Quinn Clark is making Nebraska’s coaching staff think bigger about how it wants to use him.
The 6-foot-5 receiver has already flashed enough this fall camp to catch Dana Holgorsen’s attention, and the Huskers’ offensive coordinator made it clear Friday that Clark is pushing for more than a spot role. Clark has played in 14 games so far and has five catches for 132 yards and one touchdown, but Holgorsen sounded convinced the ceiling is much higher.
“He’s made as many plays as anybody,” Holgorsen said. “He looks good.
I guess I've got to go 10 personnel now because he deserves to be on that field a lot, you know, and so how much 10 (personnel) will I do? I don't know.
But there will be some, based on what I just said.”
Clark wasn’t the only young skill player earning praise. True freshman running back Jamal Rule drew a strong review from Holgorsen, who said the newcomer no longer looks like a freshman after settling in over the summer.
“He doesn't look like a freshman to me,” Holgorsen said. “I mean, he was nervous in the spring because he just got here.
He was anxious. He was nervous.
He settled in over the summer and does not look like a freshman to me. He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, runs fast, has breakaway speed, has good ball skills, doing a solid job in protection.
So, you know, encouraged with where he's at.”
Rule may not have entered college as the most highly pursued back in the 2026 recruiting class, but the early returns since he arrived in January have been consistently positive. Based on Holgorsen’s comments, he looks set to be part of the rotation this fall.
Holgorsen also sounded upbeat about the broader receiver room, saying the group looks deeper and more polished than it has been. He pointed to veteran stability and the emergence of younger names like Clark, Keelin Smith and Cortez Mills as a big reason for the optimism.
“Looks good, feels good,” he said. “Looks to me like what I'm used to.
Guys are making plays downfield, you know, the route running is good. Just a veteran crew, and then you got young guys like Quinn Clark and Keelin Smith and Cortez Mills that are coming along.
That’s probably the most encouraging thing, just being able to roll with guys and not have players play multiple positions."
“That kind of gets me out of whack as a play caller," he continued. "Not knowing who's in at what spots and stuff. So, I think we got it settled in as far as who's playing where, and that allows me to call it freely and quickly.”
That stability matters even more with quarterbacks who can extend plays. Holgorsen said Anthony Colandrea and TJ Lateef both help Nebraska keep drives alive, which changes the way the whole offense functions.
"Yeah, no doubt,” he said. “Anthony [Colandrea] is, and TJ [Lateef] does a great job too just as far as keeping plays alive.
It makes my life a lot easier not having to call perfect plays. Which is fun to watch, but then you see the receivers go, like, ‘man, this play's not over, so I better get my eyes on him, and if he escapes, I better go get open to different spots’.
So, we've really improved on that.”
Colandrea, who ran for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns last season at UNLV, also showed he can throw on the move. Holgorsen said Nebraska has given him plenty of freedom in that area, and the fact that Colandrea has handled the offense without a wristband all fall stood out to him.
“Quite a bit,” Holgorsen said. “He's played a lot of ball.
The one thing I didn't know about him was how he would absorb knowledge and how he would absorb play calls. We have not used the wristband one time all fall.
That tells me that he's absorbing the knowledge, and he can process it, and he can speak it (clearly).”
Up front, Nebraska is asking its linemen to do more than just hold the line. Holgorsen said Geep Wade’s system demands movement, and that the Huskers recruited specific players for that job.
“They have no choice, with how Coach Geep [Wade] coaches,” Holgorsen said. “We're putting in plays that force them to run, so they have no choice but to do that. We recruited specific guys for a reason.”
He also singled out Gunnar Gottula, who is back from injury and drawing attention this fall.
“Speaking of the offensive line, Gunnar's [Gottula] back,” Holgorsen said. “And he can run.
He's a different Gunnar than what I've seen for two years. He's back; he's healthy; he's playing very well.”
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