Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule has announced the hiring of Daikiel (pronounced duh-KEL) Shorts Jr. as the Huskers’ new wide receivers coach. Shorts brings extensive Power Five coaching experience and a solid playing background to the role.
Shorts reunites with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, having worked with him at both West Virginia and Houston, and played under Holgorsen at West Virginia. Coach Rhule expressed his excitement about Shorts’ addition, noting, “Daikiel is one of the best recruiters in the country and a great coach who is familiar with our system.”
In 2024, Shorts coached wide receivers at Kentucky, where junior Dane Key led the team with 47 receptions for 715 yards. Prior to Kentucky, Shorts spent three seasons as Houston’s wide receivers coach under Holgorsen, and two years (2019-20) as Director of Player Development.
Shorts began his coaching career in 2021, where he guided Houston’s Tank Dell to first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors and top national rankings in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Dell’s success continued in 2022, leading the nation in receiving yards (1,398), touchdowns (17), and receptions (109), with nine players combining for 40 touchdowns. Shorts also helped freshman Matthew Golden set Houston’s record for receiving touchdowns by a true freshman (7).
In 2023, Shorts’ young wide receiver group stood out in Houston’s first Big 12 season, with five players ranking among the league’s top 11 underclassmen receivers.
Before coaching, Shorts was a standout receiver at West Virginia (2013-2016), earning second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2016. He finished his career with 177 receptions, 2,263 yards, and 14 touchdowns, ranking among the school’s all-time leaders.
Shorts graduated from West Virginia in 2016 with a degree in multidisciplinary studies.
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