Skip to main content

Kansas WR Coach Terrence Samuel Details Jayhawks’ Receiver Improvements

The Kansas football wide receiver room has made significant strides together since fall camp began.
Kansas wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel helps players through drills during fall camp practice on Aug. 4, 2026.
Kansas wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel helps players through drills during fall camp practice on Aug. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Terrence Samuel took over as Kansas football's wide receiver coach in 2022. He's done a fantastic job developing players like Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm, and he's looking to get the same potential out of his group this year.

He met with the media on Monday to open the new week and discuss what he's seeing from his receiving corps. Samuel has been impressed with the progress so far, but knows his players must continue improving every day.

"Progress," Samuel said about what he's seeing from his group. "We still got a long ways to go, but guys are starting to understand tempo and the aggressive nature that we play with, with the way Andy calls plays. I think they're picking it up. They're starting to understand that the most important thing is the job they have at that moment."

The unit is led by Buffalo transfer Nik McMillan, who is considered the complete package on the outside. The Jayhawks have high hopes that he can develop into a consistent WR1 this season.

"An aggressive guy that snatches the ball," Samuel described McMillan as. Really good ball skills, strong frame."

 Nik McMillan
Kansas redshirt junior wide receiver Nik McMillan (5) works through drills during fall camp practice on Aug. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Samuel highlighted McMillan's 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame as one of his most impressive qualities. He feels similarly about the rest of the WR room, joking that his entire group could compete in a bodybuilding contest if they wanted to.

One reporter asked Samuel why Cam Pickett had been limited in practice in recent days. He said the staff was simply easing Pickett's workload and that there was no issue to worry about KU's slot man.

Another player Samuel singled out was true freshman Corbin Glasco. The Dallas native is one of the fastest players on the team according to Samuel and can reach 22 to 23 miles per hour. However, as an 18-year-old, Glasco still has to adjust to the speed of the college game and build the stamina needed to complement his elite quickness.

The receiver room should be much deeper this season after Emmanuel Henderson Jr. carried much of the production a year ago. McMillan, Pickett, Nahzae Cox, and Keaton Kubecka are all candidates to command significant target shares from projected starting quarterback Cole Ballard throughout the campaign.

Check out the KCSN official website and follow us on FacebookX and Instagram for the latest KU basketball and football news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations


Published | Modified
Joshua Schulman
JOSHUA SCHULMAN

A lifelong Kansas basketball and football fan, Josh recently graduated from The College of New Jersey, majoring in Communications and minoring in Journalism. Josh has over 1,500 published articles on KU athletics across Kansas on SI and FanSided's Through the Phog, with additional work at Indiana on SI, Notre Dame on SI, and Pro Football Network. Josh looks to provide a fan's perspective in his writing for the school he has loved since he was a kid. KC Sports Network is the premier destination for Kansas City sports fans with podcasts, YouTube and social media content. Stay connected with the latest news and analysis by following KCSN on all social media platforms.

Share on XFollow Josh_Schulman04