Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Nebraska hands out 3 more single-digit numbers, brings total to 7 players

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

Nebraska continues to promote a new tradition under Matt Rhule, and has added 3 more players to the single-digit number portion of the roster.

Defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher earned the No. 0, linebacker Nick Henrich No. 3 and linebacker John Bullock will wear No. 5. The recipients of the first single digits of Rhule’s Nebraska tenure were QB Jeff Sims, LB Luke Reimer, WR Billy Kemp and DB Isaac Gifford. What’s more, offensive lineman Ethan Piper also was deemed worthy of a single digit number, but isn’t allowed to wear a single digit number in games.

Rhule initially began the tradition when he coached at Temple, and explained that “I got really tired of having a guy in my program who had spent 3 years as like number 47 and then was getting ready to play and wanted to wear No. 1 or No. 3 and he had earned it, and we would give it to a recruit,” he said.

Rhule previously said the single digit roster numbers would go to the 10 toughest guys on the team. The definition of “toughest” means the players that define what it means to be a Cornhusker. He also said players would vote on which players receive the honor in training camp.

Keith Farner

Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.