Former Nebraska football player Nash Hutmacher signs with Bucs, plus more Huskers news

One of the best players on the Nebraska football defense, Nash Hutmacher, has landed an NFL opportunity with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Hutmacher was a force for Nebraska football in each of the past two seasons. He dropped some weight after wrestling in the 2024 season. He may have taken a slight step back in 2024, but I was still surprised that he didn’t get drafted.

It was reported that Nash signed with the Ravens. However, he was just a rookie minicamp invite but didn’t actually receive a contract offer. That changed on Friday. Hutmacher took part in Tampa Bay’s minicamp, along with Ben Scott and John Bullock.

By the end of it, all three players were signed with the Bucs.

Hutmacher was honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in each of the past two seasons. In 2024, he started all 13 games and finished with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. The former Nebraska football standout had 40 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks as a junior.

Signing now means that Hutmacher is on the 90-man roster heading into training camp. Rookie free agents are always a long shot to make the roster, but the practice squad is another viable path to the NFL.

Either way, I’m glad that Nash and some other Huskers are getting a chance.

Other Huskers headlines

• The Nebraska softball team saw its Big Ten tournament run end by UCLA thanks to a 4-2 loss on Friday. Jordy Bahl got stuck with the loss. Nebraska rallied with two runs in the sixth, but a seventh-inning home run extended the Bruins’ lead. The Huskers will find out where they will go in the NCAA softball tournament on Sunday with the selection show on ESPN2 at 6 PM CST.
• Tucker Timmerman allowed just one run in seven innings to get his second win of the season in a 3-2 win for Nebraska baseball over Michigan. Timmerman allowed five hits but was also credited with five strikeouts. Case Sanderson had three hits. Riley Silva was 1-for-2 with an RBI double. The Huskers are 25-25 overall and 12-13 in the Big Ten. They are two games behind Michigan but would be tied with a three-game sweep.