Multiple Husker defenders recognized by Big Ten. A strong year on the defensive side of the ball, which saw a number of different contributors this season was reflected in the Big Ten’s all-conference defensive honors released on Tuesday afternoon.
The Huskers placed just one player on the league’s first, second or third-team defensive teams, but seven others received honorable mention honors from Big Ten coaches and media.
Senior linebacker Luke Reimer headlined the group, earning third-team honors from Big Ten coaches, and honorable mention honors from conference media. Reimer earned all-conference recognition for the third consecutive season. He finished the season with 48 tackles in 10 games, while his five sacks ranked second on the team and his 7.5 tackles for loss were third for the Blackshirts. Reimer, who had earned honorable-mention recognition in both 2021 and 2022, finished his Husker career third on the school’s all-time tackles list with 293 stops.
Senior cornerback Quinton Newsome was the only other repeat honoree for the Husker defense, earning honorable mention honors from both the coaches and media. Newsome finished the year with 37 tackles, an interception and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.
Nebraska’s remaining six honorees were recognized for the first time this season.
Senior safety Omar Brown tied for second on the team with 51 tackles, while forcing two fumbles, recovering a fumble and adding an interception to earn honorable mention from media and coaches.
Junior Isaac Gifford, who walked in senior day ceremonies, led the Huskers in tackles with 86 stops, the most by a Husker defensive back in nine seasons. Gifford was second on the team with eight pass breakups while his 6.5 tackles for loss was among the best for Big Ten defensive backs. He earned honorable mention recognition from coaches and media.
Junior corner Tommi Hill, who led the Huskers with four interceptions and nine pass breakups, earned honorable mention honors from coaches and media.
Defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher manned the middle of the Nebraska defense and recorded 40 tackles to go along with eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a blocked field goal against Iowa to earn honors from media and coaches. Ty Robinson, who will return in 2024, finished the year with 29 tackles, including four tackles for loss. He was disruptive at the line of scrimmage with six pass breakups and a team-high 11 quarterback hurries along with a blocked field goal against Iowa. Robinson was recognized by conference coaches and media. Defensive end Jimari Butler led the Huskers with 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss among his 34 overall tackles on the season, and was recognized with honorable mention plaudits from conference media.
The 2023 defense ranked as Nebraska’s best since joining the Big Ten in several statistical categories. The Blackshirts’ averages in total defense (303.5 yards per game), scoring defense (18.3 points per game) and rushing defense (92.9 yards per game) were all program bests since at least 2010. The Huskers held eight of 12 opponents to 14 or fewer points. NU limited eight opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards and six foes to less than 300 yards of total offense.