Shorts Joins Nebraska Football Coaching Staff

Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule announced today the addition of Daikiel (pronounced duh-KEL) Shorts Jr. as Nebraska’s wide receivers coach. Shorts brings Power Four coaching experience to the Huskers, as well as an accomplished resume as a receiver.

In his position at Nebraska, Shorts rejoins newly hired Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Shorts worked for Holgorsen at both West Virginia and Houston and played for the Mountaineers while Holgorsen was the WVU head coach.

“It is exciting to add Daikiel Shorts Jr. to our offensive staff,” Head Coach Matt Rhule said. “Daikiel is someone who has played for and coached with Coach Holgorsen, and Dana really trusts and believes in him. Daikiel is one of the best recruiters in the country, and he’s a great coach who is familiar with our system.”

Shorts spent the 2024 season as the wide receivers coach at the University of Kentucky. In his lone season with the Wildcats, Kentucky junior wideout Dane Key caught 47 passes for 715 yards to lead the UK passing attack.

Before his season at Kentucky, Shorts spent three seasons (2021-23) as the wide receivers coach under Holgorsen at Houston. He also spent two years as the Director of Player Development (2019-20) for the Cougars.

“I am extremely grateful for the chance to work for Coach Rhule at the University of Nebraska,” Shorts said. “When you walk into this place, you can feel the history and tradition associated with Nebraska Football and what it means to everyone inside the program and the fan base. It also means a lot for me to reconnect with Coach Holgorsen. He is a special person in my life, and I have learned a lot from him as a player and a coach.”

In his first season as a collegiate coach in 2021, Shorts coached current Houston Texans standout Tank Dell to first-team American Athletic Conference honors and top 15 national rankings in receptions (90), receiving yards (1,329) and receiving touchdowns (12). As a team, UH ranked 23rd nationally in passing offense (271.6).

In 2022, nine players combined to catch 40 touchdowns, once again led by Dell, who totaled a nation-high 109 catches for 1,398 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. He was named a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and earned first-team all-conference honors for the second straight season. In two seasons under Shorts (2021-22), Dell combined to pace the country in receiving yards (2,727), receiving touchdowns (29) and receptions (199). 

Also under Shorts’ tutelage, true freshman Matthew Golden set Houston’s true freshman record in 2022 with seven receiving touchdowns, and he tied for first nationally among true freshmen with four receiving scores of 20-plus yards and second among true freshmen in total receiving touchdowns (7).

In 2023, Houston’s first season in the Big 12, a young wide receivers corps made an immediate impact. According to Pro Football Focus, five of the league’s Top 11 graded underclassmen wide receivers came from Houston.

Shorts also worked on Holgorsen’s Houston staff as director of player personnel in 2019 and 2020 and was a program assistant at West Virginia in 2018.

Before getting into the coaching ranks, Shorts was a standout receiver under Holgorsen at West Virginia from 2013-16. The four-year letterwinner led the Mountaineers in receiving in three of his four years. As a senior team captain in 2016, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and the Iron Mountaineer Award after totaling a team-high 63 receptions for 894 yards and five touchdowns.

He finished his collegiate career ranked fifth on the WVU career chart with 177 receptions and sixth with 2,263 receiving yards and 14 scores. He owns the program’s freshman receptions record with 45 in his first year with the program. He was on the Buffalo Bills practice squad in 2017.

Shorts, originally from Clayton, New Jersey, and a standout at Eastern Christian Academy, graduated from West Virginia in 2016 with a degree in multidisciplinary studies. During his career, he was named to the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Shorts’ Coaching Career
2024: Kentucky (Assistant Coach, Wide Receivers)
2021-23: Houston (Assistant Coach, Wide Receivers)
2019-20: Houston (Director of Player Personnel)
2018: West Virginia (Program Assistant)

Playing Career
2017: Buffalo Bills (Practice Squad, Receiver)
2013-16: West Virginia (Receiver)