Nebraska football awards first four single-digit jerseys

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska football unveiled its first round of single-digit jerseys on Wednesday night as part of the program’s newest tradition under head coach Matt Rhule.

Senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV picked No. 1, safety Isaac Gifford chose No. 2, Luke Reimer is wearing No. 4 and quarterback Jeff Sims has No. 7.

Rhule took away single-digit jerseys in March, saying he wanted them to be earned and go to the 10 “toughest” guys on the team.

“The guys who best exemplify what it means to be a Cornhusker,” he said at the time. “To be accountable, to be dependable, to be tough, hardworking, competitive every single day.”

The idea is a staple of Rhule-led teams. He did it at both Temple and Baylor and learned it from former Temple coach Al Golden.

Rhule had the players vote on who got the jerseys, rather than the coaches, and said he hopes this becomes a long-time tradition.

“Hopefully, this will be something new that people will get into and there’ll be a long line of guys who earn that jersey number,” he said.