This weekend marks the beginning of official visits for 2023 football recruits, and three prospects will take visits to Lincoln to check out what Nebraska has to offer.
So will another athlete out of the transfer portal.
Former Texas wide receiver Marcus Washington, who entered the transfer portal on May 1, will make a visit to Lincoln as NU continues to look for reinforcements in its wide receiver room.
Washington caught 18 passes for 277 yards last season, largely from the right arm of new Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder played in 31 games for the Longhorns.
Nebraska has already added a pair of transfer wideouts — Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda from New Mexico State and Trey Palmer from LSU. Washington visited Lincoln while being recruited in high school.
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Along with Washington, three prospects on the offensive side of the ball will make official visits to NU as well. Here's a look at each.
Offensive lineman Cayden Green: The highly-touted prospect out of Lee's Summit North (Mo.) will be back in Lincoln after making an unofficial visit in early March. Ranked as the No. 62 player in the nation — and the No. 6 offensive tackle according to the 247Sports composite — the four-star prospect is among the most highly sought-after recruits in the Midwest.
Green already has the Huskers in his top five schools, along with Oklahoma, Michigan, Miami, and Missouri.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is being recruited by NU special teams coordinator Bill Busch, who has made the Kansas City area a priority since being moved into a full-time coaching role.
Wide receiver Jaidyn Doss: Another Kansas City-area recruit, receiver Jaidyn Doss, will also be in Lincoln after making an unofficial visit in March.
Doss is a 6-foot, 205-pound, three-star out of Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) High School, caught 28 passes for 442 yards and five touchdowns last season, and in 24 career games, has 74 catches for 1,418 yards and 12 scores.
Like Green, Doss is being recruited by Busch.
"Coach Busch is a good dude and I think he's doing a really good job of attacking Kansas City," said Richard Elkins, one of Doss' coaches, back in March. "I'm not sure how much Nebraska had been in Kansas City over the last few years. I know they've recruited it, but boy, it seems like Coach Busch is doing it even more."
Athlete Dylan Edwards: One state over, in Kansas, Dylan Edwards will make the trip north for an official visit as well.
From the city of Derby, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Edwards reminds of Wan'Dale Robinson, both in stature and in production. He had 3,214 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns last season.
That included 2,603 yards and 38 touchdowns worth of rushing production during a season in which he averaged 12.5 yards per carry while leading his team to the Kansas Class 6A title game and being named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.
Edwards returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns, and caught eight passes for 101 yards and another touchdown.
Edwards has Nebraska in his top 10 schools, along with Wisconsin, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas State, Kansas, Washington, and Jackson State.
Current Husker offensive lineman Alex Conn also played at Derby.
Keeping up with the transfer portal. Here's who the Huskers have coming to Lincoln
Casey Thompson, QB
Previous school: Texas
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: Thompson is the most notable transfer Nebraska has added so far because of the position he plays. He started 10 games for the Longhorns last year and led the Big 12 in touchdown passes with 24. He’ll be considered the favorite to win NU’s starting quarterback job under new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. He’ll be on campus for this semester.
Chubba Purdy, QB
Previous school: Florida State
Remaining eligibility: Four years
Of note:Â
Purdy started one game in 2020 and appeared in three overall, completing 27-of-53 passes for 219 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception. He appeared just once in 2021 — Purdy completed all five of his passes for 98 yards and two scores.
Trey Palmer, WR/Returner
Previous school: LSU
Remaining eligibility: Two years plus a redshirt
Of note: Palmer was a blue-chip recruit out of high school and saw his role steadily grow over his three years in Baton Rouge. Now, he’ll rejoin Mickey Joseph in Lincoln. Palmer can really run — he was timed at 10.42 in the 100 meters and 21.11 seconds in the 200 — and he’s also a dangerous return man. He profiles well in the spot vacated by Samori Toure and will be on campus this semester.
Hunter Anthony, OL
Previous school: Oklahoma State
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: The Oklahoma native entered 2020 as OSU’s starting right tackle, but an injury cost him most of the season. Then he served as a backup this fall. In Lincoln, the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder will be a candidate both at right tackle and at either guard spot. He’s on campus this semester.
Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, WR
Previous school: New Mexico State
Remaining eligibility: Two years plus a redshirt
Of note: Garcia-Castaneda had a productive season at NMSU, catching 37 passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns. He was coveted as soon as he hit the transfer portal, but NU visited him in California and got him on campus for a visit in December. At 6-foot and 190 pounds, Garcia-Castaneda is a candidate for any spot in the Husker receiver rotation under Mickey Joseph.
Brian Buschini, P
Previous school: Montana
Remaining eligibility: Three years
Of note: Buschini was named the FCS punter of the year after averaging better than 47 yards per punt and more than 44 net yards per attempt. He was considered perhaps the best punter available on the transfer market this winter and will be counted on right away in Lincoln. He’s on campus this semester.
Timmy Bleekrode, K
Previous school: Furman
Remaining eligibility: Three years
Of note: Bleekrode immediately becomes the favorite to handle place-kicking duties after he was recruited from Furman by new special teams coordinator Bill Busch. The Atlanta native made 15-of-18 field goals in 2021 with a long of 51 yards and is 21-of-25 over the past two seasons.
Omar Brown, CB
Previous school: Northern Iowa
Remaining eligibility: Three years
Of note:Â Brown, a Minneapolis native, was named the FCS freshman of the year and a first-team All-American by Phil Steele and Hero Sports after logging 77 tackles and six interceptions in 2019.
Kevin Williams, OL
Previous school: Northern Colorado
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: Williams, an Omaha North graduate, is a multi-year starter at the FCS level and began the 2021 season as the Bears’ starting left tackle. He’s got positional versatility and could be a candidate at tackle or guard for the Huskers in 2022. In a young room overall, he adds a veteran presence.
Tommy Hill, DB
Previous school: Arizona State
Remaining eligibility: Three years plus a redshirt
Of note: Nebraska loved Hill out of high school in Orlando in the 2021 class, but he ended up at ASU and earned playing time right away. The Huskers jumped on him as soon as he entered the portal, and now he’ll compete for playing time in a secondary that must replace three starters. He’s on campus this semester.
Ochaun Mathis, DL
Previous school: TCU
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder started a total of 34 games for TCU. He recorded 45 tackles, including seven for loss and four sacks this past season. That followed a breakout campaign in 2020, when he led the team with nine sacks and ranked second with 14 tackles for loss.
Devin Drew, DT
Previous school: Texas Tech
Remaining eligibility: One year
Of note: A native of Raytown, Missouri, Drew, a 6-foot-2, 280-pounder, made 34 tackles in 13 games this past fall and had 55 stops in all in two seasons at Texas Tech.
Kaine Williams, S
Previous school: Alabama
Remaining eligibility: Four years
Of note: Williams played in one game last season for Alabama, appearing on special teams in the SEC championship game against Georgia.
Stephon Wynn, DL
Previous school: Alabama
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: Wynn appeared in seven games last season for the Crimson Tide.
Marcus Washington, WR
Previous school: Texas
Remaining eligibility: Two years
Of note: A 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, Washington caught 25 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons with Texas. In 12 games last fall, including seven starts, he had 18 receptions for 277 yards.
Contact the writer at cbasnett@journalstar.com or 402-473-7436. On Twitter @HuskerExtraCB.
Episode 50 The Showdown
Chris Basnett
Assistant sports editor/high schools
A Ravenna native, Chris Basnett joined the Journal Star in 2016 and has more than 20 years of experience covering prep, college, and professional sports.
