Big Ten Football Top 150 Players: No. 142, Aaron Green, Nebraska, RB

No. 141: Aaron Green, No. 2 RB, Nebraska
 

2011 Stats: 24 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 25 yards, 1 TD

Strengths

It takes a great deal of promise to be able to get on the field as a true freshman for Nebraska, and Green has that level of potential. He has an ideal frame for a running back at 5'11" 195 pounds, plus he's agile, fast and improving as a rusher between the tackles.

Weaknesses

Aaron Green was one of three true freshmen to emerge in a backup role in Nebraska's backfield last season. Neither he, Ameer Abdullah nor Brandon Heard (who has now moved to cornerback) accomplished a great deal—the three combined for 91 carries—and that number's going to have to rise if Nebraska hopes to ease the burden off Rex Burkhead. For Green's sake, he's going to have to establish himself as a more viable option at tailback than Abdullah—something that didn't happen in 2011.

2012 Prediction

Let's get this out of the way: Rex Burkhead is an absolute horse. If there's anyone in the Big Ten you want in the backfield with the ball at your own 20-yard line, with eight minutes left and a four-point lead to protect, it's Burkhead. That said, it's going to be amazing if he makes it through 2012 without needing to miss a game. The human body isn't meant to take that amount of contact over such a sustained period of time, and it's not like Burkhead avoids contact.

So if, IF Burkhead misses time, it would probably be Green that sees 15-20 carries in his stead; Green's better suited physically to do that than Abdullah. In reserve roles, however, Abdullah better fits the "change of pace" back, so it's incumbent on Green to show what he can bring to the table as both a complement and a replacement for Burkhead.