Picking Nebraska Football’s best tight ends is an interesting endeavor if only because the role of that position has changed mightily over the years.
There was a time when even the best players at the position were called on to do little else than block. On the other hand, even during those years, the very best were able to stand out as receivers and playmakers precisely because they were that good.
One player who isn’t in the top five right now, is looking like he’s got a good shot at making this list the next time it comes around. Cethan Carter isn’t there yet, but he might be one of the most talented players to come through the Nebraska football program at the tight end position ever.
Other players on the list are ones you’ve likely heard about if you’ve been following the Cornhuskers over the last four decades. It’s this period of time that the tight end has become an offensive weapon for his team.
Some of the players on this list came right before Carter. Others laid the ground work for players like Carter to do what he does. All of them were people who helped make Nebraska one of the best football programs in the history of College Football.
Some of these names had the opportunity to take their talents to the pros. Others saw their football careers come to an end once their days with the Huskers were over. All of them had fantastic, if short-lived careers in the college football world. Without further ado, check out the best tight ends to ever play for the Nebraska football team.
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5. Kyler Reed
Kyler Reed is one of those players that you might have completely forgotten about. The tight end played for the Nebraska football team from 2009 to 2012. This means he served in the final two years of the Huskers’ stay in the Big 12 and the first two in the Big 10.
Reed came along when Taylor Martinez was coming into prominence. This was both a blessing and a curse, because it meant the Huskers were throwing the ball more than they had during the Tom Osborne/Frank Solich days.
Unfortunately, Armstrong was another in what has been a disturbingly long line of quarterbacks who were inconsistent at best. When Taylor was good, so was Reed. In his sophomore year, Reed showed what a tight end with speed could do.
In 2010, he caught just 22 passes, but he made those most of those catches, gaining 395 yards (18.0 yards per catch). The most impressive stat of that season was the fact that he turned in a school record in touchdowns for tight ends with eight. That’s right, almost 40 percent of his catches went for TDs.
For Reed’s career, he caught a total of 67 passes for 1,063 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Next: Mike McNeill
4. Mike McNeill
Mike McNeill might not have been as explosive for the Nebraska football team as Kyler Reed was, but he was quite a bit more consistent. He was also a big more of a central weapon for the offense.
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Playing from 2007 to 2010, he was actually the tight end for the Huskers right before Reed stepped into that role. While he is another Husker tight end that might not be extremely well known to the average fan, he was likely the one who showed all future players in the position what’s possible when you are allowed to be part of the offense.
His best season with NU was easily his first as the starter, in 2008. That year, he set the school record for receptions in a single season by a tight end with 32. He turned those catches in 442 yards and six touchdowns.
That season, the Huskers were 9-4 and headed to a bowl game against Clemson. In that 26-21 win, McNeill showed off his skills as a receiving tight end, as he made one heck of a one handed catch to extend a drive.
Over his four years with the Nebraska football program, he caught 82 passes for 1,072 yards and 11 touchdowns. All of those numbers are among the best in school history for tight ends.
Next: Johnny Mitchell
3. Johnny Mitchell
Johnny Mitchell just might have been the best tight end to ever play at Nebraska, if he had played in a different era. Despite the fact that he played for Nebraska football teams who were definitely of the “run-first” variety, he managed to both put up some impressive numbers and show his athletic prowess.
Mitchell’s legend was also cut short because as a junior college transfer, he only had a couple of years to make his name. The first year under head coach Tom Osborne, Mitchell saw limited action and he logged just 11 catches. The truly amazing thing about those 11 catches is that seven of them went for touchdowns.
Remember when I pointed out that almost 40 percent of Kyler Reed’s catches went for touchdowns? Well over half of Mitchell’s catches found the end zone his first year with the Huskers.
The next season, the coaches seemed to fully understand what he could do as a tight end. He was moved to that position and he hauled in 31 catches for 534 and another six touchdowns. That means over two seasons, Mitchell hauled in 42 catches for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns. It’s amazing to think what he might have done with more years and a passing offense.
After his 1991 season, he was drafted in the first round, 15th overall by the New York Jets. Injuries in the pros cut short what could have been an impressive career there too.
Next: Matt Herian
2. Matt Herian
Matt Herian is one of those players whose career might have taken a decidedly different turn if not for a gruesome injury. Herian was a member of the Nebraska football program from 2002 to 2006.
When his career began, he was the go-to player when Jamal Lord wanted to throw deep. When Bill Callahan took over the helm, Herian seemed to be someone who could thrive in the West Coast offense. He was indeed thriving in 2004 through the first eight games of the year. He had 24 catches for 308 yards and three touchdowns in that season.
In that eighth game the tight end suffered a broken leg that was so severe it kept him out for the entire 2005 season. The player returned in 2006 but he was clearly a shadow of his former self. In his final year with the Nebraska football team he managed to post 12 catches for 150 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Herian finished his career with 65 catches for a school record for tight ends 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also holds the single game record for catches by a tight end with eight. There are few players in Nebraska history more ripe for the “what could have been” game than Matt Herian.
Next: Junior Miller
1. Junior Miller
Junior Miller is another one of those Nebraska football tight ends that was a better player than his numbers might have shown. Playing for the Huskers from 1977 to 1979, he had some decent statistics but didn’t realize his full potential until he was able to make the jump to the pros.
After catching just five passes for 78 yards in his first season, he took off in his second. In 1978 he caught 33 passes for 609 yards and six touchdowns. For quite a while, those numbers were among the best, or the best receiving statistics a Husker tight end had put up.
Miller had a bit of a dip in his third season with NU where he caught just 23 passes for 435 yards. He did see his touchdowns increase to seven in his final collegiate year. Over the course of his career, Junior caught 61 passes for 1,123 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Despite those rather pedestrian numbers, Miller caught the eye of pro scouts and was the seventh player taken in the 1980 NFL draft. Miller had a fantastic rookie year for the Falcons when he caught 46 passes for 584 yards and a whopping nine touchdowns.
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Junior Miller made the Pro Bowl his first year and he made it again his second year, despite less impressive numbers. Injuries took their toll on what was a promising career however and he was out of football by 1985. Despite a short NFL career, he’s still easily the best tight end to ever play for Nebraska football.