Husker Dan: Nebraska Shores Up Wide Receiver Room

The tight ends must get healthy

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There's nothing to fear but a wide receiver who can run a 100-yard dash in under ten seconds. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Wide receivers

It's apparent that when wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph came to Lincoln in January, he didn't like what he saw in his room. And with the departures of Samori Toure (NFL) and Zavier Betts (retirement?), Joseph knew the Huskers had some holes to fill.

It seems Nebraska has done just that.

What did Frost & Company do? They looked at the transfer portal to see who was available and who could offer immediate help.

Bingo! The Husker staff found players they wanted and the players found a football program they wanted.

With the departures of Toure and Betts, the Huskers lost about 1,200 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. The numbers aren't staggering, but Toure had almost 1,000 receiving yards in '21.

Maybe the pick of the litter was New Mexico State transfer Isaiah Garcia-Castenda. He'll bring with him this fall 562 receiving yards (a 15.61 average) and four touchdowns.

Not far behind Castenda, is LSU transfer Trey Palmer. Palmer brings with him 344 yards (an 11.47 average) and three touchdowns.

And just before the clock struck midnight, Texas WR Marcus Washington (former teammate of Husker QB Casey Thompson) decided to transfer to Nebraska this fall. His numbers are also good: 277 yards, 15.39 average and two touchdowns.

The transfers combined with existing wide receivers like Omar Manning, Oliver Martin and Alante Brown help to give the Husker WR corps a net gain in yardage (1,246) and touchdowns (10). So it appears the WR position is in relatively good shape.

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Tight end is one of the hardest positions to play in football. It's right up there with quarterback and cornerback. You have to have the skills of a wide receiver and an offensive lineman, and it's not easy to balance those two. - Tony Gonzalez

Tight ends

Husker tight ends coach Sean Beckton is like the guy who has a good poker hand and doesn't need any more cards. He believes he can win with what he's been dealt.

Proof of that lies in the fact that no tight ends were taken via the transfer portal this offseason. It's not certain if Nebraska even recruited any transfer tight ends.

Former Husker TE Austin Allen, who had another COVID year of eligibility remaining, decided to enter this year's NFL draft. Allen's Husker stats weren't mind-numbing (602 yards and two touchdowns in '21), but he was a force to be reckoned with. It's a bit surprising that Beckton opted not to go for another transfer TE.

It's true the Husker TE roster has some really good players, but most of them don't have much experience. The TE totals from the returning players is paltry: a total of 237 yards and only one touchdown for the lot.

Is there talent on the roster? Yes. Travis Vokolek (6-6, 260 lbs) and Chris Hickman (6-5, 215) return. Thomas Fidone II, at 6-6 and 235, has been bitten by the injury bug since he's been at Nebraska. Even though Chancellor Brewington is built like a WR (6-3, 185 lbs), he may fit into the TE picture.

A.J. Rollins from Omaha Creighton Prep had a good spring. In fact, in the Spring Game, he made an outstanding leaping catch of a perfectly thrown ball by Chubba Purdy. If Rollins can keep getting better, look for him to fit into the TE lineup.

The Huskers took a couple of TEs in the '22 recruiting class (Chase Androff and Brodie Takaloa). The concern with the TE corps is the health of Brewington, Hickman and Fidone. All of them have been injured this spring. Will they be ready by Aug. 27?

Scott Frost keeps tight-lipped about the injury status of his players. For now, all we can do is hope the TE corps can be close to 100% this fall.