaped by one big performance, Johnson consistently provided positive value to Nebraska’s offense and rarely turned in a poor outing.
The data also shows a connection between Johnson’s performance and Nebraska’s success. Johnson’s average HIRO score in wins was 76.4, compared to 70.0 in losses. Nebraska also found greater success when Johnson exceeded his season average, going 6-2 when he scored at least 74, compared to 1-3 when he fell below that mark.
One of the more telling stats from Johnson’s season is his split with Dylan Raiola. In the three games without Raiola, Johnson averaged 79.0. With Raiola, his average dropped to 72.0. The 79.0 average falls just shy of the Great tier and suggests that Johnson became even more productive when Nebraska needed him to carry a larger share of the offensive burden.
Johnson's best performance showcased his ability to dominate a game; his defining moment highlighted his versatility and big-play capabilities. Even his worst outing stayed above the Detrimental tier. HIRO told us what most of us already knew: when Nebraska needed Emmett Johnson most, he consistently answered the call.
With Nebraska’s 2026 season starting Saturday, this marks the end of our look back at 2025. Up next, a HIRO report detailing the performances against Ohio.
