Leading up to Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago, Huskers Illustrated is examining each position group for Nebraska. Position groups: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Defensive Back, Specialists.

Today: Tight End

TE1 Luke Lindenmeyer returns for his senior season. He took big steps forward last year, including his ability to catch the ball. Carter Nelson being healthy for the full season would be a boon for this position group, though he might play more as a wideout. Incoming freshman Luke Sorensen possesses all the tools to make an impact on the field immediately, with the coaches indicating a liking for him to step in and do just that.

Dana Holgorsen has never quite known what he wants out of his tight end rooms. Between his 20 seasons as an offensive coordinator and head coach, only four times did the room combine for at least 30 receptions and more than 300 yards, which includes 2025 at Nebraska. He’s also had several years where the room touched the ball less than a dozen times all year.

The 2026 tight end room is far too talented for that last note to repeat itself. Lindenmeyer and Nelson need to combine for that number themselves, with others perhaps taking the total to 40 or more receptions. But with so much firepower at the wide receiver position and a quarterback looking to run more than what happened over the last couple of seasons, Holgorsen has his hands full with getting everyone involved.

Lindenmeyer made major strides as a pass catcher, leading the room with 29 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns last year. However, after notching at least 44 yards in three of the first four games, he only did so once the rest of the year. Over the last six games of the season, he had just six receptions for 64 yards and no touchdowns. Whether by offensive design or his own accord, he simply can’t disappear during the most important stretch of the season.

Nelson is an interesting piece of this room. The 6-foot-5 Nebraska native got on the field as a true freshman in 2024 as a wideout, catching 10 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore, the ball found him just two times for 11 yards. Can he become a dynamic threat again, especially with as much tight end depth as the Huskers have had in some time? Or is he fully back wide as a receiver?

Cayden Echternach and Eric Ingwerson are also back. Neither has a catch in their combined 22 career games, with Echternach carving out a role as a key blocker.

Luke Lindenmeyer vs. Luke Sorensen

Both Lukes should see the field plenty this fall. But which one will be counted on more in key situations?

Lindenmeyer brings the experience and an ever-improving ability to catch the ball. He was a safety-valve specialist early in the year for Dylan Raiola. Can he be that for a whole year with Anthony Colandrea?

True freshman Sorensen got all the praise in the spring. He has shown that he can catch the ball in social media videos, but he got to Lincoln with a reputation for elite blocking.

"He's powerful," Holgorsen said in the spring. "His pad level is low, and he's a 240-pound dude. He's going to get a whole lot of looks. If you watch him run, with his power, I don't know how we can keep him off the field."

A three-star out of Georgia, Olafemi “Joey” Hunter committed to Nebraska early in June. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound prospect is one of four Husker commits from Grayson High School for the class of 2027.

The Husker coaching staff is also not giving up on flipping five-star Ahmad Hudson, the two-sport goliath who is committed to LSU.