All Huskers

Six Huskers Voted Nebraska Football Team Captains

For the first time under Matt Rhule, Nebraska football has team captains for the season. The group consists of three offensive and three defensive players, with all six being either single-digit guys or among the representatives at Big Ten Media Days last month.
Kaleb Henry|
Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Ceyair Wright is one of six captains for 2025.
Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Ceyair Wright is one of six captains for 2025. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In this story:

Nebraska Cornhuskers

For the first time under Matt Rhule, Nebraska football has elected captains for the season.

A social media post Saturday showed Rhule informing the team of who the captains were. The captains were chosen by team vote.

Nebraska's 2025 captains feature three players on offense and three on defense. As voted on by the team, the captains are Marques Buford, Dylan Raiola, Henry Lutovsky, DeShon Singleton, Ceyair Wright and Dane Key

"It was very clear the guys you voted," Rhule said in the video. "And a lot of other guys got votes. What's important is these are the guys you have chosen to lead this team."

Rhule said he's never done this before and is taking the process "very seriously." All six captains had to sign a proclamation.

In the first two years under Rhule, Nebraska had game captains who were chosen each week.

On the offensive side of the ball, a returning starter at quarterback, an offensive lineman with 38 games of experience, and a transfer were voted as captains. Defensively, all three play in the secondary and are at the top of the depth chart for the rover, cornerback and safety spots.

Raiola set freshman records for passing yards (2,819) and completion percentage (67.1) in 2024. Going into his sophomore season, he's on the Maxwell Award watch list, which honors the most outstanding player in college football. Raiola was among Nebraska's representatives at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas.

Dylan Raiola enters his sophomore year with high expectations, but also the respect of his teammates to vote him as a captain
Dylan Raiola enters his sophomore year with high expectations, but also the respect of his teammates to vote him as a captain. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Lutovsky made a career-high 11 starts as a junior, taking his Husker total to 38 games played. After being on the right side the last few seasons, he is slated to start at left guard in the season opener Thursday night against Cincinnati. Lutovsky was among Nebraska's representatives at Big Ten Football Media Days.

Key transferred to Nebraska after three seasons at Kentucky. While a Wildcat, he played in 38 games with 35 starts, catching 126 passes for 1,870 yards and 14 touchdowns. Key is a single-digit player, wearing No. 6 this fall.

Buford finally played a full, healthy season in 2024. Making seven starts at corner and five at safety, he totaled 35 tackles and recorded one interception with a career-high five pass breakups. Buford is a single-digit player, wearing No. 3 this fall.

Marques Buford Jr enters his final season in Lincoln as more than just a leader, being named a team captain.
Marques Buford Jr. enters his final season in Lincoln as more than just a leader, being named a team captain. | Amarillo Mullen

Singleton also bounced back last fall from a rehab assignment to start all 13 games. He recorded a career-high 71 tackles, which ranked second on the team, with one tackle for loss, a career-high three pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. Singleton, who was among the trio at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas, is a single-digit player, wearing No. 8 this fall.

Wright began his career at USC, playing in 23 games with 15 starts from 2021-23. Last fall as a Husker, he played in all 13 games, making eight starts. He set career highs with 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, six pass breakups and one forced fumble. Wright is a single-digit player, wearing No. 1 this fall.

The six players join a list of team leaders that goes all the way back to 1890. Go to HuskerMax for the all-time lineup of Nebraska football season captains.

Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule

  • Aug. 28 (Thursday) vs. Cincinnati (Kansas City) 8 p.m. ESPN
  • Sep. 6 vs. Akron 6:30 p.m. CDT BTN
  • Sep. 13 vs. Houston Christian 11 a.m. FS1
  • Sep. 20 vs. Michigan 2:30 p.m. CBS
  • Oct. 4 vs. Michigan State 11/2:30/3
  • Oct. 11 at Maryland TBA
  • Oct. 17 (Friday) at Minnesota 7 p.m. FOX
  • Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern TBA
  • Nov. 1 vs. USC TBA
  • Nov. 8 at UCLA TBA
  • Nov. 22 at Penn State TBA
  • Nov. 28 (Black Friday) vs. Iowa 11 a.m. CBS

Home games are bolded. All times central.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Published | Modified
Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

Share on XFollow iKalebHenry
Home/Football