Nebraska ex JD Spielman motivated and healthy going into final season at TCU
It didn’t take long for JD Spielman to reach star status at the University of Nebraska. Just ask TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who was becoming a high school star at the same time less than an hour away at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
“I always knew about JD being a dude there,” Duggan said.
Spielman earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors as a wide receiver and kick returner in 2017. He went on to earn All-Big Ten honors the next two seasons. Duggan, meanwhile, was named Iowa’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2018.
As fate would have it, the two are now going on two years as teammates at TCU. And they finally hooked up for their first touchdown during TCU’s 45-3 rout of Duquesne on Saturday night. Spielman scored on a 16-yard pass late in the second quarter, a snap route that saw him make a few nifty moves to get into the end zone.
“It makes my job pretty easy when I can just throw it out there and he does all the hard work,” Duggan said. “He’s a super talented kid and you could see what he could do in a short time last year. Getting him back on the field for us just makes everyone’s job easier when you get the ball in his hands.”
Spielman scored his first touchdown since scoring on a 39-yard pass in Nebraska’s loss against Iowa to close the 2019 season. He announced his intentions to transfer shortly after that game despite being just 201 yards shy of becoming Nebraska’s all-time leading receiver.
Spielman felt he had to make a change and eventually landed at TCU, saying: “You have to do what’s best for you and your career and make sure that you’re mentally healthy, happy and go out there and still love the game you grew up playing.”
Spielman obtained an immediate eligibility waiver to play at TCU in 2020, but his season was cut short by a season-ending injury. He played in just three games, finishing with five catches for 56 yards. Spielman caught a pass in all three games, though, and is third nationally with his streak of at least one catch in 37 consecutive games. That represents every game he’s played in his college career.
Spielman, who is the son of Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, could have pursued a professional career but felt like he owed it to TCU and the coaching staff to play a full season.
“They gave me a chance to come here and play and unfortunately I got hurt in the third game,” he said. “That’s part of just playing football. I really felt like I owed it to them to come back and give them everything I have. On top of that, I love my team and teammates. I want to do everything I can to help them get one more successful season before those seniors leave as well.”
Returning for another season gives Spielman a chance to reestablish his NFL stock too, but he didn’t sound like a player overly concerned with that. Instead, he talked about how much he’s enjoyed being in the wide receiver room that is loaded with talent.
“The chemistry in the wide receiver room is crazy,” he said. “These are some of the closest guys I’ve ever had to me. They’re not really friends, I consider them my brothers at this point.”
Coach Gary Patterson mentioned after Saturday’s game that the offense has to find ways to get two of the three “H” receivers — Spielman, Derius Davis and Taye Barber — on the field at the same time. All three are home-run threats with the ball in their hands as Spielman showcased on Saturday.
“That could be a really big threat,” Spielman said. “I’m looking forward to down the season that that becomes something in the game plan. Right now, we’re just doing what the coaches want us to do and if that means having just one of us out there and two of us on the sideline then it is what it is.
“You’ve just got to make the most of your opportunities because that means there’s two other players just as good as you on the field. When you get your reps, you’ve got to make the most of that.”
TCU (1-0) hosts California next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
