LINCOLN, Nebraska — Nebraska’s wide receiver roster after preseason practice a year ago featured a below-average No. 1 player who had never averaged more than 32 yards per catch in five college football seasons.

Among them were two successful walk-ons and three migrant workers with average values ​​who had caught a total of 39 passes in the previous season.

And that’s all.

Check it out now. This is Extreme Makeover: Pass Catching Edition.

Enter 6-foot-4, 220-pound Jahmal Banks, who came over from Wake Forest and caught 101 passes for 1,289 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He was an instant teammate in Lincoln and enters this season as the projected leader in targets.

With the same size, Isaiah Neyor, the transfer from Texas who caught 44 passes for 878 yards and 12 scores at Wyoming in 2021, brings electrifying post-catch skills.

The Huskers have two freshmen who will enter the rotation thanks to their unique skills. Jacory Barney, the playmaker from Miami, and Carter Nelson, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound four-star tight end who played eight-man football in high school in Ainsworth, Nebraska.

Veterans Alex Bullock and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda return in 2023 along with two players from the previous season.

Jahmal Banks led Wake Forest with 59 receptions in 2023. (Ken Ruinard / USA Today)

There’s Jaylen Lloyd, a track star who caught three passes of 58 yards or more last season, and Malachi Coleman, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Both made waves as rookies despite having limited opportunities to develop when they were thrust into the starting lineup a year ago after injuries to Garcia-Castaneda in the opening game and Marcus Washington in Week 6.

And there’s Janiran Bonner, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore slot receiver who came to the Huskers as a four-star wideout out of Georgia but has spent the past two seasons primarily as a tight end and fullback.

That’s nine receivers for three positions. The Huskers could use more receivers this year — 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman Keelan Smith looked fluid and well-rounded in camp — but they don’t need to.

Nebraska’s wide receivers aren’t simply considered the most improved position group on this team in 2024 – they could be considered one of the most improved positions in the Big Ten by November and the group that has improved the most from one season to the next for Nebraska in many years.

“It’s a totally different room,” said wide receivers coach Garret McGuire.

Consider that Bullock, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior who took more reps than any other receiver last year and caught 15 passes, will have to fight for any playing time this season.

“I’m really excited about the depth,” McGuire said. “That’s what’s going to make the season so exciting. Our lineup can change from week to week depending on how well you train and play.”

Garcia-Castaneda began last season as a starter. This year, he worked overtime to get back in shape after an ACL injury, and it paid off in the weight room. IGC was able to increase his weight by 10 pounds to 198 pounds and did 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. He squats 500 pounds and has broken other personal bests.

But nothing is certain for him.

“Nobody’s job is guaranteed or secure,” he said.

Nebraska struggled to throw the football in 2023. Its 52.1 percent passing success rate ranked 126th nationally. It gained 6.2 yards per pass attempt, better than only five Power 5 teams.

The quarterbacks bore a large share of the blame. They were indeed inefficient, throwing 16 interceptions and 10 touchdowns. But the lack of experience, depth, size and dynamic skills at the receiver positions contributed significantly to the one-dimensional nature of the offense in Matt Rhule’s first season as coach.

Billy Kemp, the aforementioned 5-9 WR1, caught 35 passes for 310 yards (both team highs) and scored just one touchdown through the air.

Yes, Nebraska has Dylan Raiola at quarterback, who could be a big improvement for the offense with his strong right arm and advanced understanding of the passing game for a freshman. But without weapons around Raiola, hopes of a significant turnaround on offense could fizzle out.

The Huskers have these weapons.

“Man, this group is special,” running back Gabe Ervin said. “This group is special not only because of the guys that have come in, but because of the way we come together and the way we develop a culture of execution that is going to win us games.”

“I’ve been part of this program since 2021. And I’m saying now, all these players are involved in the process and listening to Rhule and all the coaches and that’s just going to make a difference. We come together as a unit in Week 1 and put everything on the table, it’s just going to be phenomenal to watch.”

The restructure began with Banks, a fifth-year senior, and Neyor, now in his sixth season, joining the program in January. Nebraska was looking for a pair of big brothers for players like Coleman and Lloyd, who weren’t yet ready to take on the primary pass-catching duties.

In Neyor, the Huskers have acquired a motivated player. He suffered a knee injury early in his time at Texas two years ago and was unable to reach his potential with the Longhorns. Neyor said he feels as good physically as he did in 2021 and better mentally, with a better understanding of attacking strategies.

“Man, I’m so hungry,” he said.

Neyor slides with the football in his hands. His large upper body makes him an option for the middle at 23. If he escapes a tackle, he’s gone.

“If you try to play a high (safety) or put us under zone pressure,” Rhule said in June, “we’re going to absolutely crush you. And you need players to do that.”

In Banks, Nebraska got a ready-made leader. He turned down offers from Harvard and the Army to go to Wake Forest in 2020. Banks recognized the work standard and attention to detail that Rhule and his coaching staff expected from older Huskers.

“It’s about doing things that aren’t asked of you,” Banks said.

What was it like in the team environment during his only offseason in Lincoln?

“It looked like I worked hard,” Banks said. “It looked like I had my teammates’ backs. It looked like I had my teammates’ backs. It looked like I started a conversation and was just a great teammate. When you have great teammates, that’s the foundation of a brotherhood, a close team, a strong team, a team that doesn’t let anyone get you down.”

A team led in part by his talent as a pass catcher. A radical transformation, no doubt.

(Top photo by Isaiah Neyor courtesy of Nebraska Athletics)