2008 Position Breakdown: Receivers

2008 Position Breakdown: Wide Receivers

Position Overview: The most impactful personnel losses on the offense happened at wide receiver, where productive wideouts Maurice Purify, Terrence Nunn and Frantz Hardy completed their eligibility. Purify and Nunn especially were vital parts of the Husker passing game. In 2008, steady, experienced receivers Nate Swift and Todd Peterson return, but others will have to step up in order for the NU passing game to be a legitimate threat.

Swift will be a calming presence for the both the quarterbacks and the young receiving corps. A good route runner with better than average speed, he’ll be Joe Ganz’s go-to guy early in the season. Peterson also brings plenty of experience to the receiver position. While not as dynamic as Purify, his big frame and knowledge of the system will cause match up problems for smaller defensive backs.

While Swift and Peterson are known commodities, neither is really a “game-breaker” type of receiver and alone they are not enough for this group to be effective. The hope is one or more of a bevy of young and talented receivers can turn this position from a concern to a competitive advantage. Among those fighting to be the Huskers’ next breakout star are juniors Menelik Holt and Chris Brooks, sophomores Niles Paul and Will Henry and redshirt freshman Curenski Gilleylen.

Of this group, Holt most resembles Purify’s combination of size and athleticism. However, time will tell if he can match Purify’s production. Paul and Gilleylen both possess decent size and the blinding speed to stretch defenses, and with his 6-5 frame and 4.5 speed, Henry may be the most intriguing talent in the group. Brooks is a former blue-chip recruit who now has the opportunity to prove he can live up to his lofty star status. Again, there is plenty of potential here, but in order for NU to have a successful season, potential needs to turn into production.

Reason for optimism: Looking at the receiver situation from a glass-half-full perspective, this group is a good combination of steady veterans and young talent just waiting to explode.
Reason for concern: There were plenty of drops in the spring game. Purify and Nunn arguably had the best hands on the team. All the athleticism in the world doesn’t matter if players can’t catch the ball. This group needs to prove they have the hands to be Big 12-level receivers.

New blood: The incoming class includes WRs Khirry Cooper (assuming he doesn’t sign a contract to play baseball for the L.A. Angels), Steven Osborne and Tim Marlowe. Florida recruit Antonio Bell was still a qualification mystery as of this posting. Of this group, Cooper is the most likely to contribute in 2008 should he opt to remain a collegian.

What to expect in ’08: There was a moment in the spring game when Curenski Gilleylen sped past DB Anthony West and caught a long Joe Ganz toss in stride, and the crowd at Memorial Stadium collectively thought, “Okay, we may be fine at receiver.” Granted, it also may have indicated some issues in the defensive secondary, but we’ll ignore that for now. There’s always something exciting about the unknown, especially when the unknown might be great. That’s the way I feel about the wide receivers. There’s plenty of talent on hand, along with some key returning experience. Hopefully by the time the Virginia Tech Hokies come into Lincoln for the final non-conference game, we’ll have a much better idea who the next great Husker receivers will be.