Brandon Reilly

Honors & Awards
» Biletnikoff Award Watch List (2016)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
» Seven-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll

Brandon Reilly was a key part of a Nebraska receiving corps that ranked among the Big Ten's best during his career in Lincoln. The 6-2, 200-pound Reilly proved to be one of the nation's top big-play receivers in his final two seasons, stretching opposing defenses downfield on a regular basis.

Reilly finished his Nebraska career with 70 receptions for 1,275 yards and six touchdowns. His 70 catches ranked 20th in school history, while his yardage total placed him 12th on the NU career list. He averaged 18.2 yards per reception in his career, the second-highest per catch average among Nebraska players with at least 60 career receptions, and the most by a Husker wideout. Reilly had 13 receptions of at least 30 yards in his final two seasons.

The Lincoln product originally walked on to the Nebraska program but earned a scholarship prior to his sophomore season. Reilly was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and graduated in December of 2016 with a degree in marketing/management.

2016 (Senior)
Reilly battled through injuries to play in 11 games with four starts as a senior. He finished with 21 receptions for 412 yards, averaging a team-best 19.6 yards per catch. Reilly capped his career in strong fashion with four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the bowl game against Tennessee. Reilly also contributed in the running game with 46 rushing yards on the season.

Reilly missed the opener against Fresno State, but returned with two catches for 52 yards aginst Wyoming. After sitting out because of injury against Oregon, Reilly had a 35-yard catch to set up a score at Northwestern. He had a spectacular, season-long 45-yard reception in the first quarter at Indiana, and finished with 60 receiving yards to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards. He had four receptions for 73 yards in the Huskers' win over Purdue, both highs for the regular season. Reilly matched his season high with four receptions on Senior Day against Maryland, totaling 49 yards. 

Reilly had touchdown catches of 38 and 9 yards against Tennessee, and also added a 39-yard reception.

2015 (Junior)
Reilly played in all 13 games with six starts, and had 40 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns. His 18.9-yard per catch average was the third-best in school history among players with 40 catches in a season, trailing only Niles Paul in 2009 and Irving Fryar in 1983. It also ranked sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten among players with at least 40 receptions.

Reilly had at least three receptions in eight games and had a catch of at least 20 yards in nine games. Reilly also rushed for 96 yards on 11 carries and returned a pair of kickoffs. Reilly had eight receptions of at least 30 yards, highlighted by a 30-yard game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against Michigan State. 

Reilly opened the year with consecutive five-catch efforts against BYU and South Alabama, topping 70 yards in both games. He had four receptions for 83 yards at Miami, and was a big part of Nebraska’s fourth-quarter rally. Reilly caught a 21-yard fourth-quarter TD to pull Nebraska within eight points, then had a 41-yard catch to help set up the Huskers’ game-tying touchdown in the final minute. Reilly closed non-league play with three catches for a career-high 112 yards, including a 49-yard reception against Southern Miss.  

Reilly had four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown against Northwestern and tied his season-high with five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown at Purdue. Reilly had a career-long 52-yard catch against the Boilermakers and also had a career-long 20-yard run.

Reilly had a memorable night against No. 6 Michigan State with three catches for 87 yards. He had a 35-yard catch deep in Spartan territory in the third quarter, before hauling in the game-winning score. He caught a 30-yard strike from Tommy Armstrong Jr. with just 17 seconds to play, giving NU the 39-38 upset win. He also had a 17-yard run against the Spartans. Reilly finished the year with three receptions each against Iowa and UCLA.

2014 (Sophomore)
Reilly missed the first six games with an injury, but returned to play in the final seven games, including a start at Wisconsin. Reilly had six catches for 85 yards on the season, including four catches for 36 yards in the Holiday Bowl. He also had a 14-yard catch at Wisconsin and a season-long 35-yard catch at Iowa. His reception at Iowa put NU deep in Hawkeye territory in the closing seconds and set up a game-tying field goal.

On special teams, Reilly blocked a punt against Purdue and helped alter another punt against the Boilermakers. He added one assisted tackle.

2013 (Redshirt Freshman)
Reilly played in 10 games at receiver, and caught three passes for 24 yards, including two catches for 19 yards at Penn State. He also had a five-yard reception against South Dakota State. Reilly also saw action on special teams.

2012 (Redshirt)
Reilly redshirted in his first season in 2012.

Before Nebraska (Lincoln Southwest HS)
A standout on both sides of the ball for Lincoln Southwest, Reilly earned honorable-mention all-state accolades as a senior from the Omaha World-Herald. Reilly caught 18 passes for 339 yards and was also a threat on special teams, amassing over 650 kickoff and punt return yards, including three returns for touchdowns. Reilly showed big-play ability as a senior, with eight of his nine touchdowns covering 50 yards or more.

On defense, Reilly totaled 59 tackles and three interceptions to earn a spot on the first-team Lincoln Journal Star Super State team as a defensive back. Reilly capped his prep career by catching six passes for 117 yards and one touchdown en route to earning offensive MVP honors at the 2012 Nebraska Shrine Bowl. Also a member of the Southwest basketball team, Reilly chose to walk on at Nebraska after receiving interest from Nebraska-Kearney, Southeast Missouri State and South Dakota.

Personal
The son of Paul Reilly and Julie Matthes, Brandon was born on Sept. 24, 1993. He majored in marketing/management before earning his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in December of 2016. He was a seven-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. Reilly volunteered his time with Uplifting Athletes and local school and hospital outreach events.