Nebraska Weekly: Weekend review, what lies ahead, latest reports & rumors

Welcome to Nebraska Weekly! Every Monday in February, this is where we will review the biggest highlights of Nebraska's weekend, preview what lies ahead for Husker Athletics and – whenever possible – touch on any of the latest reports and rumors on the Huskers.

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The top news item to touch on in this week's "Reports & Rumors" section is the continued waiting game we are playing to see if and/or when the Huskers will be officially welcoming Dana Holgorsen to the Nebraska staff. As of Monday, the latest update is that it is an "if" situation and not a "when."

The more time that passes without an official announcement, or without news leaking to Inside Nebraska or a national media outlet, the less likely it seems that Holgorsen will be heading to Lincoln. The former West Virginia and Houston head coach has had his name circulating around multiple schools and coaching positions this winter, including the last month or so at Nebraska. Per sources, the Huskers have been very interested in adding Holgorsen to the staff as an analyst (in other words, not a full-time role as a coordinator or position coach).

This latest report from us on Holgorsen and Nebraska is not definitive. As we have reported twice over the past 3-4 weeks, and are reporting again, the possibility remains on the table. But it's certainly looking much less likely today.

Here are our top three stories of the weekend in Husker Athletics:

Nebrasketball shows up and battles in road loss:

>> The Huskers have been miserable on the road this season, sporting a 1-6 mark away from Lincoln against a 14-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena.The one win at Kansas State has been mostly forgotten as the Huskers sandwiched it around blowouts at Wisconsin and Maryland and blown leads at Minnesota and Rutgers.

The most deflating, though, came in the 94-76 loss at Iowa as it came just three days after the Huskers appeared to have turned a major corner by cruising to an upset of No. 1 Purdue at PBA. Nebraska came out flat in the second half against the Hawkeyes and followed up with a major blown opportunity at Rutgers in an overtime loss.

If you're a Husker fan expecting more of the same on Sunday in Champaign, no one would blame you. But three days after upsetting No. 6 Wisconsin at home via comeback from down 19 points, Nebraska showcased one of its season's most impressive performances despite falling in an 87-84 loss at No. 14 Illinois.

No one hands out moral victories and participation certificates for playing well but losing. Still, seeing Fred Hoiberg's team answer the call and coming out to battle in what is a tough road trip and difficult/weird place to play has to be seen as a net positive. If nothing else, it's at least a sign of progress and the growth of this team. One would hope, that is...

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Hutmacher wins his fourth match of the year, Husker wrestling takes down Illinois

Nebraska breakout defensive line star Nash Hutmacher turned everyone's heads when the news trickled out of his return to wrestling this winter. Less than two full months after finishing his best season thus far at Nebraska with career highs in tackles (40), tackles for loss (8.0) and sacks (4.5) across 12 starts, Hutmacher is getting business done on the mats, too.

On Sunday afternoon, Hutmacher helped lead Mark Manning's club to a 28-9 victory over Illinois for the Huskers' fifth consecutive dual victory.

In the final match of the day, heavyweights Hutmacher and Peter Marinopoulos took the mat for an action-packed match. Hutmacher took a 5-4 lead after the first period. He then pulled off two escapes, tallied a takedown and the riding time point to secure a 12-9 decision. His victory was a highlight of the match as No. 6-ranked Nebraska moved to 10-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten. Illinois fell to 3-7 and 0-4 in the conference.

Hutmacher's victory, meanwhile, moved his record to 3-1 this year in the heavyweight class. In addition to being a three-time all-state selection in football as a high school star in South Dakota, the Husker defensive lineman was a four-time state champion in wrestling and two-time state champion in track & field.

He never lost a high school match, going 166-0 (per Husker Athletics) across his four years with marks of 44-0 (freshman), 46-0 (sophomore), 33-0 (junior) and 43-0 (senior). Outside of high school competition, Hutmacher was a four-time All-American who won several event titles, including the 2019 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle National Championship and winning the 2017 USA Wrestling Cadet Freestyle National Championship.

Hutmacher won the Class A state title in the shot put and discus as a junior track & field athlete en route to winning back-to-back South Dakota Boys Athlete of the Year awards (2018-19 and 19-20).

He has brought all of that to both the football field and now the mat for Nebraska's wrestling team, which has been on a roll this season. Up next for the Huskers is a home dual against Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. CT with the match available to watch on Big Ten Network.

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Nebraska soccer coach John Walker earns contract extension

Nebraska soccer head coach John Walker received a contract extension through the 2027 season, Huskers AD Trev Alberts announced over the weekend.

Walker, the only head coach in Nebraska soccer history, just wrapped up his 30th season with the Huskers in the fall by leading them to a 17-4-3 record, a Big Ten Championship and an Elite Eight appearance.

The Nebraska women’s soccer team had one of the best seasons in program history and one of the team’s best all-time postseason runs to put an exclamation mark on the 2023 season. The Huskers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for a second straight year in 2023, finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the country and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska then rattled off three straight wins to reach its third-ever Elite Eight (and first since 1999) and finished with the school’s most wins (17) since 2013.

Walker was named the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year while Walker and his staff were named the North Region Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.

“We are fortunate to have a leader like Coach Walker in charge of our soccer program,” Alberts said. “John and his team had a remarkable season in 2023, reaching the Elite Eight and earning a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship. His teams play with toughness, tenacity, and teamwork which is a testament to his leadership. It is also impressive to me that Coach Walker has been our head coach for three decades, but he has continued to adapt and improve to ensure Nebraska Soccer continues to compete at a high level."

A coach of the year in both the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences, Walker has amassed a 365-193-61 record at Nebraska. In his 30 seasons leading the program, Walker has won 11 conference titles while leading the Huskers to 13 NCAA Tournaments, nine NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and three trips to the Elite Eight.

“First, I am thankful to Trev Alberts, Jamie Vaughn and Jonathan Bateman for the opportunity to continue to lead our soccer program and their ongoing support,” Walker said. “I am so appreciative of our soccer staff and all the great people within our athletic department and the work they do behind the scenes to help all our teams and student athletes."

“Finally and most importantly, I want to thank our players. I get a chance to work daily with a driven group of exceptionally talented and competitive student athletes that inspire me to be at my best every day. Their commitment to development, competition and each other is outstanding. Our team achieved great success this past season, and I am committed to helping them improve and reach their potential in 2024.”

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