'He Deserves to Be on That Field': Quinn Clark Making His Case for More Playing Time at Nebraska

Dana Holgorsen met with the media Friday and indicated that the Husker receiver has earned a much bigger role this fall.

Dana Holgorsen is entering his second full season as the Huskers' offensive coordinator. | Dylan Widger | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At 6-foot-5, Quinn Clark is hard to miss.

Apparently, he's becoming even harder to keep off the field. That was made evident Friday when Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen met with the media during the Huskers' second week of fall camp.

With several other players receiving early praise as well, here's everything NU's offensive play caller had to say during his time at the mic.

Nebraska wide receiver Quinn Clark avoids Akron defenders on the way to a 37-yard touchdown. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Quinn Clark is Here to Stay

To this point in Clark's career, he's caught five passes for 132 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. However, Holgorsen believes he'll be in for much more than that in 2026.

The buzz about the tallest pass-catcher in Nebraska's wide receiver room has been heating up for some time now, and the Huskers' offensive coordinator did nothing to cool it down.

“He’s made as many plays as anybody,” Holgorsen said. “He looks good. I guess I've got to go 10 personnel now because he deserves to be on that field a lot, you know, and so how much 10 (personnel) will I do? I don't know. But there will be some, based on what I just said.”

Nebraska running back Jamal Rule waits to take the carry in the Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

A Running Back on a Similar Trajectory

Evidently, Clark isn't the only underclassmen skill position player who's shown flashes in fall camp. Holgorsen gave a glowing review of true freshman ball carrier Jamal Rule as well.

“He doesn't look like a freshman to me,” Holgorsen said. “I mean, he was nervous in the spring because he just got here.  He was anxious. He was nervous. He settled in over the summer and does not look like a freshman to me. He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, runs fast, has breakaway speed, has good ball skills, doing a solid job in protection. So, you know, encouraged with where he's at.”

Rule wasn't the most sought-after running back in the 2026 recruiting class. However, since his arrival in January, we've seemingly only been told good things. It's now clearer than ever that he will factor into the running back rotation this fall.

Wide receivers Jacory Barney Jr., Dane Key, and Nyziah Hunter line up against Cincinnati last year. Barney and Hunter are back this season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Thoughts on the Wide Receiver Room

There's genuine belief from those around the program that NU's corps of wide receivers is deeper and more skilled than ever before. Holgorsen seems to believe it too.

“Looks good, feels good,” he said. “Looks to me like what I'm used to. Guys are making plays downfield, you know, the route running is good. Just a veteran crew, and then you got young guys like Quinn Clark and Keelin Smith and Cortez Mills that are coming along. That’s probably the most encouraging thing, just being able to roll with guys and not have players play multiple positions."

“That kind of gets me out of whack as a play caller," he continued. "Not knowing who's in at what spots and stuff. So, I think we got it settled in as far as who's playing where, and that allows me to call it freely and quickly.” 

Quarterbacks Extending Plays

Another reason those within the program believe the wide receiver room can excel has to do with the mobility of the quarterbacks who will be throwing them the ball. When asked if the Huskers have improved their offense by extending plays, Holgorsen suggested they've grown quite a bit.

"Yeah, no doubt,” he said. “Anthony [Colandrea] is, and TJ [Lateef] does a great job too just as far as keeping plays alive. It makes my life a lot easier not having to call perfect plays. Which is fun to watch, but then you see the receivers go, like, ‘man, this play's not over, so I better get my eyes on him, and if he escapes, I better go get open to different spots’. So, we've really improved on that.”

Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea looks for a receiver during the 2026 Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Empowering the Quarterbacks to Use Their Legs

Colandrea ran for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago at UNLV and consistently showed an ability to throw on the run as well. When asked how much Holgorsen allows Colandrea to do that, he suggested it's more often than one would think.

“Quite a bit,” Holgorsen said. “He's played a lot of ball. The one thing I didn't know about him was how he would absorb knowledge and how he would absorb play calls. We have not used the wristband one time all fall. That tells me that he's absorbing the knowledge, and he can process it, and he can speak it (clearly).”

Knowing the offense allows Colandrea to have freedom when running plays. With 31 collegiate starts under his belt, that makes a lot of sense.

Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade. | Nebraska Athletics

An Offensive Line That Can Move

Geep Wade came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, where his Yellow Jacket offensive line surrendered just nine sacks in 13 games in 2025. However, the offense the Huskers will run, with Colandrea at the helm, requires the pass protectors to get out and move.

Holgorsen suggested their depth and mobility allow them to do exactly that. He even stated there's a certain offensive lineman who's returned from injury and is impressing this fall.

“They have no choice, with how Coach Geep [Wade] coaches,” Holgorsen said. “We're putting in plays that force them to run, so they have no choice but to do that. We recruited specific guys for a reason.”

“Speaking of the offensive line, Gunnar's [Gottula]  back,” Holgorsen said. “And he can run. He's a different Gunnar than what I've seen for two years. He's back; he's healthy; he's playing very well.”

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