Spring practice is well underway for the Nebraska football team. The Big Red begins spring ball with different offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators than the ones they had a year ago at this time, in addition to having dozens of new players on the roster. Even amidst all the change, optimism is high heading into year three for Head Coach Matt Rhule.
It’s wide receiver week on the Common Fan Podcast. On Monday, we dedicated an entire episode to a deep dive into Nebraska’s wide receiver room. Later in the week, we posted an article listing three reasons to believe the hype about the Huskers’ wide receivers going into the 2025 season.
Today we continue with our spring spotlight series by looking at perhaps the biggest name transfer and most exciting receiver on the roster: Dane Key.
Today’s Spotlight: Wide Receiver Dane Key
From huskers.com: “Dane Key played three seasons at Kentucky before transferring to Nebraska. In his three years as a Wildcat, Key played in 38 games with 35 starts, catching 126 passes for 1,870 yards and 14 touchdowns. At the conclusion of his career, Key ranked fifth on Kentucky’s all-time receptions list and 13th in career receiving yards.”
View from the Common Fans: After losing Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor–both of whom transferred to Nebraska before the 2024 season–the Huskers were lacking in proven production. And they had no one like Key on the roster: a big bodied wide receiver who is a threat on the outside and can win one-on-one battles with defensive backs. Getting someone with Key’s skillset was a must for the Big Red this offseason, and landing a player with three years of starting experience plus proven results in the SEC makes this an even more important get for the Huskers. When Key spoke to the media last month on the eve of spring practice, he talked about going against several SEC cornerbacks who ended up being 1st round draft picks. That bodes well for Nebraska this fall.
Key also spoke about his strong relationship with new wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts, developed over the course of just the one year Shorts spent at Kentucky. Key’s appreciation for Shorts is certainly promising for all of Nebraska’s receivers, and clearly the relationship paid dividends for the Big Red. After being hired in December 2024, Shorts earned his keep quickly, reeling in Key that same month.
Outlook for 2025: Key headlines a massive makeover of Nebraska’s wide receiver room, as the Huskers also brought in Nyziah Hunter from Cal as well as Key’s former Kentucky teammate Hardley Gilmore IV. They also added four recruits from the high school ranks, several of whom could see the field this fall. But it’s Key who leads the group, and he’s the one who is expected to have the biggest impact in 2025. He noted in his comments to the media that Coach Rhule told him after he committed that he needs to be a leader for Nebraska’s other receivers, and he seems to be embracing that veteran leadership role. When you consider his experience in the SEC, his proven production against some of the top defensive backs in the country, his relationship with Shorts, and his ability to be a leader for the younger guys in the room, it’s hard to think the Huskers could have done any better on the transfer market than landing Dane Key.
One more thing: in that opening press conference, Key talked about how talented Dylan Raiola is, and how Raiola is one of the main reasons he decided to transfer to Nebraska. That’s no small thing, and should not be overlooked. This is a veteran player who has seen the best of the best in college football. Let’s hope we’re talking about the Raiola-to-Key connection all season long.
As always, GBR for LIFE.
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
