On Saturday Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule announced receiver Hardley Gimore IV is no longer with the program.
“Nothing outside of the program. Nothing criminal or anything like that,” Rhule said.
Gilmore wasn't at Nebraska long — around four months. He arrived at Nebraska in January and took part in mat drills and a handful of spring practices after transferring in from Kentucky, where he played his true freshman season in 2023.
Gilmore followed his position coaches — Daikiel Shorts Jr. and assistant receivers coach Andrew Verboys — as well as fellow receiver Dane Key from Kentucky to Nebraska this offseason.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Gilmore, a native of Florida who reclassified from the 2025 class to the 2024 class and turned 18 years old in December, caught six passes for 153 yards and one touchdown at Kentucky while averaging 25.5 yards per catch. He played in seven games but missed the first five with a broken collarbone suffered in fall camp.
What it means
Reaction: On the surface, Gilmore's departure doesn't seem like it hurts the offense much at all.
Yes, Gilmore clearly has talent, and with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining Nebraska was right for adding him, especially with his connections to Shorts, Verboys and Key. But Gilmore, who still should be considered an unproven product, was going to have to fight for snaps in a loaded room.
The Huskers brought in Key, a veteran with proven production in the SEC. Nyziah Hunter transferred in from Cal, and the 6-2, 210-pounder caught 40 passes for 578 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
The Huskers also return slot Jacory Barney Jr. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman with four starts. The slight, but tough and quick, Florida native caught 55 passes for 447 yards last season, tying the school record for receptions by a freshman. Barney also rushed 10 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns. As a returner, he brought back 14 kickoffs for 285 yards.
The room officially adds back Jaidyn Doss, who's entering his third year in the program. He spent 2023 as a receiver before switching to defensive back last season. He returned to the wideout room late last season but didn't play.
There's also a group of second-year receivers in the 6-5 Quinn Clark and the 6-3 Keelan Smith. The 6-5, 230-pound Carter Nelson moved to the tight end room, but still could be used often as a big-body receiver. He'll miss spring with rehab but is expected back for fall camp.
Demitrius Bell is out this spring as he rehabs, but he's a third-year receiver who was having a strong spring in 2024 before a season-ending knee injury in the spring game. Janiran Bonner could occupy a role in certain packages as a big-body slot, too.
Then there's the true freshman wideout class, which includes highly-touted four-stars in Cortez Mills and Isaiah Mozee. The 6-foot, 175-pound Mills was the No. 87 recruit overall in the class and the No. 15 receiver while the 6-1, 200-pound Mills was No. 175 overall and the No. 30 receiver.
Mozee was headed to Oregon before his father, Jamar Mozee, was hired by Matt Rhule to be a senior football assistant last summer. Mills was an Oklahoma commit before flipping to the Huskers.
Long story short, even with Gilmore's departure, Nebraska's receiver room still has plenty of options. While there isn't much proven production outside of Key, the potential exists for this to be a dynamic room for starting quarterback Dylan Raiola if development under Shorts and Verboys goes as planned.
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