Dane Key is a wide receiver who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Nebraska.
Key moves the chains on third down. Played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. On tape: 104 receiving yards and 4 receptions against Houston Christian, Week 3, 2025.
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
Money down · 3rd-down role
Money down
12 of 15 caught on third down (80.0%) — EPA/target 0.96 vs 0.30 elsewhere (8 conversions).
Catch rate is disclosed context only, never the gate — conversions and EPA/target are. Interception targets carry no attribution row at any source, so EPA/target here is unfixably, slightly inflated.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 11 games
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| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 20-17vs Cincinnati | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 1 | 15 | |
| Wk 2 | W 68-0vs Akron | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 1 | 18 | |
| Wk 3 | W 59-7vs Houston Christian | 4 | 104 | 26.0 | 1 | 40 | Season-high 104 yds |
| Wk 4 | L 27-30vs No. 21 Michigan | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 21 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-31@ Maryland | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 1 | 19 | |
| Wk 9 | W 28-21vs Northwestern | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 10 | L 17-21vs No. 23 USC | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 11 | W 28-21@ UCLA | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 0 | 29 | |
| Wk 13 | L 10-37@ Penn State | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 14 | L 16-40vs Iowa | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 0 | 6 | |
 Bowl | L 22-44vs No. 15 Utah | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Total | 39 | 452 | 11.6 | 5 | 40 |
Week 3 · 2025
W 59-7
The plays that mattered most
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
6018% of team targetsCatch rate
58%35 of 60 targetsShort · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
58% catch rate on 60 targets · 18% of the team's targets · 0% catch rate on 6 deep targets (20+ air yds).
Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)
Third-down role
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 3.0 | 39.3 | 12.3 | 0.5 |
| Road3g | 3.7 | 45.7 | 12.7 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.0 | 49.5 | 12.7 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 3.0 | 31.0 | 10.3 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Rhule
Pass share
46.4%
378 pass / 437 run
Plays / game
62.7
13 games
Team sack rate
7.7%
389 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #233 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #33 of 61 Big Ten WRs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
A stat line in 46 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Mark Stoops and Matt Rhule.
