Husker Dan: All Betts Are Off

Zavier says goodbye to the Huskers

Steven Branscombe/Getty Images via Wibbitz

My! People come and go so quickly here!
Dorothy Gale, "The Wizard Of Oz"

Husker fans should know by now that through the past four years, there has been a revolving door of football players coming into and leaving the Husker football program.

Here's just a partial list of who have left the Husker program during head coach Scott Frost's tenure: QBs Noah Vedral and Luke McCaffrey, RBs Greg Bell, Jaylin Bradley, Sevion Morrison, Marvin Scott III and Mo Washington. The receivers departures have included JD Spielman, Wan'Dale Robinson and Kade Warner. The entire list of player departures is much longer, but you get the idea.

When Frost announced last week that talented Husker wide receiver Zavier Betts (Class of '20) was no longer a Husker, it came as no huge surprise. It's not that many fans actually knew Betts was going to leave the program, it's just that Husker fans have become numb to players coming and going. What makes Betts' loss sting a bit more is that he was a local kid (Bellevue West High School in Bellevue, Nebraska). Nebraska has been losing far too many D-I players to other Power Five programs. So when Nebraska loses a kid like Betts, it seems to be even more painful.

At 6 '2" and 200 lbs, Betts seemed to fit the profile of what Nebraska needed in the WR room. No one questioned Betts' talent or potential, but something caused him to opt out of the program. Did he leave on his own volition, or was he dismissed from the team? All Frost would offer was that Betts is no longer a member of the Cornhusker football program.

Apparently, Zavier didn't show up for practice after last week's hyphenated spring football schedule. It would seem that since the Husker WR room has a new leader (Mickey Joseph), all players who wanted to earn playing time this fall would want to make a favorable impression on the new coach. With the level of talent in the WR room, it would seem a player like Betts would want to make the best impression he could on the new coach.

Will Betts return to the Huskers? Will Frost & Company even want him back? We may never know those answers. But one thing we do know: For the time being, just save your betts...

Related: Huskers.com profile | March 26th article.