Nebraska Running Back Rahmir Johnson's Perseverance Pays Off With Fairy Tale Bowl Performance

Coach Matt Rhule shared the untold story of Johnson’s final season, marked by pain and resilience, after the Huskers' 20-15 Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College.

Rahmir Johnson carries the ball as Boston College linebacker Joe Marinaro (45) pursues during the first half at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Rahmir Johnson's final season at Nebraska was full of pain and loss. Nobody outside of his inner circle knew anything about it until head coach Matt Rhule addressed it after Nebraska clinched its first winning season since 2016 with a 20-15 Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College.

Johnson was pulled from the stands after the Huskers' victory at Yankee Stadium to receive his MVP trophy. It was a special moment, with athletes from his youth organization, the Harlem Jets, watching his final game in person.

Rahmir Johnson (center) holds the MVP trophy and celebrates with teammates after the game. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Family members were also there, seated near the end zone where Johnson scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown — the first of his sixth season at Nebraska — on the opening play of the second quarter but there was an important missing from those seats.

Johnson's mother, Angela, died at the age of 64 on Oct. 31, 2024. He flew home during the Huskers’ bye week in November after the UCLA game and Rhule kept it a secret per Johnson's request.

“I’ll probably get a little bit emotional saying this, so please forgive me. Rahmir has never allowed anyone to really know what happened to him this year,” Rhule said after the game while unloading the secret he had been keeping for weeks.

“He loved his mother,” Rhule continued. “He lost his mother. He cares about this team. I think this is a fitting end for him. I hope he wears his pads home on the subway and goes to his apartment, takes that MVP trophy and takes it out tonight somewhere.”

Johnson is the example Rhule used for why he got into coaching and why he still does it. Nowadays, it's easy for student-athletes to jump ship to another school to make more money but Johnson stayed in Lincoln.

He remained in Lincoln, 1,300 miles from home, even as a pandemic upended life at age 19, making his college experience far from what he had envisioned as a recruit from Harlem.

He persevered through injuries and endured the sting of annual losing seasons. Johnson stayed through the uncertainty of a coaching change, watching old teammates depart and new ones come and go.

“This is what it means to be a Cornhusker,” Johnson said Saturday. “I love this program. I’m dedicated to this place.”

Rahmir Johnson (14) celebrates a first down during the first half. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The way Johnson has carried himself throughout his time at Nebraska hasn't gone unnoticed.

“It shows what kind of person Rahmir is, to go through that type of adversity,” said Ty Robinson. “It takes a lot. The mental toughness that he’s had throughout the season has just proven how good of a man he is.”

Johnson put the bookend on his career when the play was called to put the game on ice with just under three minutes to play.

“I just told Rahmir to follow me,” Robinson said. “And on the edge, I saw three dudes, and they kind of stopped when they looked at me. And then I felt Rahmir hit the seam, and I got right behind him to make sure he could keep going.”

Johnson picked up a first down and added another 10 yards, bringing his career total to exactly 1,000 yards. That achievement made him the 70th player in Nebraska history to reach the milestone.

Johnson returned to Nebraska "to do something special" and in return, the Huskers played that game for something bigger than themselves as they continue to set the new standard under Rhule's leadership.

“It just meant a lot, man,” Rahmir said. “... To go out with a W, this is special. Like Ty said, we worked six years to get to this point. I'm glad we left the field as a winner, and I'm glad we paved the way for the future.”

---

MORE: Carriker Chronicles: Final Grades for Matt Rhule & Nebraska's 2024 Season

MORE: Former Husker Ameer Abdullah Posts Career Day for Las Vegas Raiders

MORE: Nebraska Women's Basketball No Match for No. 1 UCLA

MORE: As Husker Veterans Celebrate Bowl Win, Emerging Youth Movement Provides Hope for the Future

MORE: Nebraska Football 2024: The MVPs, Best Wins, and What Could Have Been

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.