Skip to main content

WR Zavier Betts moves on from Nebraska football program

On3 imageby:Sean Callahan08/12/23

Sean_Callahan

Zavier Betts Nebraska
(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Wide receiver Zavier Betts has moved on from the Nebraska football program. NU head coach Matt Rhule confirmed on Saturday that Betts left the team this week.

The news of Betts’ departure comes as a surprise, as he rejoined the program in January after initially leaving in the spring of 2021. Betts returned to the team after entering the transfer portal for less than a week in January.

“Zavier Betts has left the team,” Rhule said on Saturday. “He came to me and said, ‘Coach, my heart is just not in it.’ I’m very, very proud of what Zavier has done as a person, getting eligible. I think he intends to stay in school and work to graduate. I’m disappointed in the timing, but what we ask people to do is hard. If his heart is not in it, I certainly understand it. I’m proud of the growth he’s made, and I wish him the best. He’s a guy I love and care about, and I hope he finds what he’s looking for.”

Subscribe to get exclusive Huskers content on HuskerOnline today for $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month!

The Bellevue West product had to work hard in the classroom to get back, as Rhule confirmed he passed 21 credit hours over the spring and summer semesters at UNL.

“It was honestly a really easy decision for me to come back and to play,” Betts said on the Husker Radio Network in July. “But I really did it for my family and then for the fans, really, because I know a lot of people were sad when I left. Honestly, I felt like I let everybody down, so I wanted to come back and show everybody.”

Top 10

  1. 1

    Sankey SEC warning

    Faking injury will be penalty, suspension

    New
  2. 2

    Drew Allar

    Penn State QB expected to play vs. Ohio State

    Hot
  3. 3

    Will Johnson

    Michigan star out vs. Oregon, per CBS Sports

  4. 4

    Revenue-sharing

    Conferences set initial cap on revenue-sharing, per Dellenger

  5. 5

    Tim Tebow

    Georgia WRs 'need to show up'

View All

Nebraska must find another big-play threat to replace Betts

What Betts brought to the offense was the big play. In 18 appearances in 2020 and 2021, he had 32 catches for 417 yards and three rushes for 109 yards.

In 2020, he had a 45-yard touchdown catch to help the Huskers beat Penn State. He then produced an 83-yard touchdown run on an option play against Northwestern in 2021.

The 45-yard scoring reception was NU’s longest of the 2020 season, while the 83-yarder against the Wildcats was the longest rush by a Nebraska player since 2021.

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.

You may also like