Carter Nelson’s path at Nebraska has already been anything but linear, and the next turn could be the biggest one yet.
The Ainsworth native is listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, and after seeing the field in all 26 of Nebraska’s games since arriving in 2024, he’s now in position to take on a different kind of responsibility in the offense. The question hanging over fall camp is simple: does Nelson stay at tight end, or does Nebraska move him into the slot?
That possibility matters because of what Nelson represents. He came to Lincoln as a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, ranked No. 3 among tight ends.
Nebraska beat out 29 Division I offers for him, with Alabama, Georgia and Oregon among the schools involved. Before he ever got to campus, former 247Sports recruiting analyst Allen Trieu called him "by far the best athlete on the field on his film."
Trieu also said Nelson "will have to adjust to the level of competition in college."
Nelson’s high school résumé backed that up. He finished with 32 catches for 641 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, while also rushing for 789 yards and 14 scores. He closed his prep career with first-team All-Nebraska and first-team Super-State honors, plus a Class C long jump title and a third-place finish in the 200-meter race.
His first year in Lincoln showed why the adjustment was real. At Ainsworth, Nelson played eight-man football, so he had to re-learn plenty once he got to Nebraska. Still, as a true freshman in 2024, he played in all 13 games, caught 10 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, and carved out a role on special teams.
The follow-up season was quieter. Heinrich Haarberg’s move from quarterback to tight end changed the picture, and Luke Lindenmeyer was already established in the room.
Nelson again played in every game, but he finished with just two catches for 11 yards. Even so, he still made an impact, scoring the second touchdown of his college career on a blocked punt return against Michigan State while Mike Ekeler was the special teams coordinator.
With Haarberg now off to the NFL, Nelson was expected by many to at least be in line for second-string tight end work in 2026. Nebraska kept Lindenmeyer, but Nelson looked like the next man up. A move to the slot would alter that expectation and shift the depth chart in a real way.
If Nelson does switch, Nebraska would have five scholarship tight ends heading into the fall: Lindenmeyer, Luke Sorensen, Cayden Echternach, Danny King and Eric Ingwerson. That’s not empty, but outside of Lindenmeyer, there isn’t much proven production at the college level. That puts even more weight on Lindenmeyer’s health and production if Nelson is used elsewhere.
The receiver room, meanwhile, is crowded. Nebraska has 18 scholarship pass catchers listed on the roster before fall camp, and Nyziah Hunter, Jacory Barney, Kwazi Gilmer, Cortez Mills, Quinn Clark, Janiran Bonner and others are all still in the mix. If Nelson moves there, nothing will be handed to him.
But that’s also the point. The staff wouldn’t make the change without believing there’s a role that fits him better. Nebraska seems to be looking for the best way to get his talent on the field, and if the slot is where that happens, the move could help unlock the upside that made him such a prized recruit in the first place.
Nelson is still listed as a tight end for now, and he’s also working back to full strength after an injury kept him out of spring ball. That missed time wasn’t ideal, but fall camp gives him a chance to catch up. Nebraska is expected to spend the coming weeks figuring out where he can help most, and if the Huskers get it right, Nelson could become one of the more important pieces on the roster this fall.
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