Jeremy Pernell: Huskers Take a Flier on a Once-Coveted Receiver

Isaiah Neyor has appeared in just one game over the last two years, but the transfer from Texas has the potential to be one of Nebraska football's most dynamic players.

Wide receiver Isaiah Neyor runs with the ball during Texas' 2022 spring football game. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fifth in a series. Previous installments: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

As I touched on yesterday in my Jahmal Banks recap, one of the top goals Nebraska football had this offseason was upgrading the wide receiver position.

Outside of junior walk-on Alex Bullock and senior Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda — who has appeared in five games in two years because of injuries — the room skews young. The rest of the players expected to be key contributors are underclassmen: Jaylen Lloyd, Malachi Coleman, Jacory Barney, Janiran Bonner and Carter Nelson.

With nine first- and second-year scholarship players in the room, the staff wanted to infuse some talent from established upperclassmen from the portal.

Nebraska loves the long-term potential of this group that is chock-full of promising youngsters. The fact remains, however, there was a clear need to add productive receivers to the roster.

Isaiah Neyor started his career at Wyoming and earned a reputation as a big-play threat and for being one of the most explosive receivers in the Mountain West Conference. He played in all six games of a pandemic-shortened season as a redshirt freshman in 2020, finishing with eight catches for 248 yards for the Cowboys. Had he gotten four more receptions on the season to qualify for NCAA rankings, his 31.0-yard average per catch would have led the nation.

He broke out as a sophomore the following season, leading his team in receptions (44), receiving yards (878) and touchdown catches (12) on his way to earning second-team All-Mountain West honors in 2021. His 19.95 yards per reception and 12 receiving touchdowns both led the MWC and ranked sixth and eighth in the FBS, respectively.

Neyor became one of the best young playmakers in the country. He had at least one catch of 30 or more yards in nine of 13 games that year and had a six-game scoring streak to close out the season. Thirty of Neyor’s 44 receptions went for first downs, and he had 15 catches go for more than 25 yards.

Neyor played 674 snaps and earned an 82.6 grade from Pro Football Focus that season, which ranked among the top 40 receivers in the country. PFF credited Neyor with just three drops on 82 targets that season. When accounting for his solid 69.5 run-blocking grade, PFF ranked Neyor as the No. 20 overall wide receiver for his work in 2021.

That success led Neyor to enter the transfer portal. He wanted to get away from the constraints of Craig Bohl's run-heavy offense and make a name for himself on a bigger stage.

Neyor was one of the most coveted receivers in the portal and drew attention from some of college football's heavy hitters. He got a four-star transfer rating and was ranked by On3 as the No. 3 WR and No. 9 overall player, while 247Sports had him as the No. 4 WR and No. 20 overall player in the 2022 transfer portal cycle.

USC, Florida and Ole Miss are just a few of the teams that pursued him heavily. After a brief pledge to Tennessee, the Fort Worth native decided to take his talents home to play for Texas and was viewed as a major addition to the Longhorn program that offseason.

Neyor hit the ground running in Austin. He impressed coaches during spring practices and then excited fans with his play-making ability during the Longhorn spring game, highlighted by a 63-yard scoring catch. He continued to impress head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff that offseason before an ACL injury in fall camp took away his entire 2022 season. Prior to the injury, he was in contention for a starting spot, or at worst, a top rotational guy.

Unfortunately, Neyor became an afterthought as he rehabbed his way back. In the 2023 offseason, Texas added Adonai Mitchell from Georgia via the transfer portal and signed an impressive WR class, headlined by five-star Johntay Cook.

By the time Neyor got healthy, he had been buried on the depth chart and relegated to a co-backup role within a loaded position group. Last year, Texas had one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country, featuring 2024 NFL first-round pick Xavier Worthy, second-rounder Adonai Mitchell and sixth-round pick Jordan Whittington.

Neyor saw eight snaps in Texas' opener against Rice and had one catch for 14 yards. He didn’t see the field again the rest of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Neyor re-entered the transfer portal on Dec. 8 after two disappointing seasons in Austin. Though not nearly as coveted this time around, Neyor still had plenty of suitors.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder took a midweek visit to Nebraska and was hosted by quarterback Dylan Raiola. Along with Neyor's family, the pair were accompanied by offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and staff member Ron Brown at the Husker basketball game against Indiana on Jan. 3.

Neyor was enticed by the opportunity at Nebraska and liked the role he could fill in the offense. He had an additional visit set up for Miami, but canceled after visiting Lincoln. Neyor announced his commitment to Nebraska on X late Friday night, Jan. 5, following his visit.

It didn’t take long for Neyor to make noise this offseason. He had a strong spring, flashing the big-play ability he showed before his knee injury. Neyor had two receptions for 26 yards in the spring game and also had a 31-yard catch negated by a penalty.

An exceptional athlete with a reported 7-foot wingspan, Neyor has a history of making big plays. As the likely starting Z-receiver this fall — the same spot he occupied at Wyoming — he will be counted on to be a deep threat and provide explosive plays. While in Laramie, those came in various ways; both on deep balls and from long catch-and-run sequences.

During his breakout 2021 campaign, although he played primarily as an outside receiver, Neyor lined up in the slot on 21 percent of his snaps, showing his versatility. I would expect Satterfield to move him around to take advantage of mismatches.

Neyor is one of the more intriguing transfers of this cycle, and while I believe he's a really good addition to the room, I'd be remiss if I didn't temper expectations — at least until he hits the field this fall. After being one of the country's most coveted skill-position players two years ago, he's been on the shelf in Austin ever since and is a bit of a mystery, needing to knock the cobwebs off a bit.

There is an element of risk in adding a player who has appeared in just one game over the last two years. The flip side of that coin, however, is that his immense upside is still there, so it’s worth the flier for Nebraska to find out if Neyor can become a consistent playmaker again.

The payoff could be huge. There's potential Neyor could be one of the Huskers’ most dynamic players.

A consistent deep passing game is something head coach Matt Rhule and Marcus Satterfield have coveted for the Husker offense. If Neyor is completely healthy both physically and mentally, and can regain his previous form, this offense might have the explosive element it desperately needs.

The 2024 season will be Neyor's sixth season of college football, but there's a good chance he could receive a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA after missing all of 2022 recovering from his torn ACL. Meaning he could conceivably return to Nebraska in 2025.

Neyor and Banks give the Huskers a veteran presence in an otherwise inexperienced room. They'll be counted on to bring stability and leadership to the position and give Dylan Raiola an experienced combo to rely on in the passing game.

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