Nebraska
Nash Hutmacher enjoying his return to the mat for Nebraska wrestling
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LINCOLN, Neb. — A surge of joy overtook Nash Hutmacher as he secured his first wrestling victory in nearly four years.
It was Saturday, Jan. 6, and the South Dakota prep wrestling legend, and the newest addition to the Nebraska wrestling program, had just recorded a fall over Wyoming’s Mason Ding in 2 minutes and 7 seconds.
The man Nebraska fans nicknamed “The Polar Bear” leapt up, shook hands with his opponent, then cheekily ran around the mat as he pumped his fist towards the crowd at the Devaney Center.
“I just had the biggest smile on my face because it was just like all the wrestling memories and everything started coming back,” Hutmacher said. “You remember how much you love the sport that you quit playing for three or four years.”
Hutmacher, a decorated wrestler who won four consecutive state championships and set a state-record 73 consecutive pins for Chamberlain High School, went away from the sport after graduating from high school in 2020 to pursue college football.
But now, the Nebraska football blackshirt and starting nose tackle has returned to his dual-sport ways, beginning with his exhilarating start. Wrestling at 285 pounds for the No. 6-ranked Huskers, the Oacoma product has posted a 4-2 record, including three wins in Big Ten competition.
“It’s definitely just been fun getting back into it, going from football workouts to wrestling practice,” Hutmacher said. “It’s been interesting, it took some getting used to but I love doing it so far.”
Nebraska Athletics
“I’m going to go give it a shot”
Wrestling this season was not on Hutmacher’s radar until Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning reached out to him following the football season, and told him they wanted him to come join the program.
Hutmacher was initially unsure how to react to the sudden offer. But after talking to his parents, and getting support from his defensive line coach, Terrance Knighton, and head football coach, Matt Rhule, he made a decision.
“I was like, you know what, screw it. I’m going to go give it a shot and just kind of see how it goes,” Hutmacher recalled.
Hutmacher, who weighed 330 pounds during football, had to lose 45 points to compete in the heavyweight class.
He met with football nutritionist Kristin Coggin, and the wrestling nutritionist Ron Luth, and created an eating schedule. He cut out some carbs for dinner time, and ramped up his cardio.
“For the most part when I was training I was still eating quite a bit. I just upped my workload. … it was definitely pretty difficult at first but then once I got into the rhythm, into the groove of losing the weight it definitely got a lot easier,” Hutmacher said.
He was ready to compete after the new year, making his debut against Wyoming. He experienced a lot of nerves leading up to the march, unsure how’d he perform after so many years away.
But with several of his football coaches and teammates, his mother, and the support staff all in person for the match, he went out and recorded the fall.
“It was honestly just a super special moment to go out there and get the pin like I did, and to just have everyone around me that has supported me and helped me along my journey there,” Hutmacher said.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Joining the wrestling program has created a busy schedule for Hutmacher.
When he’s not competing on weekends, he is balancing winter football workouts in the morning, and wrestling practice in the afternoon, all while squeezing in school.
It has created a unique dynamic, where he is hanging out with his longtime teammates and friends all morning at football, then spending his afternoons with a “tight-knit group” of wrestling teammates.
“It’s been really awesome to meet the rest of the team and get to know those guys. That whole team is just full of awesome dudes who are just workers. They just grind over there,” Hutmacher said.
Sometimes, his interactions with the two teams overlap, and Hutmacher stands not sure what to do. For instance, when he goes to eat meals at the Lewis Training Table, he’s faced with a grade school-esque dilemma.
“I don’t know if I should sit by the football guys or if I should sit by the wrestling guys. It’s kind of funny being in those areas where we’re all hanging out … it’s cool to be a part of two different programs like that,” he said.
The competitions themselves have also been a learning curve. Hutmacher, who was ranked the No. 1 heavyweight wrestler in the nation his senior year of high school, has discovered wrestling in the Big Ten presents a new challenge every week.
In his first Big Ten match, Hutmacher fell to Iowa’s Bradley Hill in a 4-1 decision. But since then, he’s gotten comfortable, and won three-straight matches by decision, including 5-0 decision against Purdue’s Tristan Ruhlman, a wild 19-14 decision over Wisconsin’s Gannon Rosenfeld and a 12-9 decision against Illinois’ Peter Marinopoulos.
“There’s levels to wrestling, and it’s just that next level,” Hutmacher said. “It definitely took some knocking the rust off to get back into wrestling shape, but like I said, I’ve loved doing it … It’s going out there and being relentless, being the tougher man out there and just getting it done, even when it doesn’t go exactly how you want it to go.”
Nebrasksa wrestling will next compete against No. 1-ranked Penn State at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, in State College, Pennsylvania.
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Nebraska
Nebraska football reveals 10 players awarded single-digit jersey numbers
![Nebraska football reveals 10 players awarded single-digit jersey numbers Nebraska football reveals 10 players awarded single-digit jersey numbers](https://gray-wowt-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/CUNABYOYLBGNVMOKQTKDRWVKCI.jpg?auth=018c34778558cf3dc5315e24c801ed7a728f004ffe72fd0c1acacbb4de20614c&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – A single-digit jersey number is earned at Nebraska.
The Huskers revealed the ten players who will don numbers 0-9 this season.
SINGLE-DIGIT JERSEY HONOREES:
#0 – Nash Hutmacher (DL)*
#1 – Jimari Butler (DL)
#2 – Isaac Gifford (DB)*
#3 – Marques Buford Jr. (DB)
#4 – Jahmal Banks (WR)
#5 – John Bullock (LB)*
#6 – Tommi Hill (DB)
#7 – Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (DB)
#8 – DeShon Singleton (DB)*
#9 – Ty Robinson (DL)*
*Denotes a 2023 single-digit jersey recipient
Matt Rhule began the tradition last season. The jerseys are awarded to the 10 toughest players, as voted on by the team.
The defense dominated with nine honorees. The lone offensive player to be named to “The Ten” was Wake Forest transfer Jahmal Banks. Offensive linemen are not permitted to wear single-digit uniform numbers.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska reveals 10 Huskers earning coveted single-digit jerseys
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska named the 10 football players who will be wearing single digit jerseys this season in a social media post on Tuesday.
The list includes:
- Nash Hutmacher #0 (Sr.) Defensive Lineman
- Jimari Butler #1 (Jr.) Defensive Lineman
- Isaac Gifford #2 (Sr.) Defensive Back
- Marques Buford Jr. #3 (Jr.) Defensive Back
- Jahmal Banks #4 (Sr.) Wide Receiver
- John Bullock #5 (Sr.) Linebacker
- Tommi Hill #6 (Sr.) Defensive Back
- Malcolm Hartzog #7 (Jr.) Defensive Back
- DeShon Singleton #8 (Sr.) Defensive Back
- Ty Robinson #9 (Sr.) Defensive Lineman
Matt Rhule introduced the single digit jerseys last year and had the team vote for players who deserved the single digit jerseys.
Once a player was voted to get a single digit jersey, they were able to pick the number they wanted that remained untaken with numbers zero through nine being used. There is no offense / defense repeats therefore only 10 Huskers earned the single digits.
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Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Football’s Matt Rhule Reiterates Big Ten-NFL Comparison, Getting Four Teams into College Football Playoff
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Lanes be damned.
With the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams, the Big Ten Conference and SEC are expected to earn a lion’s share of the playoff spots with the strength of both leagues. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule at Big Ten Media Days in July went so far as to say the Big Ten should be getting a third of the teams in the field.
“I think four teams from this league should get in the College Football Playoff every year,” Rhule said. “This is the best league. This is the NFL of college football in my mind. We stretch from coast to coast in different time zones.”
Following his comments, famed SEC analyst Paul Finebaum fired back at the Huskers coach while on the ESPN program “Get Up”.
“Matt, stay in your lane! Job one, win enough games to get to some stupid bowl game,” Finebaum said. “Don’t worry about the big boys, because you’re not one of them.”
Paul Finebaum implores Matt Rhule to “stay in your lane.”
“Don’t worry about the big boys because you’re not one of them…You’re talking like you belong at the table with Ohio State and Georgia — you don’t…And leave the punditry to the professionals.” pic.twitter.com/UrulCPBhke
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 26, 2024
Monday, as a guest on “The Jim Rome Show”, Rhule didn’t flinch when asked about his comments in regards to comparing the league his team plays in with the National Football League. Show host Jim Rome asked Rhule, what makes the Big Ten the best conference in his mind, even above the SEC.
“At the end of the day I never would disparage another league,” Rhule said. “The SEC is a tremendous league and I think, moving forward, when we go to a 14-team playoff, if that happens, I think you’ll see four Big Ten and Four SEC teams every year.”
“I just think, and I’m going to represent our league because I’m in it,” Rhule continued. “When you combine weather, travel, and different styles of play, you see a league unlike any other.”
In the same breath Rhule mentioned that the college football landscape has never seen a league that would have teams travel through so many time zones in order to play conference opponents, similar to NFL teams.
Matt Rhule on the new-look @bigten. pic.twitter.com/WvtJQlClkf
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 19, 2024
Although Rhule continues to praise the Big Ten in terms of being the best conference in college football, the AP Poll still has more SEC teams ranked, as eight Southeastern Conference teams appear in the top 25, with Georgia leading the way at No. 1.
However, the Big Ten can reply with the fact that each conference has four teams inside the top 10: Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss for the SEC and Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan for the Big Ten.
The college football season begins this week but the Huskers wont see the field until Aug. 30, with their matchup against the UTEP Miners. That game will be played inside Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CDT and airing on FOX.
You can watch the full “Jim Rome Show”, including appearances from Rhule and legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, below.
Monday: — Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 19, 2024
2:00p ET Matt Rhule (@HuskerFootball)
2:20p Bob Costas
📻: @InfSportsNet
📡: Sirius XM 158
📺: @X https://t.co/7mpwmD42zw
MORE: Nebraska Football: Are the Huskers Ready to Win?
MORE: Former Nebraska Quarterbacks Falter for Starting Spots With New Teams
MORE: Nebraska Volleyball No. 2 in Preseason AVCA Poll; Set to Face 10 Top 25 Opponents
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI , following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
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