Woodyard has taken the 'next step'

Now that wide receiver Jaron Woodyard has been in Lincoln for almost a full year he’s feeling as confident as ever.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Maryland native signed with the Huskers out of Arizona Western C.C. in December of 2017. However, a math class prevented the speedy wideout from getting on campus as an early enrollee. Instead, Woodyard showed up in late May and felt like he was behind the curve until the middle of last season.

“Coming here late (last May), that definitely was a setback for me,” Woodyard said when speaking with the media on Monday. “It was a major setback, but going through the year I learned the offense and I feel pretty confident right now.”

After being one of the more productive wide receivers in all of Junior College football his first two seasons with Arizona Western C.C., Woodyard ended up with only one catch for 10 yards and had four kickoff returns for 50 yards last season.

While his production last fall was certainly limited, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Troy Walters says he feels as if the senior-to-be has taken the next step as a player.

“Jaron Woodyard has taken that next step where he’s a guy now who feels comfortable in the offense and he can play fast,” Walters said.

Now that Woodyard is entering his senior season, one could easily assume there’s a sense of urgency for him this spring. However, that’s not necessarily the case.

“It was like that when I first got here,” Woodyard said about feeling a sense of urgency. “Like, not knowing everything and trying to rush, trying to get things done. I’m pretty confident about what I do now, though. Everything is smooth. You have confidence, you know what you’re doing, just go out there and compete.”

Last season Woodyard primarily worked behind senior wideout Stanley Morgan Jr. He says he learned a lot of watching Morgan Jr. work last year and is poised to take over that vacated spot.

“Just doing everything right,” Woodyard said about what he learned from Morgan Jr. “Repetition, being a leader for the younger guys, just doing everything right and being where you’re supposed to be.

“I’m a lot further along than I was last year, just coming in late and then learning the playbook and everything. I feel confident in the position I’m in right now. Everything is going good, I’m learning the plays and stuff. I had the physical ability, running routes, catching and everything like that. I just had to get the offense down. I feel like I have that down pat now, so everything is coming along.”

Woodyard said Walters has let him know he’s been making good progress this spring. He attributed a lot of his growth on the field to the hard work he’s done off of it. In fact, despite not putting up a ton of numbers last fall, Woodyard said he feels like a veteran in the system now simply because he’s comfortable with what’s being asked of him.

“You work harder off of the field, as well as on the field, so you do what you have to do to get on the field,” Woodyard said. “Me not playing last year much - I feel very confident this year. It feels great coming in and knowing what I’m supposed to do and doing everything right and getting better every day.

“I feel like a veteran.”