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Nebraska Secures Commitment of Team-Leading Wide Receiver from UCLA

Kwazi Gilmer, who has totaled 880 yards and six receiving touchdowns in his career, is the latest transfer portal addition of the Huskers this offseason.
Trevor Tarr|
Kwazi Gilmer comes to Nebraska with two years of eligibility remaining after becoming the Bruins' WR1 this fall.
Kwazi Gilmer comes to Nebraska with two years of eligibility remaining after becoming the Bruins' WR1 this fall. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Nebraska's ninth commitment of the 2026 offseason comes from an electrifying talent on the offensive side of the ball.

On Jan. 9, former UCLA starting wideout Kwazi Gilmer made his decision to join Matt Rhule's squad ahead of next season. He comes to Lincoln with proven production in the Big Ten and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

For the Huskers, it immediately gives them a replacement for Dane Key, who exhausted his eligibility after the Las Vegas Bowl. Now, Nebraska again appears to have three wide receivers capable of taking over a game, and the pairing of this unit with new quarterback addition Anthony Colandrea gives reason for serious optimism next fall.

Gilmer is fresh off a very productive season on the West Coast, where he went for 535 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 50 receptions this fall. In two seasons with the Bruins, the Los Angeles native has amassed 880 receiving yards, six touchdowns, and 81 receptions.

Gilmer was a player the Huskers were linked to have interest in very early on in the transfer portal window. Having seen him in person during the 2025 season, Nebraska's staff was undoubtedly impressed with what he could do. He caught just two passes for 13 yards against the Huskers, but ended his season with the most productive game of his career. Against the Bruins' crosstown rival, USC, Gilmer reeled in 10 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Gilmer has the exact kind of frame that leads to production in the Big Ten. His length and athleticism are what stand out most, apart from his open-field ability to make defenders miss.

This past fall, he led the Bruins in receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns, proving he was a trusted and reliable pass catcher as a sophomore. In two seasons at UCLA, he played in all 24 games his team played, earning 19 starts.

His addition for the Big Red gives Nebraska a ready-made starter for whichever quarterback will be running the offense next season. On Jan. 6, the Huskers added former Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea to their ranks. He will likely be named the starting quarterback, but Nebraska does still have a more than capable TJ Lateef on its roster.

In 2025, Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns for the UNLV Rebels. To this point in his career, the dual-threat signal caller has amassed nearly 8,700 yards of total offense.

At Nebraska, the trio of Jacory Barney, Nyziah Hunter and Gilmer will look to become a high-octane offense under what appears to be a slight change in Holgorsen's offensive scheme next fall.

No longer are the Huskers handicapped by a true pocket passer, and with noticeable additions on the offensive line being made, protection should be on the fast track for rapid improvement ahead of 2026.

As of Jan. 9, Gilmer marks the ninth transfer portal addition the Huskers have made this offseason. He's the first wide receiver added to Dakiel Shorts' position group, and in all likelihood will be the last. It was important for Nebraska to get another proven pass catcher for its young receiver corps during this cycle, and they appear to have locked in an instant-impact guy.

The Huskers are far from being done in transfer portal recruiting before the 2026 season, and many estimates suggest this staff will be looking to add anywhere from 10 to 15 in total. With that number in mind, more than halfway toward doing so, expect more news to come quickly over the next couple of days.

Every addition the Huskers have made to date has come with serious intent. They've seen success to a high degree eight days into the window being open, but plenty more players will be made available before it closes on Jan. 16. Linebacker and wide receiver seem to be all but done, but defensive back, and both sides of the line of scrimmage may still see commitments in the near future.

Gilmer is a notable addition, but from what we saw this past season, the areas Nebraska truly needs to improve are up front. Expect big names to continue to be vetted in hopes the Huskers can secure the talents of several additional instant-impact players on both sides of the line. Time will tell how impactful this haul will be, but Gilmer's decision continues to move the needle toward offseason success at more position groups than one.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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