Life in the Red: As Mickey Joseph rattles off NU’s slot receivers, a player tends to stand out | Football

As new Nebraska receivers coach Mickey Joseph rattled off players who are practicing in the slot position this spring, one name in particular stood out.

Omar Manning, at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, is an intriguing figure at the position. 

“It’s a big target,” Joseph told reporters earlier this week. “It’s kind of different. But Coach (Mark) Whipple likes a big target as an inside guy.” 

Manning last season caught 26 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games for 3-9 Nebraska, mostly as an outside receiver. 

Samori Toure excelled in the slot position for NU in 2021, leading the team with 46 receptions for 898 yards and five TDs.

Whipple took over as the Huskers’ offensive coordinator in December and obviously brings new ideas to the table. 

As for this spring, look for Trey Palmer to make a big impression in the slot during Nebraska’s workouts. In 2021 at LSU, Palmer caught 30 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns, ranking third on the team in TD receptions and fourth in catches. 

In addition to Palmer and Manning, Joseph said junior Brody Belt and New Mexico State transfer Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda are earmarked to play in the slot. 

“We’re going to have four kids who can go inside and play,” the coach said. 

Joseph was asked what he looks for in a slot receiver.

“First of all, you have to be twitchy,” he said. “You have to be a willing participant to go across the middle and catch the ball in traffic. You also have to have a good football IQ because of the things we ask you to do. We ask you run option routes, we ask you to run over routes, we ask you to run delta routes. We ask you to do a lot. We ask you to run bubbles. 

“You have to be able to get out of traffic because you’re in the middle of that mess every single time. Outside guys, they can release outside and nobody’s out there. The guy inside, he’s always trying to direct himself through traffic.”