Nebraska Football: Jaron Woodyard is a name to watch at wide receiver

Nebraska football has some open spots at wide receiver and one name to keep an eye on is 2018 JUCO transfer Jaron Woodyard.

When it comes to the Nebraska football team, there is no shortage of hype when it comes to the 2019 season. Some have called the Huskers a trendy pick for the College Football Playoff, while quarterback Adrian Martinez is already being mentioned among Heisman favorites.

While it is way too early for any of that talk, the reasons for excitement are understandable. With head coach Scott Frost‘s history of quick turnarounds and with a talented signal caller like Martinez, it’s easy to be optimistic.

However, if Martinez is going to have a chance in the Heisman race, he is going to need to throw the ball better in 2019. While he threw for over 2,500 yards last season, he will need to throw for more yards and touchdowns in 2019 and with a key loss at wide receiver to Stanley Morgan, that could be difficult.

Martinez needs people to throw the ball to after all and right now, the only sure-fire option is junior JD Spielman, who is one of the most dynamic wideouts in the Big Ten. He went over 800 yards in both of his two seasons.

Yet, outside of Spielman, there is no clear-cut No. 2 wide receiver but one candidate that could step up next season for Nebraska is a former JUCO transfer and that’s Jaron Woodyard, a 5-foot-11 wideout that saw most of his action as a kick returner for the Huskers a year ago. He caught just one pass for 10 yards.

Woodyard’s production may be limited, but he does have potential and is a guy that will certainly have a chance to climb the depth chart. Some of his top competition will be Mike Williams, another JUCO wide receiver that also saw limited action last season.

Woodyard and Williams should be part of the competition along with Kade Warner, who played well at the end of last season, particularly against Iowa. Newcomers like Jaime Nance, Demaryion Houston and Darian Chase should also be in the mix.

Wandale Robinson, who comes to Nebraska football at the No. all-purpose back in the 2019 recruiting class could also see time at wide receiver for the Huskers, like he in the All-American Bowl, however, that remains to be seen.

The bottom line is that Nebraska has a bunch of options at wide receiver. Spielman is the No. 1 guy, but after that, it’s a dogfight and when it comes to Woodyard, a veteran, you can’t count him out.