Matt Lubick has glaringly few experienced players in his receivers meeting room, and sounds genuinely OK with it.
"I'm excited about it to be honest with you," the first-year Nebraska offensive coordinator and receivers coach said Tuesday during the "Husker Sports Nightly" radio program. "The kids I've been working with — we've spent a ton of time on Zoom — have been awesome. The older guys have been helping out the younger guys. I'm really excited about their attitude, and I think we have talent."Â
Nebraska practiced only three times in the spring before the coronavirus shut down college sports. The Huskers currently are in the midst of two weeks of "minicamp" practices that last until Aug. 7, when a "normal" camp is scheduled to begin.Â
Lubick has seen enough to know what he has in sophomore Wan'Dale Robinson and junior walk-on Kade Warner. Both drew strong praise from the new Nebraska assistant. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Robinson had 40 catches last season, while Warner (6-1, 210) had eight. They are the only returning Husker wideouts who have made a catch in college, although converted tight end Chris Hickman, a redshirt freshman, had one reception in 2019.Â
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Robinson also played running back last season, finishing with 340 rushing yards (3.9 per carry).Â
"His football intelligence blows me away, just talking to him and how easily he picks things up," Lubick said. "He can learn on video. You tell him one thing, and he can go out and do it with not a lot of reps."Â
Although Robinson is a true sophomore, he's already a leader both vocally and by example.
"That's going to be huge for our whole offense," Lubick said.Â
As for Warner, Lubick said, "I've been doing this for 25 years, and I don't think I've been around a more mature (player) than him. It's like talking to a coach. I think he's more mature than me. He's wise beyond his years. He's a lot like Wan'Dale where I ask them for feedback: 'How did you do this last year?'"Â
Warner missed the first four games last season with an ankle injury. It was a significant injury — worse than many people thought, Lubick said.Â
Meanwhile, Nebraska's receivers room has five scholarship newcomers — junior college transfer Omar Manning as well as true freshmen Zavier Betts, Alante Brown, Marcus Fleming and Will Nixon (recovering from recent ACL surgery).Â
Lubick was asked specifically about Brown, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound former prep quarterback who was on hand for spring practice.Â
"I've been amazed just now naturally he picks up some of the things from a skill standpoint at wideout, and he moves like a wideout," the coach said. "You can make an argument he's our fastest guy. I've never put any of those guys on a clock, but he can run. He broke away a few times in the spring, and you were like, 'Wow, this guy is a playmaker.' He impressed everyone in that short amount of time."
Lubick reflected on his first seven months in the program, which obviously has been a unique period because of the coronavirus. In short, coaches have had a lot of down time.Â
"The positive is that it gave you time to look and study and regroup and gather your thoughts," Lubick said. "When I first got here, it was a whirlwind just trying to get my feet on the ground. I feel a lot better about where we're going as an offense and studying other teams, and also about recruiting. It gave us a lot of time to really hone in and talk to recruits. Because we did have some definite free time."