Jeremy Pernell: Nebraska Still Short on High-End Depth at Wide Receiver

But the numbers are improving, and incoming freshmen could contribute early

Third in a series breaking down Nebraska's 2023 post-spring roster by position. | HuskerMax discussion

Nebraska's struggles building up its wide receiver room have been well chronicled. Even with the transfer portal, it's not something that can be rectified in one offseason.

Thanks to six new additions from the 2023 recruiting class, the numbers are getting better, but proven top-end talent is still lacking for the most part.

The team lost three receivers to the portal after spring ball, with junior Alante Brown's attrition coming as a bit of a blow. Brown left the team in February, but the door had been open for a possible return. Instead, a week before the Red-White game, Brown put his name in the portal, closing the door on his Husker career. The Chicago native had appeared in 30 games over the past three seasons, making 10 starts last year. He seemed on the cusp of a breakout for the Huskers.

Joining Brown were sophomore Shawn Hardy II and redshirt freshman Victor Jones Jr., neither of whom had appeared in a game. These two weren't surprises. They never established themselves in Lincoln and were likely going to get passed up by most of the incoming freshmen.

Heading into fall camp, the likely starting trio appears to be Billy Kemp IV, Marcus Washington and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda.

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Billy Kemp

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Nebraska Athletics photo

Nebraska Athletics photo

Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda

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Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Zavier Betts

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Taveon Thompson 

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Nebraska Athletics photo

Alex Bullock

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Kemp transferred in from Virginia, where he ranks fourth all-time on the Cavaliers’ career reception list with 192 catches. His 1,774 receiving yards also ranks 10th in school history. He'll be WR1 and more than likely get the bulk of the targets this season from Jeff Sims. He is also the first player in Virginia program history to lead the team in punt returns and punt return yardage for four straight seasons, so he'll almost certainly be the primary punt returner as well.

Fellow senior Marcus Washington transferred to Nebraska from Texas last offseason with Casey Thompson. He played in every game with 10 starts last year. He enjoyed a solid spring and for now is entrenched as WR2.

Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda has had an interesting Husker career thus far. As most fans know, Garcia-Castaneda was a portal addition from New Mexico State last offseason. Former coach Mickey Joseph liked his skillset and was excited about his potential. Not surprisingly, Garcia-Castaneda had an impressive start to the 2022 season. But after hauling in four receptions (seven targets) for 120 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, he had just three balls thrown his way (1 reception for zero yards) over the next three games.

After not seeing eye-to-eye with Joseph, Garcia-Castaneda entered the transfer portal on Oct. 11, but after the coaching change, he approached new head coach Matt Rhule about returning to the team. He will be a fifth-year junior this season.

Another former Husker returned to the team after a year-long hiatus. Sophomore Zavier Betts stepped away from the program in March 2022. Most local media assumed he had given up on football until his name showed up in the transfer portal on Jan. 3. Rhule received a heads-up from former assistant coach Jeff Nixon, whose son, Will, was part of the same 2020 Husker recruiting class. Rhule initiated contact with Betts and after a few discussions, Betts was back on the team in time for winter conditioning.

Betts played in 18 games between 2020 and 2021, catching 32 passes for 417 yards and a touchdown. He also had three rushes for 109 yards and another score. He's arguably the most naturally gifted receiver on the roster. If Betts is dialed in, there's no limit to where his game can go. He was in the starting lineup for the spring game with Garcia-Castaneda out. It wouldn't shock me if he keeps that spot heading into the Minnesota game. At the very least, he should be a heavy rotational piece and key contributor.

Josh Fleeks is expected to be in the rotation this fall as well. The senior is coming from Baylor, where he spent the past four seasons after being recruited to Waco by Rhule. Ty Hahn, Alex Bullock and Taveon Thompson are sophomore walk-ons trying to get in the mix as well.

There isn't a lot of high-end depth in this room, and the staff would love to see a couple incoming freshmen assert themselves when they arrive later this month.

Headlining that group is Lincoln East's Malachi Coleman. He'll step on campus and immediately challenge Betts as the most gifted player in the room. It wouldn't surprise me if he found his way onto the field this fall. Odds are he'll take over for Washington as the X receiver in 2024.

Jaidyn Doss and Demitrius Bell are also candidates to earn some reps this fall. I would expect Jaylen Lloyd, Brice Turner and Jeremiah Charles to redshirt, but they'll be given every opportunity as well.

Looking ahead, I expect Rhule to sign three or four receivers in this recruiting class. Unfortunately, at least publicly, the Huskers aren't gaining much traction with many guys.

They aren't currently the favorites to land Bellevue West standouts Dae'vonn Hall and Isaiah McMorris. Hall, in particular, had a tremendous relationship with former coach Mickey Joseph. After Joseph was out of the picture in Lincoln, the relationship between Hall and Nebraska diminished significantly.

For his part, Rhule has continued to try and build a relationship with the four-star prospect, and Hall has commented on the two building a good rapport. Penn State, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Kansas State and Tennessee are currently Hall's top schools. Can Nebraska get back in the running? Hall was originally scheduled to be at the March 25 Junior Day event, but he canceled so he could compete in a 7-v-7 tournament in Chicago with NE Elite. He has talked of taking an official visit to Lincoln.

McMorris recently scheduled an official visit to Lincoln for June 23-25, which is an excellent sign. He really likes Oklahoma, and also has Penn State, USC and Minnesota at the top of his list. McMorris has visited Lincoln twice this spring: March 4 to meet Garret McGuire in person for the first time, and April 15 to watch Nebraska's last scrimmage before the spring game.

The top target on the board is Gatlin Bair, who is from Burley, Idaho. On Dec. 5, he received one of the first 2024 offers Rhule extended after taking the Nebraska job. Since then, Bair has exploded onto the national scene. He was in Lincoln for a multi-day visit in March as he attended the massive junior day held on the 25th.

Bair is arguably the fastest recruit in the 2024 class. In late March, he ran a blistering 10.18 in the 100 meters at the Texas Relays, winning the event. He bested 2023 five-star South Carolina signee Nyckoles Harbor, who is an Olympic hopeful in the 200. Earlier this spring, he beat California's defending 100- and 200-meter champion, Rodrick Pleasant, a 2023 four-star Oregon signee, in an indoor 60-meter race.

A few weeks ago, Bair named a top five of Boise State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon and TCU. The Huskers are looking good in this one.