Former USC RB Markese Stepp Could Have Breakout 2021 Season if Injuries Subside

Stepp transferred to Nebraska from USC after the 2020 college football season.

Claudette Montana Pattison | May 20, 2021

Running back Markese Stepp left USC's football program for Nebraska with the intention to make the Cornhuskers starting roster this fall.

Stepp, the sophomore tailback is a solid offensive player with power who can add dynamic value to any offense. However, his biggest setback thus far has been his ability to stay healthy.

Stepp struggled with injury off and on during his time at USC which ultimately limited him from cracking USC's starting lineup on a consistent basis. As the former USC Trojan begins his new journey with Nebraska, he seems to have run into the same issue, injury.

According to Huskers 247, "Stepp will be coming back from a foot injury that Scott Frost said both the running back and Huskers were unaware of until he got here. The thinking was it was best for the back to get it fixed up in the spring so that he could get back by the summer. A healthy Stepp has already proven he can be a tough man to tackle. There's film of him running tough for a career-high 82 yards against Notre Dame to prove it."

Running Back Markese Stepp - USC Trojans

If Stepp can stay healthy, he has the opportunity to win a top spot in the rotation at Nebraska. In fact, Nebraska's running backs coach Ryan Held said during spring camp that, "he's a guy that you can see that when the ball's downhill, he can hit it downhill ... I think he'll definitely give us that element, which we definitely need from an older guy."

It's clear that Nebraska sees big time potential in Stepp.

"And yet he's probably as good of representative as any Husker back on this list at this point. His college football resume doesn't run pages long yet, but it has more to it than anyone else in Ryan Held's room." [Huskers 247]