Nebraska football WR Carter Nelson is going to be a problem

Dylan Raiola is the talk of Nebraska football right now, but he’s not the only freshman poised to make an impact for the Cornhuskers this season.

There’s another top-100 signee in the 2024 class and that’s Carter Nelson. The Ainsworth, Nebraska product is already familiar with Raiola. The two were teammates at the Polynesian Bowl and since then, the hype about Nelson’s impact has been off the charts.

However, with reports that Nelson is actually playing wide receiver — not tight end — and excelling, it makes you wonder what his impact could be this season for Nebraska football.

Cornerbacks can’t cover Nebraska football WR Carter Nelson

According to some camp intel from Tim Verghese of Rivals, Nelson has causing problems for cornerbacks. He’s 6-foot-5 after all and he runs the 100-meter dash in sub-11 seconds, so it’s not that surprising.

“It’s hard for corners to stay in front of Carter Nelson. He’s just so big, strong, and explosive, that he’s kind of just running through guys right now,” Verghese said on Hail Varsity Radio. 

"It's hard for corners to stay in front of Carter Nelson. He's just so big, strong, and explosive, that he's kind of just running through guys right now."@TimVerghese joined us today to discuss Nebraska's plan for recruiting a "positionless" offense, including how that plan is… pic.twitter.com/lbCTqw3SA8

— Hail Varsity Radio (@HVarsityRadio) August 13, 2024

Wide receivers coach Garret McGuire also talked up Nelson’s blocking ability, among other things calling him “dominant” and so far, it seems like a really smart move to play him at wide receiver.

Thomas Fidone is a weapon at tight end and I really like what Nate Boerkircher can bring to the table too. Frankly, as a receiver or tight end, Nelson is a mismatch.

The corners are going to have a hard time covering him but good luck with a linebacker or safety.

In terms of his impact this season, I expect Nelson to catch plenty of passes — especially short screens because good luck tackling him, and as Verghese indicated,  I think he’ll be a problem for defensive backs this season and throughout his Nebraska football career.

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