Nebraska linebacker Nick Henrich announces retirement from football

Star Nebraska linebacker Nick Henrich will retire from the game of football, he announced on his Instagram account on Wednesday.

Heinrich suffered a season-ending ACL tear during an overtime loss at Wisconsin. It was the second straight year he’d ended with a torn ACL.

“After lots of prayer and conversations with doctors, trainers, coaches, and my parents I have come to realize that it is time to hang up the cleats,” Heinrich wrote. “This game of football has taught me endless lessons and molded me into the man I am today. I have been so blessed to meet so many incredible people and to have had an amazing career for so long.”

Nick Henrich was once again very productive as a junior in 2023, recording 42 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks and a pass defended.

But he never quite matched his production from the 2021 season, before he suffered the torn ACLs. In that year he logged 99 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks.

Across his career at Nebraska, Henrich logged 204 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a pass defended. He played in 35 games.

“The relationships that I’ve made along the way will last a life time and that is something I am most grateful for,” Nick Henrich said. “Looking back I can say I gave everything I had, have zero regrets, and have done everything I’ve wanted to do. All the ups, the downs, the tackles, the big plays, and playing in front of so many amazing fans have made this the best ride of my life.

“Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, friends and family that have helped me along the way, I couldn’t be more excited to see what the next chapter brings! Thank you Football.”