Nebraska Unveils 10 Players Earning Blackshirts Ahead of Season Opener

The tradition of Blackshirts continues at Nebraska as game week arrives. Earlier this week, Matt Rhule and John Butler named 10 players worthy of carrying on the honor, one as deeply ingrained in Husker history as the sellout streak, the tunnel walk, or even the columns of Memorial Stadium itself.

Understanding the weight of the tradition is the first step for this staff. Butler made it clear he had no interest in watering down the honor by handing out jerseys to every situational starter. Instead, they chose to recognize the players who truly embody what it means to wear a Blackshirt, day in and day out.

Further proving his point, Butler emphasized that the honor is not a lifetime achievement but something players must continually earn. "It's a competitive thing, it's something you’ve got to take pride in," he said just hours before the announcement was made on social media.

On Monday night, following team practice, Coach Rhule addressed the team ahead of his staff’s announcement. From his speech, you could feel the importance and intensity he places on the honor. "Some great players wore black before you, some great players are gonna wear black after you. It's about what you do while you're in black," Rhule told his team, emphasizing that receiving a Blackshirt is not the destination; it’s the standard they must live up to each week.

With that message delivered, the staff unveiled the 10 players who earned their Blackshirts for the 2025 season.

“The Blackshirts” ☠️ pic.twitter.com/n9nMv3vDla
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 26, 2025

The 2025 Blackshirt group is anchored by experience, featuring seven returning veterans and three transfer portal additions who quickly earned the staff’s trust. Each of the 10 players has already proven themselves in games and, perhaps more importantly to this staff, on the practice field.

The defensive line features Elijah Jeudy, a 24-game veteran, and Cam Lenhardt, a former honorable mention Freshman All-American, who headline the front. At linebacker, Marques Watson-Trent, the former Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, joins forces with Dasan McCullough, a former Freshman All-American, and Javin Wright, a 34-game veteran presence in the middle.

Then, at defensive back, Ceyair Wright, a 23-game starter, lines up alongside 40-game veteran Marques Buford Jr., three-year starter Malcolm Hartzog Jr., sixth-year senior DeShon Singleton, and Andrew Marshall, a former first-team All-Big Sky selection.

Ceyair Wright celebrates a broken pass against UCLA. | Amarillo Mullen

While each of these players has earned their stripes, the staff made one thing clear: now, they must go prove it. What’s given can just as easily be taken away, and every snap demands intensity and purpose.

By joining an elite list of Nebraska defenders, a tradition dating back to 1964, this group of 10 carries both the honor and the responsibility of upholding what the Blackshirt represents.

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