Riley Van Poppel is probably a little too hard on himself if you ask me.
Now, that’s just a guess, as I don’t claim to know Van Poppel except for what I see on the field and hear in the press room. But even if close friends are included, nobody probably knows whether or not that’s true except for Van Poppel himself and even he may still be trying to figure it out.
“Personally, I don’t think I’m ever going to play up to my standard. I think that’s how I am as a person. That’s how I was raised. My standard elevates
each and every day. I can have an amazing game, but I’m always going to find flaws in what I’m doing.” – Riley Van Poppel
Goals are funny things and a thin line between good and bad depending where they’re set. Chasing them can be incredibly motivating, but the effect can veer away from positive if they’re set impossibly high. This doesn’t seem to be the case with Van Poppel as coaches have hinted that things haven’t quite fully clicked for him yet, and he himself has spoken previously to Tuesday’s quote above about not playing to his standard.
One wonders if he has pressed a little too hard to reach that standard, and in doing so maybe hinders himself a bit by not relaxing enough to trust his instincts and play freely without fear of failure.
Last season, he wore #5 after being voted by his teammates as worthy of a single-digit jersey; the votes being given in respect for a Husker player’s combination of toughness, work ethic, never quit attitude, etc.
This year, he is back in his previous #44, a decision he made following the 2026 vote.
“So when I look at that single-digit aspect, it was an honor to be voted last year, and I had a hard conversation with Coach Rhule just about how we voted for it again this year, and then attacking that aspect.”
“Yes, I had votes. There were other guys that had more, and so from my eyes, if I didn’t deserve it, I’m going to hand that away.”
But he could have kept the jersey as a player who had been voted in previously. He said “No.”
“He (Rhule) gave me the option to keep one, but I don’t see it in that regard. I want the guys who were truly voted to be the single digits, and if I need to go back to a different number, at the end of the day, it’s a number.”
Perhaps Riley Van Poppel began to lighten some of that pressure by giving back that #5.
Playing right behind starters Owen Stoudmire and Jahsear Whittington, he started the season with 2 solo tackles and a sack against Ohio and has taken someone down in the backfield in every game since. He leads the team with 4 tackles for loss and two of those also made for a pair of sacks, which is good for a 5-way tie for second in that category on a team which is 4th in the country averaging 3.75 QB sacks per game.
And on Tuesday, while still acknowledging he still thinks he has a ways to go to reach his potential, he did actually admit to feeling as if he’s on his way.
“I don’t think a number defines a player. I don’t think a name defines a player. I think what you do on tape defines a player. So really, just having to dig those personal conversations with myself and thoughts with myself that I haven’t played to where I wanted to the past three years… I think I’ve taken steps this year, and I still have so many more steps to take.”
Is he now making moves because he’s simply left the noise behind and just started cutting loose and trusting his training? When players do that and start cutting loose and playing faster, it’s amazing how fast the leaps in performance start coming, because that is also the point where the game starts slowing down for the athlete.
Once again, only Van Poppel knows for sure, but signs are beginning to point to a dude who’s about to meet that higher standard.
