Nebraska Football: Zavier Betts could make return to Huskers

As the Nebraska football team is looking to add more talent to the roster in order to help the Matt Rhule rebuild along, one name has started getting a surprising level of traction. Zavier Betts.

There’s a reason why the name would excite Nebraska football fans. He’s long been the homegrown (Bellevue) kid with a ton of talent that Husker Nation would love to see finally make good. There’s just one catch – pun intended? – when it comes to Zavier Betts. He’s not a member of the Nebraska football team and hasn’t been for quite some time.

In fact, it turns out that Betts just recently entered his name into the transfer portal. That confused more than a few people who knew that he hasn’t been with the team since the spring of 2022. But is it possible that his entering his name into the portal was more of a sign that he’s ready to do whatever it takes to play big time college football – even in Lincoln – more than anything else? It seems like that’s been the rumblings behind the scenes around One Memorial Stadium Drive.

Talk that Zavier Betts could come back has heated up in recent days. It hit a crescendo on Wednesday morning when Damon Benning hinted that the wide receiver room under Matt Rhule could be better than expected. Benning specifically named Betts and as you can see the tweet highlighting the segment had quite a bit of fun with the tease.

Benning went on to expand on his thoughts on the show and on his favorite message board, saying that there was a real shot and zero risk involved in allowing him to come back.

Zavier Betts could turn into a big addition for Rhule and company should he make his triumphant return. In 2021, he had a career-high in catches (20) and yards (286) and more importantly a big jump in yards per reception (10.9 to 14.3).

However, there are some roadblocks in the way of any return.

Nebraska football return still dicey

Nothing has been made clear as to why Betts decided not to be with the team back in the spring of 2022. Of course, these days, it’s not hard to think that an incompetent head coach who was causing some serious strife in the program had something to do with it.

Back in March, then-head coach Scott Frost made it clear the wide receiver was no longer with the team but would have discussions with the coaches about a possible return. Those discussions apparently didn’t go well. Betts did in fact not return to the program. He’s been sitting out ever since.

Fast forward to January of 2023 and it’s possible that Zavier Betts could have a clean slate with the Nebraska football team. Only Donovan Raiola remains of the coaching staff that really knows what happened with Betts. Even if he shared a not-so-wonderful story of the Bellevue product with Rhule and company, any emotions involved in the situation aren’t there.

Does Zavier Betts has some work to do?

It’s worth pointing out that not everything has been rosy in Betts’ world since leaving the football team. In October, he was arrested after being pulled over for speeding in his home area of Sarpy County. The arrest stemmed from a warrant in Iowa for possession of a controlled substance.

It turns out that charge was first filed in … March. He didn’t show up to court back then. It’s likely if not a certainty that the “controlled substance” was part of the reason he was in trouble with the coaches.

All of this is to say that it would stand to reason that if the current Nebraska football coaches are going to welcome the receiver back with open arms, he will need to prove that the strife of 2022 is behind him.

On the bright side, what better way to get a fresh start to a new year than to have Zavier Betts return to the Nebraska football program?