Nebraska Cornhuskers Wide Receivers Highlighted in Latest 'Chasing 3' Episode

Huskers Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Jahmal Banks shined in the latest episode of the 2024 Nebraska football documentary.

Sep 30, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers assistant coach Garrett McGuire before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football continues to count down the days until the Aug. 31 season-opening season matchup with UTEP at Memorial Stadium.

The Cornhuskers gave another glimpse inside the program for fans with the latest episode of the 'Chasing 3' Documentary. Sunday night's episode premiered on YouTube, showcasing the opening week of fall camp for the Big Red.

While the documentary has featured several player highlights, coach interviews and features from behind the scenes, the latest addition to the series gave a spotlight to two receivers: Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Jahmal Banks.

At the 14-minute mark, Garcia-Castaneda is shown getting coaching advice from Gus Felder, the director of football player development. The sixth-year receiver then spoke on his recovery process from his 2023 season-ending knee injury:

"It was pretty surreal going out there. Putting the helmet back on again, putting the spiders on again kind of felt weird," said Garcia-Castaneda, now in his third year with the Huskers. "It's been almost a whole year since I've done that. Overall, I was just really happy to be back out there."

The wideout received more praise from the assistant staff as Matt Hobbs, the Huskers' return to performance coordinator, spoke more about IGC's recovery since his injuring during the 2023 season opener against Minnesota.

"I've seen him go through the highs and lows, the ups and downs," Hobbs said. "This is a huge victory getting back out to practice. It's why he's come back to college football."

The former New Mexico State wideout was also seen fielding punts during the video, before shifting the attention to one of the newest faces for the Big Red with transfer Banks.

Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda (2) receives the ball as the New Mexico State Aggies face off against the UTEP Miners at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. / Nathan J Fish/Sun-News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Banks' first appearance in the series was shown as he led the team in a pre-practice prayer around the 16-minute mark. As the huddle broke, several Nebraska teammates were overhead shouting 'Preacher Jahmal' after Banks' speech.

The Wake Forest transfer added some clarity to his leadership style in joining the Huskers:

"For me, it's about walking the walk. It's about action. Actions speak louder than words, and for me that's just doing what I'm supposed to be doing," Banks said. "That's being there for my teammates. That's learning from my teammates. That's working hard, having conversation getting to know my teammates."

"Building trust, building a connection (with my teammates) - then ultimately everything else is going to fall into place in terms of being a leader."

- Jahmal Banks, Wake Forest transfer.

Banks was then highlighted in his practice routine, going through several drills as Chris Coulter, director of football advancement, spoke about the transfer's impact so far.

"Jahmal is a special person, and it doesn't take long to be around him to realize that. He's grateful, he's hardworking. Everything that he's gotten he's worked hard for it. He makes people around him better," Coulter said.

Dec 23, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Jahmal Banks (80)(80) leaps for a pass against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The program director added that Banks was on his personal radar for a long time, even before Banks joined the Deamon Deacons. "I recruited Jahmal four or five years ago he was one of the best players out of the DMV (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia)," Coulter said. "We recruited him hard at Wake Forest and we were able to land him."

"With the past few seasons Jahmal had had, we knew he was going to have a lot of options - whether it was the NFL or going to a bigger program."

- Chris Coulter on Jahmal Banks

Banks went on to discuss his recruitment process and why he chose Lincoln:

"Long story short, Nebraska checked off most of the boxes outweighing every other school in terms of where I saw myself, the kind of culture I wanted to be a part of, the staff, the scheme, where I fit in the blueprint," said Banks.

"It felt like home. It was the best decision I made."

- Jahmal Banks on transferring to Nebraska

Fellow receivers Alex Bullock and Isaiah Neyor added commentary on the receiver room as a whole, saying the receivers feel Nebraska could be an "explosive" offense. "We're very talented," Neyor said. "You got size, speed, agility quickness. Everybody can get busy."

Sep 16, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Alex Bullock (84) runs against Northern Illinois Huskies cornerback Jacob Finley (20) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Banks joined Nebraska in January after four years at Wake Forest, recording more than 100 catches and 1,400 receiving yards in his career. Garcia-Castaneda played in four games his first season with Nebraska in 2022, catching five passes for 120 yards and one touchdown in four games.

Nebraska continues its fall camp leading into the season opener at Memorial Stadium against UTEP on Aug. 31.

MORE: Husker Football Holds First Extended Scrimmage of Preseason Camp

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