Wide Receiver Dane Key Could Help Dylan Raiola, Nebraska Offense Grow and Thrive

If Nebraska senior wide receiver Dane Key wants to get in the ear of his quarterback, he doesn’t have to go far. He doesn’t even need to pick up his cell phone.

Key revealed at a news conference Tuesday he is crashing at Dylan Raiola’s place. That’s some household, with two of the Huskers’ best offensive players under one roof.

“It’s grown tremendously,” Key said about his relationship with the Huskers quarterback. “I’m staying at his house right now, [to show] how much it’s grown.

“He’s my brother. At the end of the day, he wants what’s best for me, I want what’s best for him. If I’m not doing what I need to do, he’s the first one to check me. If he’s not doing what he needs to do, I’m the first one to check him.”

From SEC to Lincoln

Key played 38 games over three seasons at Kentucky, an SEC school, where he had 126 catches for 1,870 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He seems to have found home, sweet, home with Nebraska.

“It was something really special that just knowing that all my teammates just welcomed me in,” said Key, who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and from Lexington, Ky. “It’s a true brotherhood here and they saw what I came in and did and went straight to work.

“I felt that everyone on the team just respected that. And to know that my teammates had my back and they respect me so much, there’s no greater feeling.”

Wide receivers the key to offense?

With his experience and production, Key is expected to be a major part of a receiving corps that should be part of a mutually beneficial situation with the talented Raiola, who had an inconsistent freshman season.

The Huskers had the 65th-ranked passing offense in the nation last year, averaging 228.4 yards per game.

“It’s a very good room. It’s very demanding room,” Key said. “I didn’t have the best day at practice today but some of those guys that haven’t played as many snaps as me and they are they first ones to get on me.

“Just having that in the room, just a demanding room. [They tell me] you say you want to do this, then you should be doing this. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling that day. You said what you wanted to do, so go do that.”

Jacory Barney and Nyziah Hunter are expected to start with Key in what is expected to be a deep group of receivers. Hunter spent two seasons at California before transferring to Nebraska.

“We have a lot of depth at the wide receiver position,” offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said earlier this summer. “We know Dane Key will start and be good. Jacory Barney will start and be good. Other guys are out there pushing them.”

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen looks over what he hopes is a strong and deep receiving corps in 2025. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“A very explosive football player,” Key said about Barney. “No matter what he’s asked to do, Jacory will go out there and do it at 100 percent because that’s the type of guy he is.

“He knows he’s a fast receiver so he’s going to go out there and play fast with everything that he does.”

Key’s development at Nebraska

Key said his development has progressed in practice from battling junior cornerback Andrew Marshall, who transferred from Idaho.

“Andrew, he’s a really good corner,” Key said. “Personally, I think he’ll be one of the best that I play this year. Playing the best corner every day at practice can only get me better. And it’s going to get me ready for the season.”

Another important element of Key’s development is the coaching.

“Coach Rhule, he’s taught me so much, not only football,” Key said. “He’s taught me so much just about being a better man.

“Coach Rhule, he’s just very demanding. Those are the type of things I really wanted coming into this program. I knew he was going to be demanding. I knew he was going to expect your best every day. So, I’ve learned so much about being a football player and being a man from Coach Rhule.

“I’ve never been demanded of so much effort from a coach before. I already had Coach Shorts [wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr]. He already demands so much.

“But when there’s two people demanding the most of you because they know what you can do and they know what you can be in the future, why would you want it any other way?”

Key: No. 6

Key earned one of the Huskers’ prestigious single-digit jerseys on Monday. He will wear No. 6. Rhule said the single-digit numbers are meant to show the toughest players on the team. Defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel earned the second single-digit jersey. He will wear No. 5.

Need a lift?

At the end of his news conference, Key was asked about his goals for 2025.

“I don’t want to say too many,” Key said. “But I’m going to go for 1,000 yards this year and it’s going to come true.”

Nebraska’s last 1,000-yard receiver was Trey Palmer, who had 1,043 yards in 2022.

With that, Key’s news conference was over. His ride was waiting. It was Dylan Raiola. “We drove separate yesterday. We did ride together today, though,” Key said with a laugh.

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