Nebraska Football Loses Safety DeShon Singleton for Las Vegas Bowl

DeShon Singleton's Nebraska football career comes to a quiet end before his final game.

The Huskers' senior safety will miss the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl due to an injury, as Nebraska interim defensive coordinator Phil Snow confirmed during Monday's press conference. Snow added that Singleton's absence is due to a recent surgery and not an opt-out for the postseason contest

Singleton was one of Nebraska football's six team captains this season, and was awarded one of the 10 single-digit uniforms in the pre-season by his peers. Coach Matt Rhule allowed Singleton to be one of three players representing the Huskers in Nebraska's first availability for the bowl game on Friday, joining quarterback TJ Lateef and receiver Dane Key.

Nebraska defensive back DeShon Singleton during the Huskers' 2025 game vs. Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Huskers' safety was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for his final year in Lincoln, ending his final campaign with 70 total tackles and two interceptions. He was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his six-tackle, two-interception performance against Michigan State. The safety also later posted a career-high 11 tackles at UCLA, following up with a 10-tackle performance against Penn State while adding his first career sack.

Singleton finishes his Husker tenure with 163 career tackles, 11 pass breakups, and three interceptions. The Greensburg, La. native played in 42 career games, including 30 starts, despite only playing in five contests his sophomore season before a season-ending injury in 2023. He would bounce back in 2024 and 2025 to start in 15 consecutive games, totaling 89 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and three interceptions in his final two years.

The safety had been awarded an extra year of eligibility for his final collegiate season with Nebraska in the off-season due to an NCAA exemption waiver for athletes who played in junior college. Prior to joining Nebraska, Singleton spent the 2021 season in Hutchinson, Kansas, at Hutchinson Community College. The defensive back was rated as one of the top 20 prospects by 247Sports' junior college composite rankings for the class of 2021, and was rated as the No. 4 junior college safety at the time.

Nebraska defensive back DeShon Singleton gets ready to bring down Akron's Sean Patrick. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Snow added Monday that sophomore Justyn Rhett would be the next in line to replace Singleton. Rhett, a Las Vegas native, has been preparing for the Las Vegas Bowl at his alma mater, Bishop Gorman, where the Huskers have been in practices this week.

"Justyn is a good athlete. He signed to Georgia out of high school and they don't take bad players. He's got athleticism, he can run and he'll hit you. I'm really looking forward to watching him play in a game," Rhett said during Monday's press conference.

Rhett arrived in Lincoln from Georgia after playing in two games in 2023 as a redshirt for the Bulldogs, recording only one tackle, then participating in two contests in 2024, adding two tackles. The reserve safety has played in seven games this season for Nebraska, totaling seven tackles with a half-tackle for loss. He added two tackles and a tackle-for-loss in the Huskers' home win over Akron, and finished the regular season with a career-high four tackles against Iowa.

Justyn Rhett played in seven games this fall while recording a career-high four tackles against Iowa. | @Justvnn/Instagram

"I approach it how I've been approaching every game," Rhett said. "I think I'm going to get some good reps game, yes. I'm approaching it like I'm going to start."

"Justin is definitely a player who has waited his turn and is ready to go," coach Matt Rhule said. "I think you'll see him play in this game. It is pretty cool for him to come back home. I'm excited to see what he does in the game."

Rhett and the Huskers will face a tough test against No. 15 Utah's vaunted rushing attack, as Nebraska will face the Utes on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, at 2:30 p.m. CST. The contest will broadcast on ESPN and will have radio coverage from the Huskers Radio Network and its affiliate stations.

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