Spring position preview: Nebraska pass-catching duties are up for grabs

The jobs are, at least. That goes for the wide receivers, which move on from the record-setting Trey Palmer. And the tight ends, a group sending a member to the NFL for a third straight offseason.

Spring activity will go beyond simple position battles as the Huskers learn a new offense and a new quarterback — Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims will see plenty of action with incumbent Casey Thompson (shoulder) likely limited. Different position coaches, former Huskers turned current Huskers and a now-healthy top ex-prospect also add intrigue to 15 practices in which each participant has much to prove.

With spring camp days away, here’s a closer look at how everything — and everyone — lines up.

Spring preview

Who’s here: Tight ends Thomas Fidone, Arik Gilbert, James Carnie, AJ Rollins, Chris Hickman, Chase Androff, Brodie Tagaloa, Nate Boerkircher, John Goodwin and Luke Lindenmeyer. Receivers Marcus Washington, Billy Kemp, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, Joshua Fleeks, Zavier Betts, Victor Jones, Shawn Hardy, Janiran Bonner, Ty Hahn, Alex Bullock, Elliott Brown, Barron Miles, Taveon Thompson and Roman Mangini. Alante Brown — a 2022 contributor — stepped away from the team in February for personal reasons and isn’t enrolled in classes, though the door hasn’t closed on an eventual return.

Who’s hurt: Tagaloa, a redshirt freshman, will miss the spring recovering from an elbow injury.

Who’s the coach: Coach Matt Rhule made two of the more intriguing assistant hires at the Power Five level this offseason in tight ends coach Bob Wager and receivers coach Garret McGuire. Wager has been a career high school coach, spending the last 17 years leading Arlington (Texas) Martin and three decades overall in the Lone Star State at various preps stops. His is a made-for-TV tale of a 22-year-old New York native who was so inspired by the Friday Night Lights culture that he swapped his Jeep for a motorcycle to ride to Texas to pursue his coaching dream. McGuire — a former Baylor quarterback and son of Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire — just celebrated his 24th birthday as perhaps the youngest NU assistant ever. Known in coaching circles for being an innovative offensive mind, McGuire served as an assistant with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers the last two seasons.

Snapshot: Lots of candidates, little clarity. Start at tight end, which returns precious little production beyond Boerkircher, a walk-on. The room features two previous top national prospects in Fidone and Gilbert, with the former coming off a second ACL injury and the latter at his fourth different university. Others like Carnie, Rollins and Hickman have been behind the scenes for years and may be ready for larger roles. At receiver, the senior Washington (31 catches for 471 yards and a touchdown) is the exception as a known commodity. Betts and Garcia-Castaneda left NU at different points in 2022 — how quickly can they acclimate back? Kemp caught nearly 200 career passes while at Virginia and Fleeks arrives from Baylor as a firsthand witness of a Rhule turnaround. Underclassmen Bonner, Hardy and Jones are previously touted recruits who could make moves too.

Prove-It Players: Perhaps only Washington and Kemp would say their careers have matched their expectations thus far. Betts and Garcia-Castaneda must ingratiate themselves with former teammates while auditioning for a new coaching staff. Fleeks is also taking his last shot at a potential pro career. Fidone and Gilbert have yet to translate their previous star ratings onto the field with any consistency – the tight ends will have every chance to do so in the coming weeks.

Pre-spring pecking order: Receiver: 1s: Washington, Kemp, Fleeks. 2s: Garcia-Castaneda, Betts, Hardy. 3s: Bonner, Jones, Hahn. Tight end: 1: Fidone. 2: Gilbert. 3: Rollins/Boerkircher.