Former Purdue wide receiver Terrence Samuel has helped develop some productive pass catchers in his five seasons as assistant football coach at Kansas.
That group includes Quentin Skinner, Emmanuel Henderson, Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold.
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He’s currently tutoring a group of wideouts, who, except for senior Cam Pickett, may not be household names to KU fans entering 2026.
Chances are KU’s top four wide receivers — returnees Pickett and Keaton Kubecka and incoming transfers Nik McMillan and Nahzae Cox — will be well known in KU circles before long, considering innovative associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki has returned to run the Jayhawks’ offense after two seasons at Penn State.
Pickett, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior from Chicago, started his career at Ball State. He tied for the team lead in receptions (45), good for 476 yards and three touchdowns last season, his first with the Jayhawks.
Kubecka, a 6-2, 205-pound junior from Austin, Texas, had 17 catches for 157 yards and one TD for KU in 2025.
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McMillan, a 6-1, 195 senior transfer from University of Buffalo, corralled 62 catches for 981 yards and three touchdowns a year ago for a school that once employed both Kotelnicki and sixth-year KU head coach Lance Leipold.
Meanwhile, Cox, a 6-3, 215 senior transfer from Fresno, California, secured 40 receptions for 473 yards and five TDs last season at Middle Tennessee. A native of Fresno, California, he started his career at Fresno City College.
There are 14 wide receivers on the current roster, meaning others can and likely will emerge for serious playing time. Yet at this point of training camp, those four might stand out in a crowded receivers room.
“This is the first time in a while that I’ve had four guys that could all probably jump into a bodybuilding contest,” Samuel said Monday, impressed at the work all four have put into the weight room.
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“Nik is an aggressive guy that snatches the ball, has really good ball skills and a strong frame. Keaton’s got a strong frame. Cam is rocked up. Nahzae is a beast,” Samuel exclaimed.
Samuel said “Nahzae and Nik need to continue to grow and understand the offense. I think Keaton’s doing a really good job. Cam is doing a really good job in leading the group but playing different positions. Those two guys (Pickett, Kubecka) are really making it easy to focus on Nik and Nahzae being more efficient.”
Samuel, a former four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers from 1991-94, said Kubecka has grown in confidence from a year ago.
“Going to some of those games and feeling like the 50-50s didn’t come to him the way he wanted them to … I think this year he’s been really aggressive in attacking 50-50s so he’s seen more success. This is by far his best camp,” Samuel said.
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KU has a batch of freshmen in the wide receiver room including Kansans Bryson Hayes (Maize High), Nate Sims (Ottawa High), Tyren Parker (Shawnee Heights), AJ Batiste (Wichita Collegiate) and Griffin Baker (Wichita Northwest). Freshmen Corbin Glasco and Jackson Cook are from Denton, Texas, and Loganville, Georgia, respectively. Sophomore Tate Nagy is from Blue Valley West High, while soph Donald Collier is a graduate of Trinity Academy (Wichita). Israel Moses is a junior from Minneapolis.
Glasco has impressed at camp.
“That speed is different,” Samuel said. “I mean he (Glasco) is one of those guys that has got to understand the speed of the game. Coming out of Dallas he had a lot of success. He had to practice hard, but nobody could catch him in practice.
“But here, knowing that these guys are just as fast … he’s maybe one of the fastest guys we have on the team, but he’s got to learn how to play with that speed all the time. Most of my wide receivers when they come in young, it’s the speed of the game.
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“Can you make plays under duress with a defender all over you and can you use that speed? Do you have good conditioning with that speed? Because one of his things that we’re trying to work on is make sure he’s got good condition. I mean, he can run 22, 23 miles an hour, but if you get tired, you only give me one rep a quarter. So he’s got to understand the college game. He’s got to have his body right. He’s got to have his understanding of the offense so he plays fast. If he plays fast, he’s going to be different.”
Samuel believes KU has receivers who can fare well in Kotelnicki’s offense.
“Guard your grill and knuckle up. Here we go. Let’s just go,” Samuel said. “When Andy comes in and we’re going to start calling plays the way he does and how aggressive he is, we’re going to need to be right there with him with an aggressive stance and be ready to go hit whoever’s in front of us.
“Everybody that’s been here (as offensive coordinator) … they all have been great play callers. The only thing is Andy’s personality just overrides a lot of things. That’s infectious. So it makes it easy. He’s coaching everybody. He’s a part of everything. So it makes it to where that relationship piece … our guys feel Andy, and that’s a good thing. It’s good to have him being around giving his wisdom to guys all the time. And if they’re not doing it the right way he’s letting them know.”
KU will open the season on Sept. 4 versus Long Island. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
