Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule may have introduced the next great tradition

Nebraska football has some great traditions throughout its more than 100 years of tradition. Most of the best installations have been relatively recent, such as the Blackshirts and the Tunnel Walk. Now it looks like Matt Rhule might have introduced a policy that could become something that exists in Lincoln long after he’s gone. As long as everything works out the way Husker fans are hoping.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about this new tradition is that no one on the Nebraska football coaching staff is talking about it. That’s actually a good sign. It means the coaches aren’t getting ahead of themselves. They aren’t touting something before it has a chance to really take root and get embraced. However, some Husker players aren’t shy about what’s going on this spring, and by their reactions, it appears it’s something that could catch on and keep going.

So what’s the significant change that is likely to be an annual tradition? Take a look at the Nebraska football roster today, and it’s not hard to see the first step. Not a single player currently has a single-digit jersey number. Marques Buford was No. 1 last year. Today, Buford is No. 24. Ajay Allen had his No. 9 taken away and swapped with No. 23. Quinton Newsome who has been No. 6 for all four years at Nebraska, is now No. 15, and he wants his old number back. Wanting their old numbers back is a big part of this new tradition.

Does Nebraska football have a new great tradition?

Under Charlie McBride, Nebraska football players who earned a starting spot on his defense got to wear a black jersey in practice. Originally meant as a way for coaches to identify starters among the dozens of players running through drills, it took no time at all for The Blackshirts to become a badge of honor. Long after McBride had retired, Huskers coaches embraced the Blackshirt tradition; they also put their own spin on it. They did that even if there are more than a few fans who might wish the last couple of iterations of the team didn’t sully the name.

Matt Rhule’s single-digit jersey tradition isn’t really his, which demonstrates it already has staying power. He picked it up from Al Golden at Temple. The toughest players on the team get the single-digit jerseys. How Rhule plans on determining the “toughest” players on the Huskers isn’t known yet, even to the players, but it’s clear they want to earn it.

“I honestly don’t know specifically (how that will be determined,)” Newsome recently told Husker Extra‘s Amie Just. “But I would say the toughest guys, even from mat drills and the stuff we were going to do now, what we’re doing with spring ball, just seeing who the competitors are and the people who really deserve it.”

Should Rhule and company make things work with Nebraska football, it’s not hard to see the single-digit thing working hand in hand with The Blackshirts.