Nebraska football’s defensive leadership emerging as a key pillar for 2023 squad
Of the seven Nebraska football players awarded single-digit jerseys this fall, five are on the defensive side of the ball.
The honor is bestowed via a team vote to players who embody what it means to be a Husker through displaying qualities of toughness, dependability, accountability, hard work and competitiveness. It’s a tradition head coach Matt Rhule established during his time at Temple and carried to Baylor and now Nebraska.
Defensive coordinator Tony White has seen his unit heavily featured in the first two rounds of voting. Thus far, Husker defenders with single digits include Nash Hutmacher (No. 0), Isaac Gifford (No. 2), Nick Henrich (No. 3), Luke Reimer (No. 4) and John Bullock (No. 5).
“That’s a testament to them, you know?” White said of his players. “I didn’t do anything. Those guys are OOU (one of us) guys. It’s really cool when that kind of award comes from the team. The coaches are out of it and it’s a team honor. It’s really neat for good guys to be rewarded and those guys are good guys.”
There’s plenty of player buzz regarding single-digit jerseys according to safety DeShon Singleton.
“I feel like it’s very exciting,” Singleton said. “When you get a single digit, the players vote for it. That means the whole team feels this way about you. I feel like that’s what makes it more special because your teammates respect you.”
White noted several intriguing qualities displayed by Nebraska’s single-digit linebackers. Henrich is entering his fifth season in Lincoln and the team’s only returning captain. His veteran nature shows in his reaction speed and reads of run-pass situations according to White.
Reimer has an aggressive side defined by his physicality and will be a critical piece of the Huskers’ interior defense this season. Meanwhile, Bullock is another Nebraska native who represents the results of Rhule’s willingness to test athletes in multiple positions. The Creighton Prep product went from safety to linebacker, and walk-on to scholarship athlete to single-digit selection in a matter of months.
Meanwhile Hutmacher is stepping into the limelight. White says the 6-foot-4, 330-pound lineman is helping his teammates get lined up, playing physical and showing a new level of confidence.
“I go back to the great teammate part,” White said. “It’s neat when the person gets to be rewarded for the football player, not the other way around. You root for those guys. Bullock, Henrich, Luke (Reimer), Nash (Hutmacher), (Ty Robinson), Blaise (Gunnerson), you’ve got a core group of guys here that you want to see do well.
The “right people” leading Nebraska’s secondary
Experience and leadership isn’t exclusively expressed by a number.
Quinton Newsome is set for his final season as a Husker. He is likely Nebraska’s top corner and, while he remains a candidate, has yet to receive a single digit. That doesn’t prevent him from displaying his talent and helping to set the standard in Evan Cooper’s defensive backs room. Omar Brown transferred to Nebraska from Northern Iowa a year ago and said Newsome is like a brother.
“He’s been a dog ever since I’ve been here,” Brown said. “His man-to-man coverage skills are probably like the best right now. The diversity he could do. He could play man, he could tackle, he could do a whole bunch of things for us and he’s a leader in our group.”
Newsome is coming off a season in which he broke up 10 passes and forced a fumble while making 44 tackles. He’ll be looking to notch his first career interception as a Husker this season. Multiple coaches at Nebraska have stated Newsome is working with NFL talent and White fees similarly.
“When you’ve got a guy who has played a lot of ball, nothing really spooks him,” he said of Newsome. “He’s very calm. They can learn fast, they get the schematics, they just get the game in between the snaps and you can see that with him. He’s got a chance to be the best DBs, I don’t want to say corners, DBs in the conference period. It’s about him and his maturity and saying every play he can be that guy.”
Newsome isn’t the only defensive back earning brotherly comparisons.
Singleton made a similar remark regarding Gifford. He said the safeties share plenty of pointers and talk on the field often. From formations to concepts, Singleton asks questions, Gifford answers and he believes it helps each athlete’s game tremendously.
“He just teaches me the little things,” Singleton said. “Me and him go and watch film all of the time together. I’ll be like, ‘Hey, are you trying to come up here at like 7 o’clock in the morning?’ and he’s on board with it because he’s a leader. I’m not saying I’m a follower, but I know who to follow and I’ve got to follow the right people.”
Overall, Singleton said living in the dorms during the first two weeks of August helped bring the defensive backs closer together. That’s transitioned to the field in the form of confidence and trust. Knowing a player can do his job comes from seeing him work over the course of the spring and fall according to Singleton.
From a leadership perspective, the junior has a high level of confidence and believes those who have earned single digits are deserving.
“I feel like everyone is headed in the right direction,” Singleton said. “When they speak, everyone listens. This year I feel like they have more voice and everyone is following. Even myself, I’m following because I know the right people are leading.”
The post Nebraska football’s defensive leadership emerging as a key pillar for 2023 squad appeared first on On3.
