Kickoff to the 2023 Nebraska football season is two weeks away, and the Huskers unveiled their next set of players that will don single-digit numbers. Last week, four players earned the number. Three more players also received the honor, bringing the total number to seven, leaving just two remaining.
There was a fourth player that earned the honor. Offensive lineman Ethan Piper received the recognition, but he can’t wear a single-digit number due to his position.
Head football coach Matt Rhule is implementing a system that awards single-digit jersey numbers to the toughest players on the team, a tradition he utilized at Temple and Baylor.
“What we decided was 0 through 9 would go to the nine or 10 toughest guys on the team” Rhule said. “When I say ‘toughest’, we define that for the guys. Really the guys who best exemplify what it means to be a Cornhusker, to be accountable, to be dependable, to be tough, hardworking, competitive every single day. As we get into training camp, the players will vote on it, and we hope it becomes a tradition. As we have embraced all the great traditions that are here, hopefully this will be something new that people will get in to.”
Find a list of all the recently awarded single-digit numbers below.
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 18, 2023