Nebraska was extremely thin at Wide Receiver for the 2023 season, where they saw multiple first-year players for the Huskers seeing significant snaps for the team. Nebraska loses its top WR from last year in Billy Kemp, but does it really matter? The Cornhuskers were so bad on offense last year that Kemp only had 35 total receptions and averaged 28 yards per game. The problem is that in the portal, Nebraska grabbed Kemp who was a solid slot WR but he didn’t have the gamebreaking ability he needed.
Nebraska Solves The Outside WR Problem
Kemp was a slot WR we brought in, but Nebraska did a hell of a job bringing in slot WRs for their first and second recruiting class (more on that later). Nebraska brought in Jahmal Banks from Wake Forest and he is everything you’ve heard and then some for the Huskers. You can go ahead and pencil him in as starter for one of the outside WR spots. He goes and gets contested balls and is an experienced big-bodied WR that the Huskers desperatley needed.
They also went and got Isaiah Neyor who transferred in from Texas. Neyor hasn’t been productive at the P5 level due to some injuries, but he was a stud at the University of Wyoming that got him down to Austin. Texas recruited over him, so he is getting another chance in Lincoln.
The Consistent Walk-On
Alex Bullock had the most snaps of any of our WRs/TEs last year. He is reliable and will always be where he needs to be. Does he have the explosiveness of a guy like Coleman or others? Probably not. But it will be interesting to see how he fits into the offense this year. Do they go with him or do they go with the higher ceilings?
Injuries Like RB
Isaiah Garcia-Castenada is coming off of injury again, who would be another inside WR threat. But it’s up to him to get healthy to give himself a chance. He’s one we may offer a medical redshirt to or see him hit the portal. I wouldn’t get too worried there.
You also have Malachi Coleman who had shoulder surgery and is participating this spring but having a green no-contact jersey on this spring. I had been critical of MC with sitting out most of the practices I was at prior to the season starting in 2023. Once IGC and Washington went down it was a renewed energy from him and he looks good. However, he is again sitting out (this time legitimately IMO). I will be interested to see how he reacts when guys like Banks, Neyor, possibly IGC, and Bullock are battling him on the outside for playing time. Hopefully he stays on the up and up, but I will watch his trajectory closely. Don’t be surprised if something weird happens there IMO maybe after this season (or sooner).
The 2nd Year Players
While Coleman was a second year player, you also have Jaylen Lloyd who burned his redshirt with 132 snaps last year and showed flashes of why he was offered full-ride scholarships in track for his explosiveness. Lloyd is a slot WR, and it seems Nebraska has plenty of those.
Jaidyn Doss was able to preserve his redshirt by only getting 79 snaps last year, playing in 2 games and getting 2 receptions. Doss has a ton of upside, but Nebraska has recruited the WR position well.
Last and certainly not least, Demetrius Bell had to redshirt last year due to an academic redshirt situation. By many accounts and my eyes, Bell was actually the best true freshmen WR last year, he just wasn’t eligible to play. He also has a bit of an injury-issue as he got hurt last year and is a little banged up this spring. If he is available to play, watch out for him getting some major playing time.
The True Freshmen
Jacory Barney has looked everything like a guy that could see the field early with this squad. He is explosive, and he is such a playmaker they have been putting him back for punt and kick returns. With Emmett Johnson being RB1, we can’t have him back returning kicks. The question for me is where do we put Barney, as he isn’t as big as a Coleman, Neyor, or Banks. He is more than likely a slot, but we have so many of those guys.
Quinn Clark and Keelan Smith are two legacy recruits that have the body-type to be on the outside with a guy like Coleman. The good news is I think we have a decent enough amount of bodies that we won’t have to hurry these guys along. I expect a redshirt here unless some injuries happen, but don’t have that fool you into thinking they aren’t ready or aren’t capable.
We round out with the Bellevue West WRs of Isaiah McMorris and Dae’Vonn Hall. I’ll be curious how they end up doing, as their QB from their high school is here but it’s a loaded room currently.
2024
The two things i’m interested in checking out is who starts opposite of Banks out wide, and who emerges as our top slot WR candidate. Lloyd played because Bell was ineligible last year, but now he has Bell and Barney as options. Coleman started playing out wide last year, but is he going to play over Neyor or Bullock out there?
The good news is we have options, and our WR room is vastly different right now than it was for the 2023 season.
Depth Chart Prediction:
WR1 – Banks
WR2 – Neyor
Slot1 – Lloyd OR Bell
Slot2 – Barney
WR1 – Bullock OR Coleman
WR2 – Doss
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You know a ton more about this than me, but I’m just curious why you see Lloyd as a Slot WR, when I thought he only really played as an outside WR last year. I have been just rewatching the offense’s footage from last year, and I thought I only really saw him line up at outside WR and when Kemp was hurt it was Doss starting in the slot. Now I could be wrong about where he played last year (my highest level of experience is playing OL in high-school, so I’m not that knowledgeable), but I see many people I trust including you putting him in at the slot, so I’m just curious where that came from (whether it is stuff you saw last year, at practices, his general body type, etc.). Very much appreciate all the writing you do here.
I know his touchdown he scored against Purdue for 70 or so yards was from the slot receiver position, he also scored against Iowa in the slot out of a trips formation, and against Wisconsin in the slot. I think they would prefer to have Banks sized guys out wide. Alex Bullock is 6’2 205 while Lloyd is 5’10 160, he’s just not big enough for outside stuff. To your point though, he did get some reps on the outside so it’s not all slot. I just think his best position is inside in a more explosive Billy Kemp role.