Alante Brown wasting no time making his name at WR

Alante Brown wasted little time making people take notice as soon as he arrived on campus as a true freshman this past spring.

During one of his first collegiate practices, Nebraska was running a play it struggled to execute correctly all of last season, primarily because it had so few wide receivers dynamic enough.

On one of his first times running the route, the former three-star recruit not only caught the ball as the primary target, he took it to the house for a touchdown

Brown hasn’t slowed down since, and according to his teammates, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound playmaker has picked up right where he left off since practices resumed this fall.

“I think Alante has turned some eyes,” senior tight end Jack Stoll said. “When he goes full speed, I don't think anyone could stop him.

What makes the Chicago native even more intriguing is that he’s barely scratched the surface of his development as a wide receiver.

Brown played four years as a quarterback at Chicago Simeon High School before verbally committing to Michigan State and then signing with Texas Tech.

A three-year starter at quarterback for the Wolverines, he led his team to a city championship and a trip to the Class 7A state quarterfinals with an 11-1 record as a senior. Brown threw for 41 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more scores that season to earning all-state honors.

But after reopening his recruitment in August of 2019, Brown opted to play a year of prep school at St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut and moved positions to wide receiver.

Nebraska’s coaching staff kept close tabs on Brown as soon as he went back on the market. When they locked up his commitment last December, they felt they had nabbed another versatile offensive weapon at the R receiver in the mold of Wan’Dale Robinson.

New offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Matt Lubick is still learning about what he has to work with his receiving corps. Still, he already can’t help but show his excitement about Brown’s potential in Lincoln.

“I think his attitude and how hungry he is to get better has definitely impressed the coaches, but also his teammates,” Lubick said. “He always stays after and catches balls. He's done a ton of work in the summertime just to learn the offense.

“He's a brand-new guy that's not just new in Nebraska. He hadn't played receiver before. Everything's new to him: technique, scheme, plays, terminology, and to actually have a chance to play when you're in that position, you have to put a lot of time in on your own, and he did that.

“Just his attitude and his nonstop wanting-to-get-better is going to make him a really good player, not to mention he has a ton of talent.”