Even with your famous father’s name preceding you, you still have to earn your way onto the playing field. This season, Kade Warner (pictured, No. 81) has done just that.
Last weekend, Warner earned his first career start in Nebraska’s Week 5 loss to Purdue. This week, ahead of Saturday night’s game against Wisconsin, the walk-on is listed as a No. 1 wide receiver on the winless Cornhuskers’ official game-week depth chart.
For those unaware, Kade Warner is the son of Kurt Warner, the former St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals quarterback who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year as part of the nine-man 2017 class.
“There are some perks [to having the famous football surname],” Kade said according to the Associated Press, “but obviously on everything you see I’ll always be Kurt Warner’s son. There’s a chip on my shoulder trying to get that part of my name not erased, but so I’m just Kade Warner. He’s a vital part of me getting here. I’ve got to respect that, and I wouldn’t be here without him.”
The younger Warner didn’t have any scholarship offers coming out of high school, but did choose Nebraska over walk-on opportunities at, among others, Arizona State, Iowa and UCLA. After redshirting as a true freshman last season, Warner has caught two passes for 14 yards thus far this year.