Nebraska senior cornerback Ceyair Wright, a Hollywood actor, earns prestigious single-digit jersey

Last October, Wright was awarded a coveted Blackshirt after his play in a 14-7 win over Rutgers. Wright stepped in when starting cornerback Tommi Hill was injured against Illinois.

Against Illinois the week before, he had six tackles and a strip sack against highly regarded quarterback Luke Altmyer.

Wright, a senior, transferred before the 2024 season from USC, where he played three seasons. He is 6-foot, 190 pounds. He was a four-star recruit when he went to USC.

He played in all 13 Nebraska games last season and made eight starts. According to Huskers.com, he had a career high with 39 tackles. He also had one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, six pass breakups and one forced fumble.

That’s a lot of getting on the Nebraska scoresheet.

Secondary coach Addison Williams, at a recent news conference, listed Wright as one of four players in the secondary who have stepped up as leaders.

“Ceyair is another guy that is emerging as a leader in that room … pulling guys off to the side. He’s also becoming a bit more vocal in front of the room,” Williams said.

The Los Angeles native has a flair for the dramatic, too. When the Huskers played at UCLA last season, Wright had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown, along with four solo tackles and a blocked field goal.

In Nebraska’s 20-15 victory over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, Wright had four tackles and one pass breakup.

Hello, scoresheet.

Hooray for Hollywood

Wright’s flair for the dramatic includes a budding acting career. His acting credits include “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “Training Day,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Grown-ish.” That’s a fairly healthy Hollywood career for a 22-year-old.

In “Space Jam,” Wright played LeBron James’ son, Darius. Wright told People magazine in 2021 that he fibbed about his basketball skills to help him land the part.

People reported that the casting director Kim Coleman asked Wright if he played basketball.

“And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I played basketball. I played varsity in my high school,’ which was not true, but that’s what I said,” Wright told the magazine.

 Family can play, too.

Wright’s father, Claudius, played cornerback at Arizona. His uncle, Mazio Royster, led USC in rushing in 1990. His cousin, Darick Holmes, played running back at Portland State and had a five-year NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts. Holmes played in the NFL from 1995 to ’99.

Another cousin, Danny Holmes, played cornerback at UCLA and had a five-year NFL career with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. He played in the NFL from 2020 to ’24.

In a Last Word on Sports article, writer Dylan Jurgens called Wright the Huskers’ top defensive player going into 2025.

Jurgens wrote: “It is expected that he will be the No. 1 cornerback for the Huskers in 2025 and has the potential to make the biggest impact out of all of the defensive backs that returned for another season in Lincoln. With that potential comes with expectations and there is hope Wright can live up to them.”

Wright has been outstanding off the field in Lincoln. He was a Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll last fall, and in 2025 is a Tom Osborne Citizenship Team member. According to Huskers.com, Wright is on track to graduate in December.