Steven Sipple: Malachi Coleman could give Garret McGuire’s Nebraska WR room even more bite, but what will coaches do with Jaidyn Doss?
Nebraska wide receivers coach Garret McGuire has some bite to him. That’s something I’ve noticed during the summer camps I’ve watched in recent days. Oh, he’s a pleasant sort by nature. But sometimes, in his profession, you have to get after people. You have to growl a little. Even in summer camps. He does it well when needed.
The 25-year-old coach’s wide receiver room also has some bite to it, and it’ll bite even harder with 6-foot-4, 195-pound speedster Malachi Coleman set to return full-go after being limited in the spring by a shoulder issue. As Coleman watched spring scrimmages, a pair of big-body transfer receivers, Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor, established themselves as key weapons for Nebraska.
“I think it was tough on Malachi,” McGuire told HuskerOnline last week. “But he was in every individual period for me, and he caught a lot of balls in the spring in all sorts of different kind of roles. Like when we got into 7-on-7, he was able to do it.”
Now, no more limitations.
“I’m excited to see how he fits in the mix,” McGuire said.
A Lincoln (Nebraska) East graduate, Coleman played in 11 games with six starts as a true freshman. He caught eight passes for 139 yards (17.4 ypc) with one touchdown. He also impressed as a perimeter blocker. I have to think he’ll be in the rotation.
As Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule likes to say, “You can’t teach 6-foot-4.” Plus, Coleman’s tenacity as a blocker indicates a high level of want-to. The veteran transfers, Banks and Neyor, could be excellent role models for him, and Coleman can challenge them daily. He possesses that sort of ability.
Yeah, McGuire has a good thing going in that room.
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What is the plan for Jaidyn Doss?
Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of redshirt freshman Jaidyn Doss, dating to his days at Raymore-Peculiar (Missouri) High. He has ample potential as a receiver. But it’s possible he’ll make a move to defense as a cornerback. The fact it’s even being considered tells you how much McGuire’s room has improved.
“This summer’s going to tell us a lot more,” McGuire said of Doss and his possible position switch. “Really, he only spent that last week of spring ball at corner. So, we’re going to see a little bit more of what he can do.”
McGuire indicated that the 5-11, 190-pound Doss may play both offense and defense in coming weeks as Nebraska pushes through OTAs. Still officially listed as a receiver, Doss played in four games while redshirting in 2023. He caught two passes for 20 yards.
If not for an injury during preseason camp last year — an injury that lingered well into the season — Doss may have played a more prominent role, especially as multiple injuries hit the wide receiver room.
Is there a danger of Doss getting lost in nowhere land while playing both sides of the ball, even if it’s temporary?
“You know, I think the way we recruit kind of minimizes that sort of thinking,” McGuire said. “What I mean by that is, we really do our homework and gather a bunch of information on our kind of guys. We want ‘football guys.’ Jaidyn is a ‘football guy.’ So, he’s going to work at whatever you tell him.
“He’s going to grind no matter what.”
Class of 2023 receiver group impressive
Doss and Coleman are part of a 2023 Nebraska scholarship recruiting class that also includes receivers Jaylen Lloyd and Demitrius Bell. Lloyd and Bell are obvious talents. Which is why Bell’s knee injury suffered in the spring game is a heartbreaker for the young man. He was ready to shine in 2024 after sitting out 2023 as a redshirt.
By the way, Jeremiah Charles was originally a receiver in Nebraska’s class of 2023, but has switched to cornerback — and has an excellent chance to be a starter this season.
Tip your cap to McGuire for some strong recruiting.
Along those lines, look for Lloyd to keep rising. Last season, the 5-10, 160-pound speedster from Omaha caught six passes for 237 yards — a hefty 39.5 yards per catch — and three TDs.
“I’m expecting him to build on everything he did in those last six games and really turn into a three-down receiver and not just a ‘package guy,’” McGuire said. “He’s done a lot when it comes to studying football and learning the playbook at a really, really high level.
“He’s got a lot of confidence right now. He had a really good spring. He’s another ‘football guy’ for us. I thought he really, really took a step of late. I’m really proud of him.”
McGuire’s urgency is evident
So, the youngest Nebraska assistant coach pushes forward this month with a sense of urgency. Yes, recruiting in the month of June is critical. The staff is extremely busy. But McGuire also is mindful of pushing his current group to keep improving during the summer months.
Players can make a big impression on coaches even this time of year.
In McGuire’s case, having Banks and Neyor in the fold helps matters greatly.
“Being veteran guys, they know what it takes going up to a play (at the line of scrimmage),” McGuire said. “What I mean by that is all their pre-practice preparation — body weights, film review, walk-throughs — it all comes into play. They’re going to go make plays.”
“They’re two totally different receivers,” McGuire added. “But they both bring a lot to the table that we’re excited about.”
McGuire said the 6-3, 215-pound Neyor “can win vertically a little bit more (than Banks).”
Meanwhile, the 6-4, 205-pound Banks “wins at the catch point a little bit more because he really knows how to body up defenders and get big and use his frame to his advantage.”
“I just love them,” the coach added.
McGuire, though, also lets them know when they need to step it up.
Make no mistake, the young coach has some bite.
The post Steven Sipple: Malachi Coleman could give Garret McGuire’s Nebraska WR room even more bite, but what will coaches do with Jaidyn Doss? appeared first on On3.
