Luke Lindenmeyer’s rise at Nebraska has come with a little more noise than most walk-ons get. The senior tight end arrived in 2022, redshirted his first year and worked his way into the lineup from there. Now he’s wearing No. 8, catching passes, piling up knockdowns and hearing Husker fans chant his name when he gets involved.
That kind of recognition still catches him off guard a bit.
“My first catch last game was for like 1 yard, and I heard it and I was like, ‘Don’t chant my name for a 1-yard gain,’” Lindenmeyer said with a chuckle.
The production has been real, though. Lindenmeyer played in all 25 matches with five starts across the 2023 and 2024 season, then became a full-time starter in 2025. He set career highs in receptions with 29, receiving yards with 312 and touchdowns with two, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition along the way.
Nebraska’s trust in him has grown too. He received a single-digit jersey before the season-opener, another sign of how far he’s come inside the program. And while the catches have brought the attention, it’s his work as a blocker that has really stood out.
Through two games, the Papillion-La Vista graduate has 28 knockdowns, and he said that part of the job means a lot to him.
“It’s just something that sometimes just goes unnoticed,” Lindenmeyer said. “There was a time in the first game and last game where we scored on one of my knockdowns, and I kind of just run to the sideline and celebrate with the tight ends. It’s kind of a cool thing that we can all watch together.”
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has seen the same thing.
“The routine with which he dominates his blocks every play just makes plays work,” Holgorsen said.
Lindenmeyer also pointed to the Huskers’ screen game and short passing attack as areas where the offense has benefited from effort across the roster. He said the team’s willingness to help one another has been a big part of that.
“It’s just whatever we can do to help Nebraska score, whether that’s blocking down field, making a catch, making someone miss, just whatever we can do and just having that joy for each other when we do score,” Lindenmeyer said. “We celebrate with each other.”
He added that the offense has gotten better in the short game because of the people around him, especially the playmakers and the offensive linemen working on the perimeter.
“We just have guys who are good on the perimeter blocking,” Lindenmeyer said. “We’ve got to get our hands inside and get rid of all the holding calls.”
Nebraska will try to tighten up those details against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Lindenmeyer said senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s confidence has helped keep the group steady when things get difficult.
“He’s just so confident, and we all trust him,” Lindenmeyer said. “He always finds a way to make a play.”
And as the Huskers head into their next chance to move the ball, Lindenmeyer kept the message simple.
“Whatever it is, on the ground or in the air, we’re going to find a way,” Lindenmeyer said.
In Other News...
Nebraska Lost A Pass Rusher Now Stuck In A Mess Fans Wont Miss
Princewill Umanmielens path through the transfer portal has already been messy enough, and now the Nebraska pass rusher is dealing with another off-field wrinkle tied to his time at Ole Miss and LSU. According to the available details, he was served court papers connected to a lawsuit Ole Miss filed against him over his move from the Rebels to LSU after former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin left for Baton Rouge.
The unusual part is the timing. The papers were delivered during game week, which has drawn criticism from people who see it as gamesmanship more than routine legal process, and it adds one more layer to a situation Nebraska fans probably would rather not revisit. For the Cornhuskers, the football relevance is simple enough: Umanmielen is trying to keep his focus on the field while a transfer dispute from a previous stop continues to follow him around. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhule Just Lost Nebraskas Biggest Excuse For 2026
The money question around Nebraska football has taken another turn, and this one cuts against one of the programs oldest explanations for falling short. The Athletics latest estimate of Power 4 roster values placed the Cornhuskers at No. 18 nationally, in a range of $31 million to $35 million, which gives real weight to Matt Rhules argument that the Huskers have enough NIL backing to line up with the sports heavyweights.
For a program that has spent years hearing about resource gaps, the ranking matters beyond the headline. Nebraska sits sixth in the Big Ten by roster value, behind the likes of Ohio State and Michigan, but still in a tier that suggests the Huskers are no longer working from a severe financial disadvantage. That leaves Rhule with a different kind of pressure heading into 2026, because the usual excuse about not having enough support is getting harder to lean on. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Future Schedule Just Added A Rivalry Fans Will Debate
Nebraskas future non-conference slate just got a lot more interesting, and a lot more complicated, with the athletic department announcing home-and-home football games against Notre Dame for Oct. 30, 2032, in Lincoln and Oct. 29, 2033, in South Bend. It will be the first time the programs have met since 2001, giving Cornhuskers fans a fresh big-name matchup to circle long before those seasons arrive.
The announcement also signals how much Nebraskas scheduling picture is shifting in the years ahead, with Tennessee coming off the docket and other Power 4 opponents moving into place. For a fan base that has long debated the value of heavyweight non-conference games, Notre Dame is the kind of opponent that can spark the conversation all over again, even if the broader long-term slate is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]