Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 6 | W 38-27vs Michigan State | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 13 | L 10-37@ Penn State | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | Season-high 8 yds |
| Wk 14 | L 16-40vs Iowa | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 8 |
#29
Carter Nelson
Junior tight end for Nebraska. 2025: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 240 lb · Ainsworth, NE · Ainsworth
Returning to Nebraska for 2026
The numbers
11
receiving yards · 2025
2 catches · 5.5 per catch
3 games into 2025 so far -- Best game: 1 rec, 3 yds, vs Michigan State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 tight end for Nebraska. 2025: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Nebraska in 2024.
- Nelson cleared to play for Nebraska (Jul 30) Reported
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 32.9 points in belief.
-7.9own fans
25national conversation
Carter Nelson
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. This is his second year in the same receiving corps at Nebraska. One game to point at: 8 rec yds, 1 receptions against Penn State — Week 13, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
20245 games
- Signed with Nebraska4-star out of Ainsworth
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Nebraska
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Matt Rhule — 14-12 over that span.
2024Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Balanced
2025Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 0.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-71g | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 0.5 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Rhule
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Nebraska
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Nebraska
Returning around him
- 46% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 1 Nebraska player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (17 in / 19 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Nebraska · Last season: 7-6 (AP #25) · Talent rank #22 · 2026 recruiting class #88
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
TE
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Jake Tonges’s 2021 season.
73%match
Matches Jake on
EPA / play (adj)
Yards / reception
Differs from Jake on
Reception volume (lower)
Class year (lower)
Total EPA (college ability) (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Jackson Ford's freshman season at San Diego State (2025).
79%match
Matches Jackson on
Yards / reception
Height
EPA / play (adj)
Differs from Jackson on
Recruiting rating (higher)
Class year (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Carter Nelson
The tight end room · Nebraska
- #44Luke Lindenmeyer312 receiving yards · 2025
- #29Carter Nelson11 receiving yards · 2025
- #48Cayden Echternachno box-score line yet
- #49Danny Kingno box-score line yet
- #82Eric Ingwersonno box-score line yet
1 more on the roster · Nebraska team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology