As Nebraska's preseason camp approaches, Husker Extra is counting down the 30 most intriguing players on the roster.
A couple of notes: This isn’t best player or most important. As a list based on intrigue, it skews a bit toward youth and new players, but there will be plenty of established contributors, too.
The only scholarship player not considered for the list is defensive lineman Jahkeem Green, because at the outset of our countdown he is still in junior college and is only verbally committed to Nebraska.
No. 6: Maurice Washington, RB, sophomoreÌý
Among all of the question marks and wild cards heading into the 2019 season, perhaps none looms as large as Maurice Washington.Ìý
People are also reading…
The sophomore running back flashed an electric skill set his freshman season en route to 676 total yards and four scores in 11 games, showing signs of being the kind of multi-use weapon head coach Scott Frost loves to deploy.Ìý
Washington, though, is also no sure thing to be available when the regular season starts or at all. He's currently facing two charges (one a felony) in the Santa Clara (California) County Superior Court, and Frost has said no final determination on his status with the program will be made until after the matter has concluded.Ìý
This spring, Frost seemed to leave the door open to any range of results from no punishment at all to dismissal from the team.Ìý
Washington, Frost said recently, will participate in preseason camp. After that? Only time will tell.Ìý
After the elephant in the room, there are other questions: How much (if any) weight was Washington able to add to his frame this offseason? Is the San Jose, California, native physically able to withstand a feature back-type workload? Can he keep himself out of trouble after the court case and a summer citation for possessing drug paraphernalia?Ìý
Perhaps no player on the roster has a wider range of potential outcomes. Washington has only scratched the surface of seemingly limitless potential on the field, but it's also not out of the question that he could face severe action from the legal system, NU or both.Ìý