Matt Rhule explains adding Zavier Betts, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda back to Nebraska roster

On national signing day, coaches get to talk about and rave over the new talent entering their programs for the upcoming season. However, for Nebraska‘s new head coach, Matt Rhule, one of his topics to address was the return of two former players.

During the Cornhuskers’ recent national signing day press conference, Rhule explained why he is adding wide receivers Zavier Betts and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda back to Nebraska’s roster.

“I like who he is as a guy. I’m rooting for him,” said Rhule of Betts. “I’m anxious to see him get back on the football field and do well in the classroom, so I’m anxious to not just give him a chance but to be an advocate for him. I want him to go places where they have people who don’t entitle him; they don’t enable him. But they advocate for him. So, we’ll do that for Zavier.

“And then Isaiah, he just reached out. And I was like, let’s give him a chance; let’s give everybody a chance and then go through the spring. And people are going to see the standards and how we do things. They’ll either decide that they want to do it or not.”

Betts and Garcia-Castaneda opt for transfer portal but return to Nebraska

Betts ran into a little bit of trouble during the season. Back in October, he was stopped for speeding around 1:00 AM by the La Vista Police Department. This was following another incident that happened in Iowa, where he received a misdemeanor charge for possession of a controlled substance.

Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda transferred to Nebraska from New Mexico State in 2022. Unfortunately, he was not a fixture in the Cornhuskers’ offense this past season. The six-foot junior wide receiver only had five receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown last season.

Both players entered into the transfer portal in January but opted to stay in Lincoln, NE, with Rhule at least for the Cornhuskers’ offseason training. With Rhule taking over the offense, both Betts and Garcia-Castaneda have an opportunity to see their production increase in 2023. And they could help turn around the program and wash the taste of the 2022 season out of their respective mouths.