Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 13 - Carlos Polk

The underappreciated linebacker was a defensive star. Also, a "tweener" who forced his way onto the field.

Counting down the greatest Nebraska football players by jersey number. | HuskerMax

Dave Feit is counting down the days until the start of the 2025 season by naming the best Husker to wear each uniform number, as well as one of his personal favorites at that number. For more information about the series, click here. To see more entries, click here.


Greatest Husker to wear 13: Carlos Polk, Linebacker, 1996-2000

Honorable Mention: John Howell, "Cowboy" Roy Petsch, Zac Taylor

Also worn by: Zaire Anderson, Byron Bennett, Brian Buschini, JoJo Domann, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, Lane Hovey, Tanner Lee, Corey McKeon, Ted Retzlaff, Steve Runty, P.J. Smith

Dave's Fave: JoJo Domann, Outside Linebacker, 2016-2021


One of the things I've found interesting to see during this process is the evolution of the defense. I'm not talking about schematic changes (which we've covered at 34 and 22).

Instead, I'm referring to where the best player on defense would line up. It has seemed to move and shift over the years.

On the 1970s championship teams, it would be Larry Jacobson and Rich Glover on the defensive line. It bounced around a little in Tom Osborne's first decade, but by the mid- to late 1980s, it was back to defensive tackle (Neil Smith, Danny Noonan and others). In the late '80s through late 1990s, the best Blackshirt was often a defensive end or rush end (Mike Croel, Trev Alberts, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, etc.).

On the 1970s championship teams, it would be Larry Jacobson and Rich Glover on the defensive line. It bounced around a little in Tom Osborne's first decade, but by the mid- to late 1980s, it was back to defensive tackle (Neil Smith, Danny Noonan and others). In the late '80s through late 1990s, the best Blackshirt was often a defensive end or rush end (Mike Croel, Trev Alberts, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, etc.).

Carlos Polk led the team in tackles in 1999 and 2000. | Nebraska Athletics

But there came a point where Nebraska's rush end pipeline slowed to a trickle. Around that time (the early years of the Frank Solich era), the "best Blackshirt" position* shifted again. The career of Carlos Polk marked a shift, as the best Blackshirt was usually the guy anchoring the middle linebacker position. I’m talking about guys like Polk, Barrett Ruud, Lavonte David, and to a lesser extent Phillip Dillard, Steve Octavien and even another #13 from a defensively challenged era: Corey McKeon.

*This isn't to say that other positions weren't brimming with talent during the periods I've cited. Nebraska had great linebackers in the 1980s and excellent defensive backs in the 1990s. My point is that one position group often feels like it is a head above everybody else.

Let’s focus on Polk, a 250-pound bruiser with deceptive speed and a strong nose for the football. A four-year contributor, he was a two-time All-Big 12 performer and an anchor on one of the finest defenses in school history (1999). In his senior season (2000), Polk was a first team All-America in 2000 and a Butkus Award semifinalist.

In the 2000 Colorado game, Polk had a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown on the second play of the game.*

*A fun fact about Polk's pick: In five of Nebraska's last 10 home games against Colorado, a Blackshirt has had an interception return for a touchdown against Colorado, and all five were returned into the north end zone:

• 1996: Koy Detmer's pass is tipped by Jeff Ogard. Jay Foreman caught it and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown.
• 1998: Safety Clint Finley took a Mike Moschetti pass 42 yards for a score.
• 2000: Polk's 39-yard pick six.
• 2008: Ndamukong Suh grabbed a tipped pass, steamrolled Cody Hawkins and scores from 30.
• 2024: Tommi Hill made a leaping grab of a Shedeur Sanders pass and takes it back seven yards for a touchdown.

I feel that Carlos Polk is often forgotten or underrated when we talk about Nebraska's great linebackers. He led the team in tackles in 1999 and 2000, and he left school ranked 14th in career tackles (currently 23rd). His 32 career tackles for loss was the fifth best in school history (now 10th).

Carlos Polk as a San Diego Charger. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Polk was a fourth-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers. After his playing career, he has been a widely respected assistant and special teams coordinator for multiple teams. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

As for the position where the best Blackshirts reside, it returned to the defensive line in the Ndamukong Suh, Jared Crick, Maliek Collins, Vincent Valentine era. It briefly returned to linebacker with Collin Miller, Nick Henrich and Luke Reimer.

Where it be going forward? That's up to Nebraska's defensive coordinator, his staff and the talent they bring in.

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Football coaches love measurables.

An offensive tackle should be this tall, a quarterback should a certain sized hand, running backs need to be at least this fast. And on and on.

Those minimum requirements can cause issues when a player's physical makeup doesn't fit into a specific mold, or his size is between two positions. "Tweeners" can create problems for coaches when they don't know where a player will best fit on a team.

JoJo Domann holds the ball after picking off an Ohio State pass in 2021. | Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Take JoJo Domann, for example. He was a little too big to be a safety, but a little too small for an outside linebacker. Where did he belong? All too often, tweeners spend their careers bouncing between position groups, never finding a home. Other times, a coach will solve a tweener dilemma by keeping that player buried on the depth chart.

But JoJo Domann was too good a player to be kept on the bench.

You can call it instincts, football IQ, a nose for the ball or any other cliché you prefer. But it was clear Domann possessed that unteachable ability to make splash plays by being in the right place at the right time - especially in big games.

As a true freshman in 2016, Domann was a special teams standout. Injuries kept him out of the 2017 season, but he returned in 2018 - listed as a "defensive back" - playing safety in addition to special teams. Another injury cost him four games, but it came with a silver lining: The new coaching staff decided Domann was going to be an outside linebacker. After playing in a reserve role for a few games, Domann earned his first career start as an OLB at No. 8 Ohio State. The spotlight was not too bright as JoJo had seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Officially an outside linebacker in 2019, Domann started six games, racking up 52 tackles and several tackles for loss, sacks, pass breakups and forced fumbles. In the 2020 COVID season, Domann was honorable mention All-Big Ten as he once again was making plays from sideline to sideline.

Jojo Domann punches the ball away from an Iowa receiver in 2020. | Bryon Houlgrave/The Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Due to the COVID eligibility rules, Domann was able to return in 2021, making him one of the first five-time letterwinners in program history.

In Nebraska's near upset of No. 6 Ohio State, Domann once again played an incredible game. He had nine tackles, including one for loss. He broke up two passes and made a diving, highlight-reel interception.

He did all that with a hand injury that required season-ending surgery a week later.

Despite missing the final two games (and playing on a 3-9 team), Domann was a second-team All-Big Ten pick and an second-team All-American - the best showing for a Husker since 2014.

Aside from being one of the great "tweener" success stories, JoJo Domann is one of my favorite Blackshirts of the last decade.

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