Markese

Stepp

Stepp (6'1/235) finds himself in the transfer portal for the second-consecutive offseason. He left USC in December of 2020 in hopes that Nebraska would be the place that allows him to thrive. After being listed as the co-starter early in the year, he was unable to gain enough traction. During his one season in Lincoln, Stepp accumulated 177 yards and two touchdowns. At his new home, Stepp will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Stepp (6'1/235), a transfer who began his college career at USC, has been the more productive of the two in the Cornhuskers’ first two games of the season. The redshirt sophomore has rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Ervin has rushed for 50 yards on 18 attempts. Stepp also has a 30-yard reception to his credit, but neither would be labeled as prolific pass-catchers out of the backfield. Both will look to state their case to HC Scott Frost that they should be the feature back this Saturday when the Huskers host the Bulls.

With USC transfer Markese Stepp in the fold, one could be excused for expecting the veteran to make the starting running back job his own. But that hasn’t been the case, as Nebraska continues to prepare for Saturday’s opener against Illinois, as Morrison (6'0/210) and Gabe Irvin remain in the running. One of those three will receive the majority of the carries, but Nebraska won’t be announcing who the starter will be before kickoff Saturday.

Stepp (6'0/235), a transfer from USC who joined the Nebraska program in January, was sidelined for spring practice after undergoing offseason surgery for an undisclosed injury. The redshirt sophomore was reportedly running without any issue during the portion of Tuesday’s practice that the media was allowed to observe. That includes cutting and after the practice, Lubick said that Stepp looked 100 percent to him. Stepp will figure prominently in the Nebraska running back rotation this fall.

Stepp (6'0/235) transferred over from USC in January. While the redshirt sophomore looks like he’ll be held out for the rest of spring ball while rehabbing from offseason surgery, the expectation within the program is that Stepp will be ready to get back into football work by the summer. Presumably, barring setback, he should be good to go for preseason camp when the time comes. In two full seasons, at USC Stepp rushed for a total of 505 yards and six touchdowns on 100 carries. The former four-star back’s absence this spring should allow additional reps for youngsters such as Marvin Scott and Gabe Ervin in the weeks ahead.

Stepp (6'0/235), who was part of a three-man rotation at USC, should be an immediate contributor for the Cornhuskers in 2021. Splitting reps with Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai, the redshirt sophomore rushes for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries this past season. Stepp, who will have up to three seasons of eligibility remaining at Nebraska, rushed for 307 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries in 2019.

Stepp (6'0/235) was part of a three-man rotation at USC, competing for carries with Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai. The redshirt sophomore, who will have up to three seasons of eligibility remaining, rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries in 2020. Having to split carries with two other backs in a pass-heavy offense can be tough, so Stepp’s decision to enter to the transfer portal isn’t all that surprising.

Carr (6'0/215) was banged up during Saturday’s win at Utah, a game that fellow banged up running back Markese Stepp was unable to play in due to injury. Both backs were able to practice on Wednesday and are expected to play this Saturday according to HC Clay Helton, who praised Car for having the best preseason camp of his career. If either tailbacks are unable to play, Kenan Christon would slide into the backfield rotation as he did last week against Utah. The Trojans will try to remain undefeated against Colorado this Saturday.

Carr was banged up during Saturday’s win at Utah, a game that Stepp was unable to play in due to injury. The fact that they were able to practice bodes well for the Trojans, but it does not guarantee that the two running backs will be available for Saturday’s game vs. Colorado. The good news for Helton is that he can comfortably go three deep at running back with Vavae Malepeai, who started against Utah, also being in the mix for reps.

Stepp (6'0/235), who was limited during fall camp by a mid-foot sprain, has reached the end zone in both of USC’s games. After rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in the season-opening win over Arizona State, the redshirt sophomore had an even better day against Arizona. Forty-nine of Stepp’s 82 yards were gained on one play, but he worked well as part of a three-man rotation that included Stephen Carr (11-81-1) and Vavae Malepeai (6-7-1). Malepeai, whose rushing touchdown gave USC the lead for good in the final minute, also caught five passes for 20 yards. USC returns to action on November 21 at Utah.