Nebraska football boasted one of the best defenses in the Big Ten and one of the top defenses in the entire country in Tony White's first season as defensive coordinator.

The Huskers finished in the upper echelon of the Big Ten and the entire FBS in multiple defensive categories. That includes finishing:

>> 5th in the Big Ten and 17th nationally in scoring defense (18.25 ppg allowed)

>> 5th in the Big Ten and 14th nationally in total defense (303.5 ypg allowed)

>> 3rd in the Big Ten and 8th nationally in rushing defense (92.9 rushing ypg allowed)

>> 2nd in the Big Ten and 5th nationally in yards allowed per carry (2.97)

>> 5th in the Big Ten and 14th nationally for fewest TDs allowed this season (14)

And yet, despite putting up all of those impressive defensive numbers and being the backbone for Nebraska's best finish in four years, the Huskers earned just a single All-Big Ten selection: Veteran LB Luke Reimer, who was named a third-team all-conference honoree by the Big Ten coaches. The Huskers did not earn any all-conference selections by the Big Ten media.

Reimer, who was an honorable mention selection by the media, played his final game as a Husker against Iowa and had a season-high 10 tackles versus the Hawkeyes. Despite missing nearly three full games (Michigan, Illinois) after leaving in the first quarter against Louisiana Tech, Reimer finished eighth in the Big Ten in sacks (5.0) and 12th in TFLs (7.5) in addition to recording 48 tackles.

Reimer, a Kansas native and former walk-on from Lincoln North Star, was also honorable mention All-Big Ten in both 2021 and 2022 by the coaches and media despite ranking fifth in the Big Ten with a career-high 108 tackles (2021) and sixth in the conference with 86 tackles (2022).

In five seasons as a Husker, Reimer played in 48 games with 36 starts and racked up 293 career tackles, 23 tackles for loss and nine sacks. His 293 tackles rank him third in Husker history behind Barrett Ruud (2001-04; 432 tackles) and Jerry Murtaugh (1968-70; 342).

Reimer has been a key fixture in Nebraska’s defense since the 2020 season, his first where he started. Reimer was one of the leaders of a defense that ranked as the best since joining the Big Ten in a handful of statistical categories. The Blackshirts’ averages in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense were all program bests since at least 2010.

Nebraska tied Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State for the most honorable mention picks by the coaches with six selections (Isaac Gifford, Quinton Newsome, Tommi Hill, Omar Brown, Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson), and the Huskers tied Penn State with eight honorable mention selections by the media (Jimari Butler and Reimer in addition to those six).

Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State had the only defenses in the conference to finish higher in any of those team categories mentioned above. Michigan had eight combined selections by the coaches on the first-, second- and third-teams and six by the media. Ohio State had six coaches selections and seven by the media. Iowa had two coaches selections and five media picks. Penn State had seven All-Big Ten selections by the coaches and four by the media.

Reimer's selection as the Huskers' lone All-Big Ten performer prevents Nebraska from being shut out by both the conference coaches and media. But after having put together one of the best team defenses in the entire conference, getting just one third-team all-conference member will leave many at Nebraska feeling snubbed.

There were at least two players, and perhaps more, who were deserving of a spot on one of those three All-Big Ten teams – perhaps as high as the second team.

Robinson is one of the many players who benefitted from defensive coordinator Tony White’s presence in Lincoln. While playing all over the defensive line in White’s version of the 3-3-5 scheme, the Huskers’ fifth-year player recorded career highs in tackles (29) and pass breakups (6) while leading the Blackshirts with 11 quarterback hurries. He also tied his career-high in tackles for loss, with four.

Wearing a single digit — Robinson wore No. 9 this season, a shift from the No. 99 he wore each year before — which means he was one of the team’s leaders in Matt Rhule’s first campaign as head coach, Robinson was on the field a ton in 2023. According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson played 563 snaps, fourth-most on the defense and first among defensive linemen.

Robinson is a believer in Rhule, White and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton. So much so that, prior to the Iowa game, he announced he’d return to Nebraska for his sixth and final season in 2024 instead of entering the NFL Draft.

“It's only up from here. I'm really excited to be a part of it,” Robinson said after the Iowa loss. “That was a big part of why I wanted to come back, because I think this coaching staff has put a lot of time and effort and has given it a lot of potential to make a massive leap of growth next year.”

Those inside and outside the Husker program realize how important of a development Robinson’s return is.

Robinson, along with Nash Hutmacher and Jimari Butler, are three core veterans of a Husker defensive line who, at this moment, appear to all be returning for 2024.

“I feel like we got a five-star out of the portal,” Knighton joked on a recent radio appearance.

The Robinson-Hutmacher-Butler trio would continue to lead the charge up front while also helping bring along the talented young defensive linemen on the defensive front who looked the part in their first seasons of college football, including Cam Lenhardt, Riley Van Poppel and Jack linebacker Princewill Umanmielen.

Hutmacher’s fourth year at Nebraska — and first under White — was his best by far. Big No. 0 recorded career-highs in tackles (40), tackles for loss (8) and sacks (4.5). He played the seventh-most snaps on the defense with 504, which was the second-most for a defensive lineman, behind Robinson.

As an interior lineman routinely battling center and guards, Hutmacher still ranked second on the defense, behind Butler, in both TFLs and sacks.

The Huskers wouldn’t have been as stingy against the run without Hutmacher anchoring the front. Nebraska allowed just 92.9 rushing yards per game during the regular season, which ranked third in the Big Ten, ninth nationally and finished 10th on the Huskers' all-time program list for fewest rushing yards allowed per game in a season. The Huskers clamped down on the opponents’ run game on a down-to-down basis as well, holding them to 2.97 yards per carry — second-best in the conference and seventh nationally.

“We put the crown on his head this year and he's been able to go out there, wearing the number zero, being the nose tackle, being in the middle of that defense, he's taken that and run with it,” Knighton said of Hutmacher last week.

Under Knighton’s guidance, Hutmacher showed he’s more than a 6-foot-4, 330-pound two-gapping run stopper.

“He's a guy who, when I first got here, I told him, ‘Hey, you're a pro,’” Knighton said. “And he's taken that and run with it. And he truly believes that.”

In his fourth year at Nebraska, Butler was one of the more productive members of the Blackshirts’ defensive front. After missing the season opener at Minnesota with an injury, Butler played in the remaining 11 games with six starts and was on the field for 360 snaps, which tied for 10th-most on the defense.

At 6-4 and 245 pounds, Butler moved positions early in the season to find the best fit, spending time at Jack linebacker until finding a home with his hand in the turf as a defensive end. Butler went on to record season-highs in tackles (34) and led the defense in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5).

Knighton has enjoyed watching Butler develop in White’s versatile 3-3-5. Butler only played one season of high school football at Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama.

“He's a super talented kid. He's very smart. He can line up anywhere on the D-line because he's strong enough to do it, quick enough to do it,” Knighton said of Butler in November. “And I think the biggest thing for him was the personality that he brought to our room. He brings a ruggedness, a different type of mentality than Ty and Nash, and it's rubbed off with the room.”

Butler once entered his name in the transfer portal last offseason. But a meeting with Rhule and his position coaches helped convince Butler to stick with the Huskers. After a career year in 2023, it appears that was a solid decision from Butler.

>> Hill finished tied for the most passes defended in the Big Ten (13) alongside Illinois' Xavier Scott, had the third-most pass breakups (9) and was tied for fifth-most interceptions (4).

>> Gifford finished 10th in the conference in total tackles (86) and 13th in solo tackles (44), tied for the sixth-most passes defended (9) and fourth-most pass breakups (8) in the conference.