The landscape of college football is ever changing. It has always been the objective of coaches to build depth at every position. But with NIL and the transfer portal, that is becoming increasingly more difficult. Players who stand out are offered better opportunities, making it harder to retain them. And keeping your roster intact has become more important than ever. Few teams or coaches have the luxury of allowing young players to develop over two years, and when they do, it becomes a top priority to keep them.
I wonder if Nebraska may be taking a new approach at building depth. Perhaps it’s as simple as quantity over quality?
Having signed eleven players into the 2026 recruiting class, Nebraska recently added one more to make it an even dozen. Having already signed two receivers in Larry Miles and Nalin Scott, they have now added a third in Jamari Brown, a 5’11”, 170-pounder from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. If Mount Carmel sounds familiar, it should. Brown joins former teammate offensive tackle Claude Mopuma in the class. Having just won a state championship while going 14-0, Mount Carmel has suddenly become a recruiting hotbed for the Huskers. Before Brown and Mopuma the Huskers received the commitment of former Mount Carmel quarterback Trae Taylor. A 2027 commit, Taylor has been busy with peer recruiting and Brown and Mopuma are just two examples of Taylor’s recruiting efforts.
Taylor, who has shown a deep commitment to Nebraska, has relocated and will be playing at Millard North his senior year to be closer to Lincoln and the Nebraska staff. As Nebraska’s future quarterback he appears to be on his way to earning a 5-star rating, recently winning the ‘Alpha Dog’ title at ‘The Sevens’. A 7-on-7 prospect competition in Georgia. According to analyst in attendance Taylor posted the best performance at the event. Taylor has been participating in such events throughout his high school career and was at Nebraska’s ‘Battle at the Boneyard’ last summer.
Could it be recruiting is moving towards teams rather than individuals. Mopuma and Brown will both be part of the team a year before Taylor arrives. To say they will be starters after year one would be speculative. But to say they will add significant depth to their positions is a given. Nebraska didn’t recruit them just to add bodies. They expect them to be contributors. But sometimes you need to add the right pieces rather than ‘the’ piece.
Nebraska’s wide receiver coach Daikiel Shorts was handpicked by OC Dana Holgorsen to coach wide receivers and lead that room. Trae Taylor is Nebraska’s quarterback of the future. Shorts is a top recruiter. Taylor has played with and has a connection with Brown. Between coach and peer recruiter they have identified and are stacking talent in the wide receiver room.
Brown is a three-star prospect and made visits to Ole Miss and Nebraska while receiving offers from Eastern Michigan and Ball State. Nebraska has added Brown as a preferred walk-on where he will likely play as a slot receiver. While smaller in stature, Brown’s quickness and versatility allows him to get free and behind defenses. A strong runner, it’s easy to imagine Brown contributing early on special teams.
Brown will arrive on campus during the summer with fellow freshmen defensive tackle Dylan Berymon, linebacker Jase Reynolds, and offensive lineman Hayden Ainsworth. The roster stands at 116 players with the addition of Brown.
One of the deepest position rooms at Nebraska, wide receiver’s coach Daikiel Shorts, has multiple options at his disposal with 18 players on the roster. He has both speed and height to work with. A look at the wide receiver room.
Jacory Barney – 6’0”, 170-pounds. Jr.
Nyziah Hunter – 6’1”, 205-punds. Jr.
Kwazi Gilmer – 6’2”, 190-punds. Jr.
Quinn Clark – 6’5”, 210-pounds. So.
Cortez Mills – 6’0”, 185-pounds. So.
Janiran Bonner – 6’2”, 225-pounds. Sr.
Keelan Smith – 6’3”, 205-pounds. So.
Jeremiah Jones – 6’4”, 225-pounds. RFr.
Larry Miles – 5’10”, 170-pounds. Fr
Nalin Scott – 6’2”, 200-pounds. Fr.
Demetrius Bell – 6’0”, 195-pounds. Jr.
Jamari Brown – 5’11”, 170-pounds. Fr.
DJ Singleton – 5’10, 150-pounds. So.
Roman Mangini – 5’10”, 170-pounds. Sr.
Hayes Miller – 6’1”, 200-pounds. Jr.
Jackson Carpenter – 6’1”, 200-pound. RFr.
Rowdy Bower – 5’11”, 195-pounds. So.
Conner Schutt – 6’5”, 225-pounds. So.
This is a young talented room which consists of two seniors, five juniors, six sophomores, two red shirt freshmen, and three freshmen. There has been a lot of talk about what this room is capable of, and some are questioning whether it’s the best group of receivers ever assembled at Nebraska. There have been some good rooms in the past, and until we see real production from this group, it will be hard to call them the best. In all honesty, I don’t remember a group of receivers at Nebraska with as much potential as this one. Holgorsen commented a week or so ago that there are some really good players in this group. The question now is can they catch the ball. It’s yet to be seen. With a new look at quarterback and the potential for unscripted plays, it could be a big season for this room.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photo courtesy of the Falls City Journal
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