Fall camp is getting close, and with Nebraska’s offseason questions starting to pile up, a few names keep standing out. Carter Nelson is one of them.
Ahmad Hudson is another. And at quarterback, Anthony Colandrea is already being slotted into a spot that says plenty about the skepticism around him.
Nelson remains the most intriguing Nebraska puzzle piece. The former top-100 recruit nearly chose Georgia before landing with the Huskers, and through two seasons he’s been more of a special teams presence than the breakout pass catcher many expected. He’s appeared in every game over the last two years, but the production hasn’t matched the hype: 12 catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown.
That’s part of why this summer feels so important for him. Nelson was an 8-Man football player who handled just about everything, and Nebraska has been trying to mold him into a tight end.
It hasn’t fully clicked yet, and a hip injury didn’t help. After catching only two passes last season, he needs a real jump if he’s going to become a factor.
He still has three years of eligibility left, and Damon Benning, the former Husker and Nebraska color analyst on Gamedays, offered a strong endorsement recently: “He’s in my top 6-7 wideouts for this season. I’m very high on him…this is my biggest turnaround opinion on a player.”
That kind of buzz has been hard to find around Nelson otherwise. On the most recent depth chart, he was listed at tight end, though the move position was noted as a possibility, which would allow him to slide into the slot.
With Luke Sorensen emerging, there may not be much room for him in the tight end room anyway. His best trait has always been his ability to catch the ball, so a shift toward wide receiver could make sense if Nebraska wants to get something out of that skill set.
The problem is that the receiver group is not exactly wide open. Jacory Barney, Nyziah Hunter, and Kwazi Gilmer sit at the top, and then there’s another cluster of names in Quinn Clark, Cortez Mills, and Janiran Bonner, who works in a WR/FB/H-Back role. Nelson will have to fight for any kind of meaningful role.
On the recruiting front, Nebraska fans who got excited by Keith Williams teasing good news last weekend may need to slow down a bit. If that hint was tied to Ahmad Hudson, it doesn’t sound like anything is happening right away.
Bryan Munson of Husker Online reported Wednesday that Nebraska supporters shouldn’t expect an immediate decision on Hudson. He suggested the better window would be closer to signing day, when Nebraska would have a better chance to finish the flip and Lane Kiffin would have less time to respond. The message for Husker fans: there’s still reason for hope, but patience is the move here.
At quarterback, Anthony Colandrea landed in a spot that reflects the questions still hanging over him. Two writers for The Athletic broke Big Ten quarterbacks into four tiers, and Colandrea was placed in the fourth group, behind Bryce Underwood of Michigan and Colton Joseph of Wisconsin. That effectively put him 12th among Big Ten quarterbacks in their ranking.
The Mountain West Player of the Year last season has plenty to prove in Lincoln. Pro Football Focus lists him as the third-highest-graded returning quarterback, but the real test is whether that production carries over once he’s in the Big Ten.
In Other News...
Former Husker Dante Dowdells Football Future Is Suddenly In Doubt
Dante Dowdells football path has taken another painful turn, this one far beyond the field. The former Nebraska running back, who transferred to Georgia, was seriously injured in an ATV accident near his home in Mississippi, according to Kirby Smart, and the news has shifted attention away from any depth-chart questions and toward Dowdells recovery.
Smart confirmed Dowdell is hospitalized in Atlanta, and the severity of the injuries has left his football future up in the air. For a player who had already navigated multiple transfers and was trying to carve out a role in Georgias backfield, the focus now is on the long road ahead, with no clear timetable for when, or if, he might return. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Drama Gives Nebraska Fans Another Reason To Feel Good
Between the off-field noise in Ann Arbor and a few encouraging notes on the recruiting front, Nebraska fans had plenty to keep an eye on this week. Michigans athletic department is dealing with the fallout from an investigation tied to former football coach Sherrone Moores conduct, while the Cornhuskers also got a boost from the recognition of commits Trae Taylor and Tay Ellis as one of the nations top quarterback-receiver pairings.
There was more good news sprinkled in for Nebraska supporters, too, with former pitcher Aaron Bummer landing a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. And on the football side, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz added a little extra fuel to the Big Ten conversation by suggesting the leagues recent title run has been helped by softer non-conference scheduling, a remark that only makes the conference spotlight feel a little brighter as Nebraska keeps building toward its own next step. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Did It Again For Boise State
Nebraskas neutral-site matchup with Boise State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, did not take long to find an audience. Tickets went on sale Friday and were gone shortly after, another reminder of how quickly Cornhuskers fans can turn a road-adjacent date into a must-have event when the schedule offers something a little different.
For anyone still hoping to get in, the market has already shifted to resale, where the cheapest Ticketmaster listing is sitting at $175 before taxes. It is a steep entry point for a game that is still months away, but it also fits a familiar pattern for Nebraska, whose fan base has a habit of making even neutral-site games feel a lot less neutral. [Read more 🡒]