Honors & Awards
» Third-Team All-ACC (2021 at Virginia)
» Honorable-Mention All-ACC (2020 at Virginia)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring 2023)
2023 (Senior)
Billy Kemp IV played in 11 games with three starts in his lone season at Nebraska in 2023. Kemp led the Huskers with 35 receptions and 310 receiving yards, and he rushed three times for 13 yards while scoring a touchdown on the ground and through the air. On the season, 167 of his 310 receiving yards (54 percent) came after the catch. Kemp wore the No. 1 as one one of 10 Huskers to earn a single-digit number in a team vote selecting him as one of Nebraska's "toughest" players.
Kemp caught five passes at Colorado for 57 yards, with 26 of his 57 yards coming after the catch. He made his first start as a Husker against Northern Illinois and caught three passes for 13 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown. He caught five passes for 62 yards against Louisiana Tech and scored his first career rushing touchown with a 10-yard run. Against Michigan, Kemp had four catches for 61 yards, with 38 of his receiving yards coming after the catch. He had three catches for 26 yards at Illinois.
Kemp had one catch early in the game against Northwestern before suffering an injury. The injury kept him out of the Purdue win. He returned against Michigan State but was limited to punt return duty but did not have a return. Kemp returned to full action against Maryland and had two catches for 30 yards to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards. He caught eight passes for 43 yards in a start at Wisconsin, with 29 of his yards coming after the catch. In his final game against Iowa, Kemp led Nebraska with four catches while totaling 21 receiving yards.
Before Nebraska (Highland Springs HS/Virginia)
Kemp joined Nebraska after spending five seasons at Virginia, playing in 50 games with 25 starts. He will have one season of eligibility with the Huskers.
Kemp was one of the top receivers in the history of Virginia football, catching 192 passes for 1,774 yards. He finished fourth on the Cavaliers’ career receptions list and 10th in career receiving yards. Kemp was also the first player in program history to lead the team in punt return yards four straight seasons. He was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2021 and an honorable-mention pick in 2020.
As a true freshman in 2018, Kemp played in eight games and returned three punts for 31 yards but did not have a reception. Kemp appeared in 13 games with two starts in 2019, catching 35 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. He also returned 23 punts for 137 yards.
Kemp played in all 10 games of the shortened 2020 season, making nine starts. He caught 67 passes for 644 yards and one touchdown. Kemp ranked second in the ACC and 18th nationally with an average of 6.7 receptions per game. He finished with 10 catches against both Clemson and NC State, becoming only the fifth player in program history with multiple double-digit reception games in a season.
Kemp had his most productive season in 2021, starting 10 contests and catching at least three passes in all 12 games. He had 74 receptions for 725 yards and six touchdowns with two 100-yard receiving efforts. Kemp’s 74 catches ranked fifth in the ACC, and he was 30th nationally in receptions per game (6.2). Kemp also ranked 36th nationally with an average of 6.2 yards per punt return, finishing with 15 punt returns for 93 yards. Kemp battled injuries in his final season at Virginia, playing in seven games with four starts during the Cavaliers’ shortened 2022 season. He caught 16 passes for 116 yards and had eight punt returns for 35 yards.
Kemp won back-to-back Class 5A state titles as a junior and senior at Highland Springs High School in Virginia. He had nearly 1,000 receiving yards and scored 16 touchdowns as a senior. Kemp began his prep career at Lee-Davis High School, and he was regarded as a three-star prospect by ESPN.
Personal
Billy is the son of Ilene and Bill Kemp.