Riley Van Poppel Gave Up His Single Digit. Why? Because He’s Not Meeting His Standard.

Riley Van Poppel, a standout player for the Huskers, recently decided to give up his single-digit jersey number, leading to speculation about his reasons. The team's coach, Rhule, had previously given Van Poppel the option to retain the number, though he chose not to. Van Poppel has openly shared his belief that he never reaches his full potential, describing his goals as continually elevating.

He explained that while goals can be motivating, they can also be overly ambitious, potentially hindering his performance if he becomes too focused on them. This year, Van Poppel returned to his previous jersey number, #44, after being voted for a single-digit jersey last season. He clarified that he felt it was necessary to respect the players who earned the single-digit numbers and make his own choices.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Van Poppel's decision, he has shown improvement over the season, leading the team in tackles for loss and sacks. He has acknowledged that he still has much to achieve but feels like he's making progress and not letting a jersey number define his worth as a player.