Nebraska Football: Blackshirt nominations missing notable names

The Nebraska football defense handed out Blackshirts on Monday morning. Notable names were absent from the list of players to receive the honor. Linebacker Nick Henrich and MJ Sherman were not among the honorees. Sherman will play at the Jack position.

This is notable as Henrich has been a key part of the Nebraska football defense for several years. He has recorded 163 total tackles in four seasons of play. His best season came in 2021, when he recorded 99 tackles on the year.

He was a key part of the 2021 defense, and always brought consistent play to the table. He helped anchor what was a solid linebacker group. Henrich also gave Nebraska fans reason to be excited about the future, as he was only a redshirt freshman at the time.

He battled injuries all through last season. A broken hand in the opener against Northwestern was not enough to keep him out of the Oklahoma and Indiana games. He played one more game against Rutgers, before going down against Purdue with an ACL injury.

MJ Sherman brings experience to Nebraska football.

Sherman was a transfer from Georgia. His aggressive play style lends itself well to the scheme. Sherman also is one of the more experienced players on the roster in terms of postseason play. Sherman won two national championships with the Georgia Bulldogs.  For what it’s worth, he has also been very high on the defensive scheme and the program overall.

Both Sherman and Henrich are leaders. They also have ample experience from their days of either postseason play or multiple seasons of college football.  They definitely are important pieces on what is a young unit

It’s hard to complain about the Blackshirts that were given out. Every player that received one is deserving. This defense side of football is extremely talented, and deep position -wise. Nebraska football has a lot to look forward to for the future. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a surprise to see those two not part of the group.