Nebraska Football Fall Camp Preview: Wide Receiver
Matt Rhule’s first fall camp at Nebraska is right around the corner. The HuskerOnline team dives into what to expect from the Huskers with our position-by-position fall camp previews.
Next up, we have the wide receivers, in which the top group needs a big year and others will need to emerge.
What we know right now: Top group needs a huge year
Over the last two seasons, Nebraska’s top wide receiver transferred in the year before. Can Virginia transfer Billy Kemp IV continue the trend and be the Huskers’ go-to guy? From what was shown during the spring game, Kemp looks like he could be.
Outside of Kemp, Marcus Washington, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Zavier Betts look like they will be in the top receiver group. All three players are returning to Nebraska for another season. Both Garcia-Castaneda and Betts were in the transfer portal at one point.
In 2022, Washington played the most snaps of any wide receiver. He caught 31-of-48 targets for 471 yards. He could be close behind Kemp in snap count and targets in 2023.
Garcia-Castaneda and Betts both have lots to prove at Nebraska but have definitely shown flashes in the past. Betts played 283 snaps in 2021 and caught 20-of-30 targets for 286 yards.
Garcia-Castaneda, a New Mexico transfer, had a huge Husker debut against Northwestern. He had four catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. After that, he caught one pass on three targets over the next three games before entering the portal.
Joshua Fleeks is another player who is slightly outside of the top group before Nebraska’s fall camp beginnings. Fleeks, a Baylor transfer, has a lot of football experience. He is definitely a player to watch.
Key stats and numbers from 2023:
| Player | 2022 Snap Count |
| Trey Palmer* | 515 |
| Marcus Washington | 519 |
| Alante Brown* | 410 |
| Oliver Martin* | 245 |
| Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda | 106 |
| Omar Manning* | 104 |
| Brody Belt* | 53 |
| Player | TGT | REC-YDS | TDs | Y/REC | YAC |
| Trey Palmer | 110 | 71-1,043 | 9 | 14.7 | 385 |
| Marcus Washington | 48 | 31-471 | 1 | 15.2 | 124 |
| Alante Brown* | 25 | 18-104 | 0 | 11.9 | 63 |
| Oliver Martin* | 17 | 6-68 | 0 | 11.3 | 20 |
| Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda | 17 | 11-195 | 1 | 17.7 | 18 |
| Brody Belt* | 8 | 7-64 | 1 | 9.1 | 33 |
| Omar Manning* | 6 | 4-18 | 1 | 7.0 | 4 |
Biggest question: Will there be a freshman breakout?
Nebraska has six freshmen wide receivers in the class of 2023. Several of the freshmen have a shot at making an immediate impact on the field during their first season.
Four-star Malachi Coleman seems to be one of the most likely to play early this fall. The two-way player is one of Nebraska’s four four-star 2023 players but is the only one on offense. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Lincoln (Neb.) East native picked the Huskers over Colorado, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia and more.
Jaidyn Doss was one of the best receivers in the state of Missouri. The 6-foot-0, 195-pound WR earned more than 2,000 career receiving yards and rushed for almost 1,000 yards. Doss’s versatile skills and abilities will likely put him on the field this fall.
Five Nebraska true freshmen ready to make an immediate impact in 2023
Jaylen Lloyd and Brice Turner are both track speedsters who will likely play some this fall. However, with a deep wide receiver room, they will likely redshirt but still get experience within the four-game rule.
Freshman Jeremiah Charles is a great athlete, which he showed off on the track at Arlington (Texas) Martin high school. Charles played only one season of high school football and needs some development. However, his athleticism will definitely be used by the Huskers down the road.
Coleman and Doss were on HuskerOnline’s freshman immediate impact list. They both could add an important set of skills to Nebraska’s wide receiver room this fall camp and season.
Projected Fall Camp Depth Chart:
- Billy Kemp IV
- Marcus Washington
- Zavier Betts OR Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda
