Isaiah Neyor explains why Huskers have ‘a good thing going’

With his hands clasped behind his back and a soft tone to his voice, wide receiver Isaiah Neyor recounted how he ended up in Nebraska.

Heading into the offseason, the Huskers weren’t on his list. That changed when Neyor, who played at Texas last season, got a message from wide receivers coach Garret McGuire, which led to a visit.

Having gone through the transfer portal two years before, Neyor sought a strong culture. He found that at Nebraska, which “felt like home since I first came here.”

“A lot of people are bought in,” Neyor said of Nebraska’s culture. “If you have a lot of players that aren’t bought in, then things aren’t going to go the way you want them to go. … We’ve got a good thing going on and a lot of people are committed.”

The Nebraska wide receiver room looks different this spring, with the presence of Neyor and Wake Forest transfer Jahmal Banks being the reason why.

Following a 2023 season in which Husker wideouts struggled to consistently produce, the NU coaching staff set out for an offseason fix. There was no question about the young talent in the room — but could Nebraska land a veteran or two who’d be capable of coming in and producing immediately?

With 150-plus college catches combined between Neyor and Banks, both players fit what Nebraska needed.

“The big thing about both those guys is that they’ve made plays in college football and also they’re the right people,” McGuire said.

Whereas speed is abundant inside the Nebraska receiver room, size is not.

Banks (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) and Neyor (6-3, 215 pounds) immediately became two of the biggest, tallest wide receivers on the Nebraska roster — and they’ve put those skills to good use this spring.

When discussing Nebraska’s performance during a Saturday scrimmage, head coach Matt Rhule said limiting dropped passes and beating press coverage are areas that need work. McGuire had a similar perspective, saying that beating coverage at the line of scrimmage or the top of the route to create separation is a key goal this spring.

Banks and Neyor excel at such a task.

A combination of breakaway speed and a big frame makes Neyor a constant big-play threat, while McGuire said Banks excels at overcoming press coverage and breaking free. With long arms and physicality, both wide receivers are also adept at making contested catchers.

“You play a lot of cold-weather games (where) a lot of times you’re going to want a big possession-type guy or a big-bodied receiver in the red zone in tight spaces,” McGuire said. “I think that’s always friendly for a quarterback.”

Neyor agreed, saying that his strengths are creating separation, catching 50-50 throws and displaying football IQ in general. Nebraska’s young wide receivers can learn plenty from Neyor in that regard, while he’s not the only veteran in the room showing leadership.

Senior Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, who continues to recover from an ACL injury, and junior Alex Bullock, the team’s most experienced wide receiver in a Nebraska jersey, are also key leaders. For Bullock, that role means being the first player to go through practice drills and also helping teammates in their off-the-field work.

McGuire said that Bullock, Banks and Neyor can play all three wide receiver spots within the offense. However, it’s hard to see the senior transfers anywhere but the outside of the field given their size and catching radius.

At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Bullock isn’t far off their build — but he’s been just as impressed by Banks and Neyor as other Husker teammates.

“When they throw it up to them, they can just box out a guy and it’s hard to defend,” Bullock said.

While injuries have resulted in Neyor hardly seeing the field for two seasons, the wideout said he’s been fully healthy for over a year.

Developing chemistry with Nebraska’s quarterbacks will take time, but there’s no doubting the potential impact Neyor and Banks could have on the Husker offense in 2024.

So far, so good in that regard — and Neyor is excited to see what’s next.

“He elevates my game and I elevate his game; we make each other better, we make each other compete,” Neyor said of Banks. “Being able to come out here and have him on one side and me on another side, I think it’s a pretty good combo.”