Ameer Abdullah

Early life

During his senior year of high school, Abdullah had 1,800 yards rushing, 515 yards receiving, and four punt returns for touchdowns for Homewood High School. He was the 2010 South region player of the year. In the 2010 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic, he scored the winning touchdown in overtime.

Also a track star at Homewood, he ran a career-best time of 11.15 seconds in the 100 meters at the 2011 AHSAA 6A Section 3 Championships, placing 7th in the prelims. He also competed in the long jump; he had a career-best leap of 6.60 meters.

College decision

Abdullah was offered football scholarships from several schools, but schools such as Alabama and Auburn wanted him to play cornerback, while he wanted to be a running back. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, however, while making no guarantees, told him that they would put him in a position that would maximize his talent. Pelini's view was the critical factor in Abdullah choosing Nebraska.

2011

Abdullah was one of six true freshman to play for Nebraska in the 2011 season. His best game was against Fresno State when he had 228 return yards. He had 211 kickoff return yards including a 100-yard touchdown return. Abdullah's total kickoff return yards broke the previous Nebraska record. His best running total was 36 yards and his longest run was 24 yards, both against the Wyoming Cowboys. On November 12, against Penn State, he had his first collegiate rushing touchdown. Overall, in the 2011 season, he finished with 150 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 26 kick returns for 763 net yards and a touchdown, and 15 punt returns for 107 net yards.

2012

After Rex Burkhead was injured, Abdullah started seven games. His first start was against UCLA and he rushed for 119 yards with two touchdowns. His longest run was for 45 yards against Arkansas State in a 167-yard and two-touchdown performance. In the next game against Idaho State, he had a punt return touchdown. He had 252 all-purpose yards against Wisconsin, which included five kickoffs totaling 142 yards, 10 rushes for 70 yards, and 22 yards receiving. Against Penn State, he rushed for 116 yards and 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his college career. His per game average of 134.5 all-purpose yards ranked fourth in the Big Ten Conference and his per game average of 81.2 rushing yards ranked ninth. Overall, he finished the 2012 season with 1,137 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 24 receptions, 178 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and a punt return touchdown.

2013

Abdullah rushed for over 100 yards in 11 of 13 games (including the Gator Bowl). The ten 100-yard games during the regular season placed him fourth in Nebraska school history. On August 31, he started the season with 114 rushing yards against Wyoming. In the next game against Southern Miss, he had 114 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. After going for 98 yards against UCLA, he had 139 rushing yards and a touchdown against South Dakota State. He achieved a career-high rushing against Illinois of 225 yards. He followed that up with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game against Purdue. In the next game, at Minnesota, he had 165 rushing yards. On November 9, against Michigan, he had 105 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in the victory. In the next game, against Michigan State, he had 123 rushing yards and a 12-yard receiving touchdown. In the following game, against Penn State, he had 147 rushing yards and 18 receiving yards. For the season, he rushed for an average of 130.7 yards per game, which ranked him second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally. He had 232 yards in pass receptions and averaged 154.9 all-purpose yards per game, which also ranked him second in the Big Ten. He was placed on the All-Big Ten first-team by both the conference's coaches and media. He was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. He finished the season with 122 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown victory over Georgia in the Gator Bowl. Overall, in the 2013 season, he finished with 1,690 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 26 receptions, 232 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.

After the Gator Bowl, Abdullah considered whether he should enter the 2014 NFL draft as an underclassman. On January 9, 2014, he decided to stay at Nebraska for his senior season, stating that

I have come to realize that life is bigger than football... and that my chances of long-term success in life will be greatly enhanced by completing my college education.... If playing in the NFL is truly in God's plans for me, then God will again present this opportunity to me after I complete my college education.

2014

Sporting News listed Abdullah among their top 10 candidates for the Heisman trophy in 2014 and they listed Abdullah as the number 4 returning running back.

In late September 2014, Eric Galko and Ian Wharton of Sporting News analyzed his running attributes. They concluded that even though his 40-yard time is not below 4.4 second and he does not possess the most power when running, he is a complete running back. He runs very low, below the pad level of defenders, making him very difficult to tackle. Abdullah has great balance, vision to find holes and the patience to wait for his blockers to those open holes. These running characteristics together with his burst, shiftiness in space, and ability to keep his legs moving when hit, make him "the most well-rounded tailback in the country".

In early September 2014, Nebraska sent out AA batteries to members of the sports news media and created a website for Abdullah to promote his Heisman campaign. Abdullah and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston trained together at the same gym in Birmingham, Alabama. In December 2014, Abdullah received the Senior CLASS Award for the most outstanding senior college football player in Division I based on classroom performance, community contributions, personal character, and athletic achievements. Players were selected based on votes from FBS football coaches, media, and fans.

Abdullah ran for a career-high 232 rushing yards on 21 carries for an average of 11 yards per carry in a 55–7 win over Florida Atlantic. His longest run was 47 yards for a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 9 yards. On September 1, he won Big Ten offensive player of the week.

Abdullah ran for 67 yards on 17 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry in a 31–24 win over the McNeese State Cowboys. His longest run was for 19 yards. He caught 3 passes for 96 yards and his 58-yard run after his last catch with 20 seconds left in the game put Nebraska up by a touchdown and was the game-winning score. Abdullah ran for 110 yards on 19 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per carry in a 55–19 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs. During the first quarter, he had a 57-yard rushing touchdown.

Abdullah ran for 229 yards on 35 carries for an average of 6.5 yards per carry with two touchdowns in a 41–31 win over the Miami Hurricanes. His 35 carries were a career-high and his last touchdown sealed the win. His longest run was 26 yards and he caught one pass for three yards and a touchdown. Abdullah also had 313 all-purpose yards, which broke Nebraska's 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers's record of 5,586 career all-purpose yards. Abdullah's career total reached 5,762 yards. On September 22, 2014, Abdullah was Big Ten co-offensive player for week four, sharing honors with Melvin Gordon.