Stryker Pregame Perspective: Reimer, Hutmacher Front-Runners for Huskers’ Defensive MVP

Nine Blackshirts receive votes in pregame survey of 100 Nebraska fans

Matt Krohn - USA TODAY Sports

Defense has kept Nebraska in every game this season and has been widely viewed as the Cornhuskers’ strength in 2023. With that in mind, I surveyed 100 Husker fans on a hot, windy Saturday morning before the Michigan game, and asked them, “Who is the Huskers’ defensive MVP so far this year?”

There were votes for nine different players, a testimony to the success of first-year defensive coordinator Tony White, who is building depth and experience for next season by using a lot of players. Two front-runners clearly emerged, however, during my interviews, which on this day were held on campus, in the Haymarket and on South 13th Street.

Winning a competitive vote was senior linebacker Luke Reimer, originally a walk-on from Lincoln North Star. Reimer had 44 votes, outpolling second-place finisher, junior nose tackle Nash Hutmacher of Chamberlain, S.D., who received 32 votes.

The remaining 24 percent of the vote was shared among senior safety Omar Brown, who had nine votes; senior cornerback Quinton Newsome and freshman defensive tackle Cameron Lenhardt, who each got four votes; junior rover Isaac Gifford, junior linebacker John Bullock and junior safety DeShon Singleton, who had two votes apiece; and sophomore cornerback Malcolm Hartzog, with one vote.