With the departure of Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Moore, Nebraska will need new receivers to step up this fall. One of those wideouts expected to contribute is J.D. Spielman. We continue our 17 Husker storylines for 2017 with a look at the redshirt freshman from Minnesota.
Spielman impressed NU coaches in fall camp last year but ended up redshirting. The 5'9" 180 pounder still made his mark, however, during practices in 2016 winning the Offensive Scout Team MVP.
In his final year of high school, he was named the 2015 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year after gaining nearly 1,900 all-purpose yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. He also played defense that season tallying over a hundred tackles and two interceptions for touchdowns.
Some Husker receivers in recent history have made significant contributions in their redshirt freshman years. Kenny Bell had 32 catches for 461 yards and three touchdowns in his redshirt freshman campaign back in 2011. Meanwhile, Jordan Westerkamp caught 20 passes for 283 yards including his lone touchdown of 2013, the Hail Mary to beat Northwestern when he was a redshirt freshman.
