This is the sixth installment of ‘Getting to 105’ and the third on offense. I established my 105 by first determining how many players are needed at each position. On offense, I decided on the following, 20 offensive linemen, 6 tight ends, 13 wide receivers, 5 quarterbacks, and 6 running backs for a total of (50).
My numbers will be different from what we’ll see on opening day, but they are a starting point. The wide receiver position is one of those where my number of 13 could be 12 or 15, depending upon where Nebraska feels the need. When Evan Cooper was here Nebraska was heavy on defensive backs, with Holgorsen at OC, that could switch to wide receivers.
Other than Holgorsen taking over as the offensive coordinator the only other change on the offensive staff was the addition of Daikiel Shirts Jr. as the wide receiver’s coach. Marcus Satterfield gave up the OC position but returned as the tight ends coach, Donovan Raiola returns as the O-line coach, EJ Barthel comes back as the running back’s coach, and Glenn Thomas returns as the quarterback coach.
With Dana Holgorsen as the offensive coordinator there will be a shift in what we see on offense and the type of wide receivers Nebraska will look to acquire in the future. We’ve already seen Holgorsen and Shorts Jr. go for bigger wide receivers and place an emphasis on outside blocking. It will also be interesting to see Shorts Jr. in action as the wide receiver coach. There is a night and day difference in coaching style between him and former coach Garrett McGuire. Holgorsen will also push Satterfield and Barthels to have their players prepared in pass protection and hit the correct holes when running the ball.
I won’t spend much time on the guys that are gone. The Huskers lost 4 players to graduation, Alex Bullock, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, Isaiah Neyor, and Jahmal Banks. Two players entered the transfer portal, Dae’ Vonn Hall and Isaiah McMorris. Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Isaiah Neyor have since entered the transfer portal with additional eligibility due to rule changes. Elliot Brown left the team.
The Huskers added 4 high school players and 3 transfer portal players to match the 7 players that are gone. I anticipate Nebraska being open to adding another wide receiver with experience during the spring portal window.
As of now the additions are as follows:
Recruits
Cortez Mills, 6’1”, 165lbs, Homestead, FL
Isaiah Mozee, 6’1”, 185lbs, Kansas City, MO
Jeremiah Jones, 6’4”, 200lbs Murray, KY
Jackson Carpenter, 6’2”, 185lbs, Lincoln, NE
Cortez Mills was a four-star recruit who was committed to Oklahoma. He flipped to Nebraska after the hiring of Phil Simpson. Simpson was the head coach at Homestead for two seasons when Mills played in high school. Mills only played five games in his senior year and still posted 446 yards and 6 TD’s. His junior year he caught 79 passes for 1,640 yards and 18 TD’s. Mills was heavily recruited after earning a spot in the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl as a high school All-American.
Isaiah Mozee was initially committed to Oregon. The four-star recruit played his high school ball under his father. When Matt Rhule at Nebraska hired his father Jamar Mozee as a senior football assistant, the younger Mozee flipped to Nebraska. Under his father in four seasons, he made 233 receptions for 3,241 yards and 42 touchdowns. On the ground, he carried the ball 78 times for 665 yards and 11 TD’s.
Jeremiah Jones was seen as the number one high school player in Kentucky and was a four-star recruit. In high school he was considered an all-everything player as he played both sides of the ball. In his sophomore season he played defense logging 97 tackles and 5 interceptions. His junior year he made 66 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a TD. That same season he completed 52-104 passes for 643 yards and 6 TD’s while rushing for 304 yards and 3 TD’s. He also caught 22 balls for 326 yards and 2 TD’s. In his senior year his defensive numbers dropped off, while he excelled at receiver, catching 71 balls for 1,014 yards and 9 TD’s. On defense he logged 113 total tackles, 15 for losses, 1 interception, 11 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Even with his defensive production he is viewed as an athlete by Nebraska and is currently listed as a wide receiver.
Jackson Carpenter is a second-generation Husker as his dad played tight end at Nebraska from 1993 to 1997. Another all-around athlete, the younger Carpenter, played football, basketball and ran track. Seen as a big play receiver Carpenter didn’t put up scary numbers but had big averages. Only playing in five games his senior year he logged 14 catches for 236 yards and 3 TD’s, for a 15 yard per catch average. As a junior he had 28 catches for 514 yards and 7 TD’s. Averaging a touchdown every fourth catch. As a sophomore he had 14 catches for 324 yards and 4 TD’s, averaging more than 23 yards per catch. Carpenter also runs 10.68 100 meters.
Portal Transfers
Dane Key, 6’3” 210lbs, Sr, Lexington, KY
Nyziah Hunter, 6’2” 210lbs, So, Salinas, CA
Hardley Gilmore IV, 6’1” 178lbs, So, Miami, FL
Dane Key comes to Nebraska from Kentucky where he played for Shorts Jr. In his three years at Kentucky, he caught 126 balls for 1,870 yards and 14 TD’s. He averaged 13.6 yards per catch over that time. He put up good numbers last season even though Kentucky’s quarterback play was questionable. Facing that again and the loss of Shorts Jr. as his coach prompted him to enter the transfer portal.
Nyziah Hunter came to Nebraska from Cal where he caught 40 balls for 578 yards and 5 TD’s. He had a 14.4-yard average per catch. Those are impressive statistics from a true freshman. Hunter came to Cal as a three-star recruit. He played his highs school ball at Salinas High in Salinas, CA. His senior year he finished with 912 yards and 14 TD’s. Nebraska was attracted to Hunter because of his talent and having three more years to play.
Hardley Gilmore IV also played his freshman season at Kentucky under Shorts Jr. In his only season he had 6 receptions for 126 yards. That’s an average of 25.5 yards per catch. He also ran the ball 1 time for 9 yards. Deceptive and quick, he is seen as a big play receiver, and some have compared him to Nebraska’s Jacory Barney Jr. It is said Kentucky’s coaches were more upset over the loss of Gilmore IV than they were Key.
After losses and additions, the Huskers stand at 16 Wide receivers. Of the 16 players on the roster there is 1 senior, 4 juniors, 4 sophomores, 3 red-shirt freshmen, and 4 true freshmen.
Current Roster
Jacory Barney Jr., 6’0”, 170lbs, So
Janiran Bonner, 6’2”, 220lbs, Jr
Demitrius Bell, 6’0”, 185lbs, So
Keelan Smith, 6’3”, 185lbs, RFr
Quinn Clark, 6’4”, 205, RFr
Roman Mangini, 5’10”, 170lbs, Jr
Hayes Miller, 6’0”, 180lbs, Jr
DJ Singleton, 5’10”, 155lbs, RFr
Cooper Hausmann, 5’11”, 195lbs, Jr
As for experience, the addition of the lone senior, Key, was important and he is seen as a day one starter. Of the juniors, Janiran Bonner is the only real contributor with 11 catches for 67 yards and 1 TD. Roman Mangini had 1 catch for 11 yards. However, Matt Rhule suggested last week that Mangini had already made the 105-man roster due to his work ethic and attitude. Of the 4 sophomores, Jacory Barney returns after catching 55 balls for 447 yards. Barney also ran the ball 10 times for 130 yards and 3 TD’s. We’ve already covered what Nyziah Hunter and Hardley Gilmore IV bring to the table. The fourth sophomore is Demitrius Bell, who is coming of an ACL injury in the spring game las season. At the time of his injury Bell was seen as effective as Barney Jr.
The 4 freshman additions will need to show that they deserve to be on the roster. If all 4 make the roster, which is more than likely, that leaves 13 available spots for the 16 players currently listed on the roster. Just remember, for every addition made through the portal, someone else will be forced out.
If the season were to start today, and everyone healthy, my 2-deep would appear as follows:
Dane Key, 6’3” 210lbs, Sr – Quinn Clark, 6’4”, 205, RFr
Nyziah Hunter, 6’2” 210lbs, So – Cortez Mills, 6’1”, 165lbs, Fr
Jacory Barney Jr., 6’0”, 170lbs, So – Hardley Gilmore IV, 6’1” 178lbs, So
I’m sure my two deep looks much different than what we will see in the first game. This is one of the most talented wide receiver rooms Nebraska has had in years. Competition will be stiff, and it’ll be interesting to see where new wide receiver coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. assesses each of the players that were already here.
Matt Rhule hit the portal and the skill positions harder this year. He’ll stick with developing offensive lineman but in the future look for Nebraska to be active in pursuing top-tier skill guys when they become available.
Up next, we’ll look at the running backs. A position that many fans are concerned about. Other than Emmett Johnson, there isn’t much experience returning.
All stats gathered from ESPN,com and The University of Nebraska’s official website.
Go to Off The Cob to see the current 105-man roster and more on Husker football.