Jeremy Pernell: Filling a Gaping Hole at Wide Receiver

After Trey Palmer’s departure, Virginia transfer Billy Kemp IV could be Nebraska’s go-to option in 2023

Bob Donnan photo-USA TODAY Sports

Third in a series on Nebraska football’s transfer additions heading into fall camp.

Nebraska lost three of its top four pass catchers from the 2022 season. Starting tight end Travis Vokolek and wide receiver Oliver Martin exhausted their eligibility, but it was the early departure for the NFL by Trey Palmer that left a gaping hole at WR1 for Nebraska.

Palmer had a record-setting year for the Huskers in his one season in Lincoln after transferring from LSU to follow Mickey Joseph.

He set a school-record with 1,043 receiving yards and his 71 receptions rank second on Nebraska's single-season charts and are the most ever by a wide receiver. His nine touchdown catches are tied for fifth most in a single-season.

Named second-team All-Big Ten, Palmer was the only player in the conference to record three games with at least 150 receiving yards, including a school-record 237 yards against Purdue.

The loss of Palmer put a strain on a position group with basically no returning production, but the team was assuaged some in January with the return of Zavier Betts and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda after the pair had left the team last season. Both could push for starting positions this fall, along with Marcus Washington, who started 10 games last season and ranked second on the team in both receptions (31) and yards (471).

There was still a void that needed to be filled and the staff thinks they've found a capable replacement for Palmer.

Billy Kemp IV comes to Nebraska by way of Virginia, where he was one of the all-time leading receivers in program history. He ranks fourth all-time on the Cavaliers’ career reception list with 192 and his 1,774 receiving yards ranks 10th in school history.

Kemp was also Virginia’s primary punt returner and was the first player in program history to lead the team in punt returns and punt return yardage for four straight seasons. During his time at UVA, he had 64 attempted punt returns for 369 yards, and has totaled 2,337 all-purpose yards for his career.

As a sophomore in 2020, Kemp ranked second in the ACC and 18th nationally with an average of 6.7 receptions per game. He became just the fifth player in program history to record multiple double-digit receptions in a game after finishing with 10 catches against Clemson and NC State. He was named honorable-mention All-ACC for his efforts.

A preseason Biletnikoff Award nominee, Kemp took his game to another level as a junior in 2021. He caught at least three passes in all 12 of Virginia's games, starting 10 of them. His 74 catches ranked fifth in the ACC, and his 6.2 receptions per game ranked 30th nationally, earning him third-team All-ACC honors.

He came into his senior season last year with a lot of preseason expectations. He was named to the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List and was in line to challenge Olamide Zaccheaus' school-record for career receptions (250). Unfortunately, an ankle injury limited Kemp to four starts in seven games of action. He also saw a streak of 28 consecutive games with a reception snapped.

Virginia's final two games of the regular season were canceled after three players - D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler - were killed in a shooting on Nov. 13.

With his season over and after appearing in 50 career games with 25 starts, Kemp initially intended to train for a shot at the NFL.

Then the NCAA decided to grant an extra year of eligibility to any graduating Virginia football player in the wake of the tragedy. Kemp officially entered the transfer portal on Dec. 30, intent on using his final season of eligibility at a program that could showcase his talents and increase his chances of playing professionally.

Kemp was a hot commodity, receiving heavy interest immediately from Penn State, West Virginia, California, NC State, Rutgers and Syracuse. Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield reached out as well and were able to get Kemp on campus for the weekend of Jan. 6-8. Quarterback Jeff Sims returned to Lincoln that weekend and took on the role as player-host for Kemp.

Despite planning to take another visit on Jan. 11, Kemp was sold on the plan Nebraska's staff laid out for him and decided to commit to the Huskers the day after visiting, announcing it on Twitter Monday night, Jan. 9. He cited Matt Rhule's reputation for developing guys for the NFL as a major factor.

He also likes the fact he's being counted on to be the team's go-to option. It was one of the primary criteria he considered when choosing his next school.

With nearly 2,000 snaps of game action in the ACC, I think the staff will have a plan for how to use Kemp in their offense. At Virginia, he was often targeted on short-to-intermediate routes and counted on to use his run-after-catch abilities to do damage. I think that's a good blueprint to work from.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Kemp is an ideal slot receiver, but Marcus Satterfield will also line him up on the outside and even in the backfield at times. He could be a jack of all trades in this offense and is the odds-on favorite to lead the team in targets.

Along with filling their void at WR1, the staff also added a veteran they were previously familiar with.

Joshua Fleeks / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Joshua Fleeks originally committed to play for Rhule at Baylor as part of the 2018 recruiting class. He was rated a four-star recruit and the No. 158 overall player by ESPN. He chose the Bears over notable offers from Georgia, Illinois, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas Tech and UCLA.

Being a Matt Rhule/Evan Cooper target, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was also a track standout in high school, running a 10.46 (100m), 21.81 (200m) and high jumping 6' 4".

During his five years in Waco playing for two different staffs, Fleeks was coached by four different receivers coaches and played for three offensive coordinators. Initially recruited to play running back, he was primarily a wide receiver for Rhule before eventually being switched to running back by Dave Aranda.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Fleeks totaled 795 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in 43 career games, but he never found significant playing time at either receiver or running back and made just one career start. He had a defined role under Rhule, however, amassing 39 catches, four touchdowns and 421 yards from scrimmage as a key reserve in 24 games. But he couldn't seem to find his niche with Aranda and his staff.

As the schemes changed and his role diminished, Fleeks was hampered by an injury sustained against Texas in October 2021 that forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season. He touched the ball only five times in three games last season as he continued to recover from the injury before deciding to enter the transfer portal on Oct. 4.

Fleeks was set to transfer to Texas Tech to play for his former high school coach, Joey McGuire, until Rhule took the Nebraska job and convinced Fleeks to join him in Lincoln. Now he'll be coached by his former high school and Baylor teammate Garret McGuire, who has been a close friend for over a decade.

Matt Rhule was able to get the most out of Fleeks while they were together in Waco. Now Fleeks - who will likely back up Billy Kemp in the slot - will try to resurrect his career at Nebraska.

However, I can't see Fleeks getting a ton of snaps this fall. He has a similar skillset to Kemp and the coaches aren't going to sacrifice his playing time to get Fleeks on the field. Outside guys like Marcus Washington, Zavier Betts and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda aren't going to take a step back either.

I'm also expecting Rhule to try and get some of his promising freshmen on the field to get them valuable game reps with an eye on the future. I can't see inhibiting the growth of guys like Malachi Coleman, Jaidyn Doss or Demitrius Bell, either. Fleeks' best chance at seeing consistent playing time could be as a kick returner, a position he held for stretches at Baylor.

Regardless, Fleeks will bring value to the roster as a mentor and someone who knows the culture and standard the staff wants to set.