Tag: 2024 Nebraska Football Season

Defensive tackle Hutmacher named to Chuck Bednarik Award watch list

Nebraska defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday.

The Nebraska football 2024 season is drawing closer, and more players are being named to award watchlists. The most recent is Nebraska defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher, who was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.

Hutmacher helped anchor a top-20 Nebraska defense in 2023. The Huskers finished in the top 20 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, and rushing defense. Hutmacher started in all 12 games for Nebraska, totaling 40 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

He even delivered a season-high seven tackles, including 2.5 sacks, against Northwestern. He also finished with four or more tackles in six games in 2023.

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994. It is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik, an All-American player at Penn and an All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced in November. The winners will be announced in December.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 19 Taveon Thompson

The countdown until August 31 is down to 19 days.

The countdown to Nebraska’s 2024 season opener against the UTEP Miners is officially under 20 days. With 19 days remaining, Huskers junior defensive back Taveon Thompson is in the player spotlight.

The Lincoln, Nebraska native joined the Huskers as a walk-on part of their 2021 recruiting class. He chose the Huskers over a single FBS offer from Charlotte and also received Division II interest regionally.

Through his first three seasons with the Huskers, Thompson has appeared in two games, both coming last season. He has not recorded any stats yet in his career.

Thompson will once again play a small but important role in 2024, as he and the rest of the program’s walk-ons are key to the program’s preparation week in and week out.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 21 RB Emmett Johnson

The countdown until August 31 is down to 21 days.

Only 21 days remain until the Nebraska Cornhuskers kickoff their 2024 season against the UTEP Miners, with kickoff closely growing closer, Huskers sophomore running back Emmett Johnson is today’s featured player.

Johnson is entering his third season with the program after playing in 12 games in 2023 including starting in seven games. On the season, Johnson totaled 90 carries for 411 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also nabbing seven receptions for 46 yards over the course of the season.

In his true freshman season, the Minneapolis native played in four games but did not record any stats offensively.

His best performance of the season was a 13 carry, 76 yards, and one touchdown performance against Purdue on October 28. He also totaled 84 yards against Maryland and 74 yards against Northwestern.

In 2024, Johnson will be one of the Huskers top options at running back and will likely play a quality role in the offense while serving as a rotational piece in the backfield.

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Senior punter Brian Buschini named to Ray Guy Award watch list for third straight year

Senior punter Brian Buschini was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

A Husker enters the 2024 football season with his name on an award watchlist for the third straight year. Senior punter Brian Buschini was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

Buschini is one of 34 punters nationally named to the preseason watch list Friday. The Ray Guy Award is presented to the nation’s top punter in the FBS. The winner will be announced during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.

In his collegiate career, the Helena, Montana native has averaged 43.7 yards per punt. Buschini has been the starter for the Huskers in the past two seasons. Last year, he averaged 40.7 yards on 57 punts, landing 20 of his 57 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

In his first season at Nebraska, he averaged 44.0 yards per punt, ranking eighth in Husker history and 25th in the nation. He delivered 16 punts of 50 yards or longer, including a 74-yard punt against Wisconsin that ranked seventh-longest in school history.

Before arriving at Nebraska, Buschini spent three seasons at Montana from 2019 to 2021. In his final season with the Grizzlies, Buschini won FCS Punter of the Year and was named first-team All-American. He averaged 46.0 yards per punt and helped Montana lead the FCS in net punting average.

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Defensive back Issac Gifford named to 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List

Nebraska defensive back Isaac Gifford was named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List on Thursday.

Another Husker football player enters the 2024 season on an award watchlist. Nebraska defensive back Isaac Gifford was named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List on Thursday.

Named for Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 National Championship-winning quarterback of the University of Florida Gators, the Wuerffel Trophy is presented to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.

Gifford actively contributes to the Huskers’ Life Skills program, volunteering extensively at the Lincoln Food Bank, speaking at schools, and helping with hospital visits.

In the spring of 2024, Gifford received the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award and was named to the Tom Osborne and Brook Berringer Citizenship Teams for his community work.

On the field, Gifford led Nebraska with 86 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss, and was second on the team in pass breakups with eight. Gifford is one of 11 semifinalists for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and will be honored as part of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

The 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy finalists and recipients will be selected on ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Presentation Gala will take place in February at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 29 WR Carter Nelson

Only 29 days remain until the start of Nebraska’s 2024 season.

The countdown to the beginning of the 2024 season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers is down to just 29 days and that brings Huskers freshman wide receiver and Ainsworth, Nebraska native Carter Nelson into the player spotlight. 

Nelson was one of the crown jewels of Matt Rhule’s first full recruiting class with the Gophers, a four-star tight end across the recruiting industry. Nelson had 30+ scholarship offers coming out of Ainsworth High School, about a four and half drive from Lincoln. 

Despite signing as a tight end in the 2024 recruiting cycle, the Huskers are looking to get Nelson on the field early and often in his collegiate career. At Big Ten media days in July, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule told the media that Nelson will begin his career as a wide receiver, playing most as a slot receiver. 

The Huskers decision to move Nelson to a wide receiver will allow the program’s offense to have both Nelson and returning standout tight end Thomas Fidone II on the field at the same time, giving the Huskers a serious height advantage.

Nelson is expected to have a considerable impact on the field this fall and could quickly become one of the program’s bigger weapons offensively. He’ll look to form a dangerous duo alongside fellow freshman, former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. 

Nelson, Raiola, and the Huskers will take on the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium on August 31. 

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 30 K Tristan Alvano

Only 30 days remain until the start of Nebraska’s 2024 season.

The countdown to kickoff for Nebraska’s 2024 season is officially less than a month away. The Huskers season opener agaisnt the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium is just 30 days away and that puts Huskers sophomore kicker Tristan Alvano in to today’s player spotlight.

The 6-foot-1 Alavano is originally out of Omaha, playing his high school football at Omaha Westside where he was one of the most succesful kickers in Nebraska high school football history, making 27 field goals over his career, the most in Nebraska Class A state history.

As a freshman, Alvano made an immeidate impact for the Huskers, making all 27 of his extra point attempts and making 9-of-15 field goal attempts includnig a season long 55-yard field goal against Purdue.

He was perfect from within 30-yards, was 4-for-5 from between 30 and 40 yards and then struggled on his further attempts, making just 3-of-8 attempts.

This season, Alavano is expected to remain the program’s starting kicker but will be limited to start fall camp.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 32 DB Rahmir Stewart

Only 32 days remain until the start of Nebraska’s 2024 season.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are just 32 days away from the beginning of their 2024 season on August 31’s season opener against the UTEP Miners.

In the player spotlight with 32 days to go is Huskers redshirt freshman defensive back Rahmir Stewart. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound defensive back out of Philadelphia appeared in one game in 2023 for the Huskers but ultimately redshirted, giving him four years of eligiblity entering this season.

Stewart was a consensus three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle choosing the Huskers over Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Texas A&M among others.

In 2024, Stewart is expected to be a depth cornerback for the Huskers and could see playing time throughout the season.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 34 FB Barret Liebentritt

Only 34 days remain until the start of Nebraska’s 2024 season.

The countdown rolls on and with just 34 days until the start of the 2024 season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, junior fullback Brett Liebentritt.

Liebentritt is entering his second year with the program after playing in seven games last season as a sophomore.

Prior to his time in Lincoln, the Nebraska native spent two years with Notre Dame at linebacker and tight end while also contributing on special teams.

Liebentritt was also a standout at Omaha Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha where he was an all-state honoree playing both fullback and linebacker.

Liebentritt should see the field routinely in 2024 as the Huskers starting fullback.

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Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 35 DB D’Andre Barnes

Only 35 days remain until the start of Nebraska’s 2024 season.

Our countdown to kickoff for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and their 2024 regular season opener against the UTEP Miners is down to just 35 days. In the player spotlight with just 35 days remaining is Huskers redshirt freshman defensive back D’Andre Barnes. 

A consensus three-star prospect out of Regis Jesuit High School in the greater Denver metro area, Hayes committed to the Huskers over offers from Air Force, Bowling Green, BYU, Nevada, and Wyoming as part of the Huskers 2023 recruiting class. 

In his true freshman season in 2023, Barnes did not see playing time, redshirting, giving him four years of eligibility entering this fall.

This fall, it seems unlikely for Barnes to see any considerable playing time but could play as a deep depth piece when the situation allows. 

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