Predicting Nebraska Football’s Offensive Stat Leaders for 2025

The easiest prediction on this list is Dylan Raiola leading Nebraska in passing. After throwing for 2,819 yards in 2024, the sophomore enters 2025 as the unquestioned starter with more experience, a deeper receiving corps, and a full offseason in Dana Holgorsen’s system.

The real question isn’t if he leads the team in passing, but how much he improves. With Holgorsen’s track record of high-powered offenses and Raiola’s growth as a decision-maker, surpassing 3,000 yards feels likely, and with it, a cleaner touchdown-to-interception ratio to follow as the Huskers aim for a more explosive year through the air.

2. Rushing

Emmett Johnson is the clear favorite to lead Nebraska in rushing. After racking up 484 all-purpose yards over the final four games of 2024 (78.5 per game), the junior has shown he can handle a heavy worklo ad. The question now is whether he can sustain that pace over a full season.

With an expected 15–18 carries per game and last year’s 5.1 yards per carry, Johnson is on track to flirt with the 1,000-yard mark, something no Husker has reached since 2018. Stronger, faster, and still as elusive, he’s poised to be the engine of the Nebraska offense outside of Raiola.

3. Receiving (Wide Receivers)

Jacory Barney Jr. is my pick to lead Nebraska in receiving yards this fall. After topping the team in catches and posting 447 yards as a true freshman, the speedy slot receiver enters 2025 with a bigger role in Dana Holgorsen’s system. His quickness and knack for finding soft spots underneath give him plenty of opportunities to build on that foundation.

Even with transfer additions Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter, Barney’s chemistry with Raiola and comfort in the scheme should fuel a fast start and a leap in production. Expect him to create mismatches against safeties and linebackers an d emerge as one of Nebraska’s, if not college football's, most dynamic weapons.

4. Receiving (Tight Ends)

By the time I’m done explaining, this might not sound like a hot take, but I believe Heinrich Haarberg will be Nebraska’s most productive tight end in 2025. With Thomas Fidone off to the NFL and Nate Boerkircher entering the transfer portal, the position enters a transitional year, but Haarberg brings a rare mix of size and athleticism that makes him hard to overlook. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he’s transformed his body and earned praise as one of the fastest straight-line athletes on the team.

While I’m not necessarily predicting 500 receiving yards, I see Haarberg stepping into a Fidone-like role, but more dynamic. Fidone caught 36 passes for 373 yards last season, numbers I see well within Haarberg’s reach given his athletic upside and physical style of play. He may need time to refine his in-line blocking, but as a versatile utility player and matchup nightmare, Haarberg could become one of the offense’s most intriguing weapons in 2025. I'm calling it now: Haarberg will score a lot of touchdowns in the red zone this fall.

Ultimately, these are just my predictions for Nebraska’s 2025 offensive stat leaders, but they’re not pulled out of thin air. Some picks are obvious, like Johnson in rushing and Raiola in passing, while others are harder to forecast with the number of weapons on this roster. Injuries happen, roles evolve, and November often looks different than August. Still, one week out from kickoff, I feel confident these four players will leave their mark on the Huskers’ offense this fall.

Stay tuned for my defensive stat leader predictions coming soon, and in the meantime, let us know who you think will lead the way in 2025.