“They just kind of hit me up and I said ‘Yeah I’d love to do a commercial,’ ” he said. “They sent me a script that had me jumping in a pool wearing a polar bear mask. It was a really fun experience and I met some great people.”

After completing his redshirt junior season, Hutmacher was allowed to go out for wrestling. His biggest concern was dropping over 40 pounds. 

“At first I was concerned with the weight and stuff,” he said. “I think overall it made me a better athlete and I feel the best I’ve felt in my five years that I’ve been here.”

After winning his first match, Laura Hutmacher hoisted her son into the air as the family celebrated emotions they hadn’t felt in four years. 

“Wrestling is a little different than football,” he said. “In football, I don’t get to see my parents until the game is over and in the locker room. To be able to have that moment with my mom was pretty special and to have all the football guys show up and support me meant a lot to me.” 

Hutmacher posted a 7-8 record, finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships. He also earned Academic All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Hutmacher has been named to the Academic All-Big Ten list for 2021, ‘22 and ‘23. He earned a business management degree in May 2023. 

During the four years Hutmacher has been on the University of Nebraska campus, the Huskers have gone just 13-28. In the midst of a program that hasn’t been to any bowl games or contended for conference championships, Hutmacher said his commitment to Nebraska never wavered and he never thought about entering the NCAA transfer portal.

“There was never a doubt this was the place for me and the guys in the locker room were all I needed,” he said. “When I was going through that process I told myself I’m not committing to a coaching staff I’m committing to a university. I committed myself to the kind of people that I knew I was going to be around and I wanted to stay at a place where I could see myself growing the most.” 

As the season begins on Aug. 31, Hutmacher said he doesn’t have any individual goals. He notes that things like All-Big Ten selections come from hard work and what a player puts on film. He said his biggest thing is to just build off from last year, keep his head down and trust the process.

Optimism is high as the Huskers take the field Saturday. 

“Every day is a battle and a competition,” he said. “We don’t go out there to just get through the day. We are all very competitive and I think that just breeds confidence in the team. You always want to leave a program better than you found it and to be part of the football change at Nebraska means a great deal to all of us older guys and we take that very seriously.” 

When Hutmacher was little he remembers looking up in awe at college football players in games the family attended. Now, he’s one of the players the young kids want to meet and have their picture taken with. 

“To be able to give back to the community and make those kids smile or encourage them to chase their own dreams means a lot to me,” he said.