Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 49-21vs Ohio | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 0 | 27 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-7vs Bowling Green | 8 | 115 | 14.4 | 2 | 35 | Season-high 115 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 34-7vs North Dakota | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 0 | 29 | |
| Total | 15 | 210 | 14.6 | 2 | 35 |
#2
Jacory Barney Jr.
No.459 4★, national recruit isn't a headline at Nebraska anymore — it's just what Jacory Barney Jr. reliably is.
6′0″ · 170 lb · Florida City, FL · Palmetto
CFB Index 52 · #201 of 485 WRsHigh confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
210
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 rec, 115 yds, 2 TD, vs Bowling Green
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior wide receiver for Nebraska. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Nebraska in 2024.
Jacory Barney Jr.
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Jacory Barney Jr. is a cornerstone for Nebraska — measured against the line he joined.
210REC YDS15REC2REC TD
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.459
recruiting national rank
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
The week the volume broke through — put up 85 yds vs Wisconsin.Wisconsin · W 44-252024
202413 games
- Signed with Nebraska4-star out of Miami Palmetto
202513 games
- All-Big Tenthird
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Nebraska
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG TEN
All-Big Ten mention (2025)
🎓
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2024)
1 mention(s)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Nebraska
Played his entire career under Matt Rhule.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Jacory Barney Jr.'s 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 34–7
vs North Dakota
5 rush yds (1 car)
Dominant 27-point win at home against North Dakota.
With A. Colandrea — 195 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.6 · 19 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD · J. Rule — 119 rush yds (15 car) · 2 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · North Dakota · 2&8 · Q3 · EPA +3.12(05:23) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete deep left to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at UND44, for 29 yards to the UND44 (#27 G.Noland), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Bowling Green · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.97(07:41) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete deep left to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at BG 00, for 35 yards to the BG 00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:34, 1ST DOWN #91 K.Cunanan kick attempt good (H: #37 K.Koch, LS: #55 J.Wills)
- Week 2 · Bowling Green · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.87(02:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete deep left to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at BG 01, for 32 yards to the BG 00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:54, 1ST DOWN #91 K.Cunanan kick attempt good (H: #37 K.Koch, LS: #55 J.Wills)
- Week 3 · North Dakota · 4&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.51(03:19) No Huddle #2 J.Barney Jr. rush right for 5 yards gain to the NEB50 (#8 G.Tylutki), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ohio · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.39(03:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete deep middle to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at NEB48, for 27 yards to the OHI48 (#11 E.Herrmann), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · North Dakota · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +1.92(12:53) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete short right to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at NEB45, for 6 yards to the NEB48 (#7 M.Devereaux), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ohio · 3&11 · Q1 · EPA +1.65(10:16) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete short middle to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at OHI19, for 12 yards to the OHI04 (#7 E.Thompson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Bowling Green · 2&11 · Q2 · EPA +1.57(03:40) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete short right to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at NEB19, for 13 yards to the NEB33 (#2 J.Johnson; #9 P.EstoEsta), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ohio · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.47(10:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete short left to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at NEB29, for 16 yards to the NEB43 (#2 D.Walker), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Bowling Green · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +1.42(12:04) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 A.Colandrea pass complete short left to #2 J.Barney Jr. caught at NEB35, for 6 yards to the NEB36 (#2 J.Johnson), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +35 receiving yards, +2 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Matt Rhule — 17-12 over that span.
2024Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Balanced
2025Nebraska7-6HC: Matt Rhule · Run-leaning
2026Nebraska3-0HC: Matt Rhule · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
High confidence
Production sits in the middle of the position cohort across the board.
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (7)
Season trend
Last seasonThis season
EPA / target
53rd → 68th percentile
Explosive rate
74th → 79th percentile
Catch rate
66th → 66th percentile
TD rate
83rd → 50th percentile
Yards / catch
54th → 58th percentile
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
15 of 15 receptions matched to play-by-play
21 of 21 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
2146% of team targetsCatch rate
71%15 of 21 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
14% of targets (3)
100%catch rate
Air -2.0 · YAC 9.7 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
52% of targets (11)
73%catch rate
Air 3.7 · YAC 3.8 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
5% of targets (1)
0%catch rate
Air 11.0 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
29% of targets (6)
67%catch rate
Air 32.5 · YAC 1.2 avg
71% catch rate on 21 targets · 46% of the team's targets · 67% catch rate on 6 deep targets (20+ air yds).
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 5.0 | 70.0 | 14.6 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 70.0 | 14.6 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Rhule
Pass share
42.7%
90 pass / 121 run
Plays / game
70.3
3 games
Team sack rate
3.2%
95 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #30 of 61 Big Ten WRs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Possession Receiver
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
WR
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Jabari Carr’s 2014 season.
Matches Jabari on
Reception volume
Height
TD rate
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Gavin Nelson’s path through Monmouth.
Matches Gavin on
Yards per reception
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Adjatay Dabbs's junior season at Toledo (2026).
85%match
Matches Adjatay on
Yards / reception
Reception volume
Total EPA (college ability)
Differs from Adjatay on
TD rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jacory Barney Jr.
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #158
Peaked at #158 this season.
The receiver room · Nebraska
- #13Nyziah Hunter617 receiving yards · 2025
- #11Kwazi Gilmer535 receiving yards · 2025
- #2Jacory Barney Jr.484 receiving yards · 2025
- #19Cortez Mills Jr.147 receiving yards · 2025
- #18Quinn Clark132 receiving yards · 2025
14 more on the roster · Nebraska team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology