Novak Trophy Award Winner
COLLIN MILLER, #31
POSITION ILB
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 240
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN Fishers, Ind.
PREVIOUS SCHOOL Hamilton Southeastern
MAJOR Criminology & Criminal Justice
Guy Chamberlin Award Winner
DICAPRIO BOOTLE, #7
POSITION CB
HEIGHT 5-10
WEIGHT 195
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN Miami, Fla.
PREVIOUS SCHOOL Southridge
MAJOR Undeclared
Native Son Award Winner
BEN STILLE, #95
POSITION DL
HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 295
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN Ashland, Neb.
PREVIOUS SCHOOL Ashland-Greenwood
MAJOR Health Science
2018 NOVAK TROPHY WINNER
(The Tom Novak trophy was established in 1950 and is presented to the Senior who “best exemplifies courage and determination despite all odds in the manner of Nebraska All-American center Tom Novak.)
Collin Miller #31
Honors & Awards
» Team Captain (2020)
» Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2020)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2017)
» Nebraska Linebacker of the Year (2019)
» Nebraska Scout Team Defensive MVP (2016)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring 2017)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2019, 2020)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020)
2020 (Senior)
Collin Miller started each of the first four games this season, stretching his streak to 16 consecutive starts, before suffering a career-ending injury against Illinois. He finished his shortened final season with 27 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss. Miller tied for the team lead with seven tackles at No. 5 Ohio State and also set a career high with 1.5 tackles for loss against the Buckeyes. At Northwestern, Miller totaled six tackles, including a half tackle for loss. Miller tied his career high with 10 tackles against Penn State. Miller made four tackles against Illinois before being carted off the field with an injury in the second half. Although the injury marked the end of Miller’s football career, he was recognized as Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2020.
2019 (Junior)
Miller started every game as a junior, the first 12 starts of his career. He tied for third on the team with a career-high 67 tackles, and Miller also totaled a career high seven tackles for loss, including his first career sack. He added four pass breakups, while recording the first forced fumble and fumble recovery of his career en route to being named Nebraska’s Linebacker of the Year.
Miller made his first career start in the season opener against South Alabama and finished with four tackles, including his second career TFL. He had six tackles the next week at Colorado, including a tackle for loss. Miller added another TFL as part of a five-tackle effort against Northern Illinois. At Illinois, Miller made four stops, including another TFL. He recorded six tackles against No. 5 Ohio State before totaling a then-career-high eight tackles vs. Northwestern and forcing the first fumble of his career.
At Minnesota, Miller had a career-high 10 tackles, including one TFL. Miller added five tackles against both Indiana and Purdue, giving him at least five tackles in five consecutive games. Against No. 15 Wisconsin, Miller registered three tackles. He led Nebraska with six tackles at Maryland, which included the first sack of his career. Miller ended his junior campaign with five tackles against Iowa, and he also broke up a pass and forced a fumble against the Hawkeyes.
2018 & 2017
2018 (Sophomore)
Miller was a contributor on both defense and special teams while playing in all 12 games. He finished with 17 tackles, including his first career TFL. Miller tied for the team lead with eight special teams tackles, four each on punt and kickoff coverage. Miller recorded a tackle on punt coverage against both Colorado and Troy. At No. 19 Michigan, Miller had two more tackles on punt coverage and made one stop on defense, totaling three tackles. He added a tackle on kickoff coverage against Purdue. At Northwestern, Miller had a seven-yard tackle for loss for his first career TFL. He then had a career-high five tackles in the Huskers’ win over Minnesota, including four solo stops. Against Bethune-Cookman, Miller recorded three tackles from his linebacker spot. He then made his team-leading fourth tackle on kickoff coverage against Illinois. Miller’s final tackle of the season came from his linebacker spot against Iowa.
2017 (Redshirt Freshman)
Miller appeared in all 12 games and contributed at linebacker and as a valuable member of the Husker special teams coverage units. Miller totaled 11 tackles and had one fumble recovery. Eight of his tackles came from his linebacking spot, and he added three tackles on special teams.
After redshirting in 2016, Miller registered only one tackle over the first eight games, a solo stop on punt coverage against Northern Illinois. He recorded his second career tackle and first on defense against Northwestern and then combined for nine tackles over the final three games. Miller had two solo tackles on defense at Minnesota before registering three tackles at No. 13 Penn State. Two of Miller’s three tackles against the Nittany Lions came on special teams, and he also recovered a fumbled punt that set up a Husker field goal in the first quarter. In the season finale against Iowa, Miller posted a career-high four tackles, all from his linebacking spot.
2016 (Redshirt)
Miller redshirted in his first season and was the Scout Team Defensive MVP.
2020 GUY CHAMBERLIN TROPHY WINNER
(The Guy Chamberlin trophy was inaugurated in 1967 in memory of the former UNL All-America football player and is presented to the Senior player who has shown by his play and contributions to the betterment of the University of Nebraska football squad that he has the qualities and dedication of Guy Chamberlin to the great Cornhusker tradition.)
Dicaprio Bootle #7
Honors & Awards
» Team Captain (2020)
» All-Big Ten Third Team (2018, Coaches & Media)
» Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (2019, Media; 2020 Media)
» Nebraska Defensive Back of the Year (2018, 2019)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2017)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2016, 2019; Spring 2020)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2018, 2020)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2018, 2020)
2020 (Senior)
Dicaprio Bootle started every game at cornerback as a senior, stretching his streak to 32 consecutive starts. Bootle finished with 25 tackles, a half tackle for loss, five pass breakups and one interception as a senior. He was named an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection by the media. Bootle totaled 26 pass breakups in his career, a total which ranked ninth in Nebraska history upon the completion of the 2020 season.
Bootle finished with five tackles at Ohio State and recorded Nebraska’s only pass breakup of the game. At Northwestern, Bootle totaled five tackles. He added his second pass breakup of the season and a pair of tackles in the win over Penn State. Bootle made four tackles against Illinois, posting his 100th career tackle. At Iowa, Bootle intercepted the first pass of his career. He had two tackles and a pair of pass breakups in the win at Purdue. Bootle made three tackles against Minnesota. He finished his season with a three-tackle effort at Rutgers, which included a half tackle for loss and a pass breakup..
2019 (Junior)
Bootle started every game as a junior, starting the first eight games at cornerback and the final four contests at safety. He finished the year with 31 tackles, six pass breakups and one forced fumble. Bootle was a key member of a Husker secondary that held six opponents to fewer than 170 passing yards, including three under 100 yards. Overall, Nebraska allowed its fewest passing yards per game (200.8) since the 2012 season. For his efforts, Bootle garnered All-Big Ten recognition for the second straight season, as he was an honorable-mention pick.
Bootle made two tackles and broke up a pair of passes against South Alabama and had three tackles and one breakup at Colorado. He had a breakup against both Illinois and Northwestern before recording a season-high six tackles against Indiana, which he matched the next week at Purdue in a start at safety. Bootle had five tackles in another start at safety against Wisconsin. He created a turnover with a forced fumble at Maryland and added a pass breakup before totaling three tackles vs. Iowa.
2018 & 2017
2018 (Sophomore)
Bootle started all 12 games at cornerback in his sophomore season, and he put up impressive numbers. Bootle posted a career-high 39 tackles in 2018 and also forced the first fumble of his career. He was a disruptive force in the passing game, as he broke up 15 passes, the second-highest total in school history and the most by a Husker since Fabian Washington also had 15 breakups in 2004. Bootle’s 15 breakups led the Big Ten and ranked ninth nationally, while his average of 1.3 passes defended per game ranked 16th nationally. Bootle totaled 39 tackles and 15 breakups after entering the season with 15 career tackles and no career breakups. For his efforts, Bootle was a third-team All-Big Ten selection, becoming the first Husker cornerback to be honored by the conference since 2015.
Bootle recorded three tackles in the season opener against Colorado with his first two career pass breakups, and he had one tackle against Troy, when the Huskers limited the Trojans to 110 passing yards. He added four tackles at No. 19 Michigan and had a career-high five pass breakups, the third-highest total by an FBS player in 2018. Bootle’s five breakups at Michigan ranked third in school history and tied for the most pass breakups by a Husker in a Big Ten Conference game. He then had three breakups the next week vs. Purdue while totaling a career-high seven tackles. Bootle made five tackles at No. 16 Wisconsin and tallied four tackles the next week at Northwestern.
In Nebraska’s win over Minnesota, Bootle had three pass breakups, his third game of the season with at least three breakups. Bootle added another breakup the next week vs. Bethune-Cookman, while also totaling three tackles. At No. 8 Ohio State in the first game of November, Bootle made three tackles and broke up one pass. He had three tackles in Nebraska’s win over Illinois and four tackles in the Huskers’ victory over Michigan State when MSU quarterback Rocky Lombardi completed only 15-of-41 pass attempts. Bootle closed his sophomore season with one tackle at Iowa, when the Huskers held the Hawkeyes to 153 passing yards.
2017 (Redshirt Freshman)
Bootle appeared in all 12 games as a redshirt freshman, including his first career start against No. 9 Ohio State. He primarily lined up at cornerback, but earned the start at safety against the Buckeyes. Bootle was a versatile contributor for the Big Red on both defense and special teams, totaling 15 tackles on the season with one tackle for loss.
In his career debut, Bootle recorded a pair of stops against Arkansas State in the season opener. He followed that performance with four tackles at Oregon. Bootle’s third game with multiple tackles came in his start against Ohio State, when he also recorded his first career tackle for loss. Against Iowa in the regular-season finale, Bootle totaled two tackles, marking his fourth game with multiple tackles.
2016 (Redshirt)
Bootle redshirted and worked on the scout team in his first season at Nebraska.
2020 CLETUS FISCHER NATIVE SON AWARD WINNER
Selected by the Husker coaches and presented annually to the senior player who best exemplifies the following qualities: good work ethic; competiveness; leadership;forthrightness; sense of humor; pride; loyalty; and love of Nebraska.
Ben Stille #95
Honors & Awards
» Campbell Trophy Semifinalist (2020)
» AFCA Good Works Team Nominee (2019, 2020)
» Wuerffel Trophy Watch List (2019, 2020)
» Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (2020)
» Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2019)
» BTN All-Freshman Team (2017)
» Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Oct. 2, 2017)
» Academic All-District 7 (2019)
» Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2020)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2016, 2018, 2019; Spring 2017, 2019, 2020)
» Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award (2019)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
2020 (Senior)
Ben Stille started all eight games at defensive end in 2020, finishing with 27 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He had three tackles, including a half tackle for loss, in Nebraska’s season opener at No. 5 Ohio State. At Northwestern, Stille finished with four tackles. Stille made three tackles against Penn State, and he sealed the win with a quarterback hit that forced a fourth-down incompletion on the Nittany Lions’ final offensive play. Stille made four tackles against Illinois. Stille tied his career high with five tackles at Iowa, including his first TFL of the season. Stille set a career high with 1.5 sacks at Purdue, while tying his career high in tackles for the second straight game. Against Minnesota, Stille made two tackles, and he had one tackle in the season-ending win at Rutgers.
2019 (Junior)
Stille played in all 12 games as a junior with a pair of starts, totaling a career-high 31 tackles with eight TFLs and 3.0 sacks.
He tied his then-career high with four tackles in the season opener against South Alabama and had three more tackles – including two TFLs – the next week at Colorado. Stille made three tackles against No. 5 Ohio State before making his first start of the season against Northwestern and producing a career-high five tackles, including a half sack. He added two tackles the next week at Minnesota and had his first full sack of the season against Indiana.
At Purdue, Stille made four tackles, including one sack and a pair of TFLs. He earned the start against Wisconsin and finished with three tackles, a pass breakup and a hurry. The next week at Maryland, Stille had two tackles, including a half sack. Stille concluded his junior season with three tackles against Iowa, including a nine-yard tackle for loss.
Stille’s combination of his work on the field, in the classroom and in the community earned him recognition as a junior. He was an academic all-district selection in addition to being nominated for the AFCA Good Works Team and appearing on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is college football’s premier award for community service.
2018 & 2017
2018 (Sophomore)
Stille played in every game and started started 11 games at defensive end in 2018. He totaled 25 tackles with a career-high 5.0 sacks, leading all Nebraska defensive linemen in that category.
Stille earned his second career start in the season opener against Colorado and produced three tackles, including a nine-yard sack. Stille totaled one tackle over the next two games before recording a sack and making four tackles against Purdue. After recording a pair of tackles at No. 16 Wisconsin, Stille picked up his third sack of the season at Northwestern. He added another sack the next week against Minnesota. Stille had a nine-yard sack against Bethune-Cookman, giving him a sack in three consecutive games. He also had a career-high two pass breakups against BCU. Stille made one tackle at Ohio State and had two stops and a career-high three quarterback hurries against Illinois. He totaled three tackles in Nebraska’s win over Michigan State and made two stops in the season finale at Iowa.
2017 (Redshirt Freshman)
Stille appeared in nine games with a start against No. 9 Wisconsin during his redshirt freshman season, lining up at both defensive end and outside linebacker. He showed versatility to play both positions during the year. Stille emerged as one of the Blackshirts’ top playmakers, leading Nebraska with 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as part of his 24 total tackles. He became the first freshman to lead the Huskers in TFLs since the stats began being tracked (1968) and the first freshman to lead Nebraska in sacks since the stat became official (1981).
All 10 of Stille’s tackles for loss came during the Big Ten season, as he led all conference freshmen in that category. Overall, he ranked eighth in the Big Ten in TFLs despite playing only nine games, and Stille had four more TFLs than any other Big Ten player who appeared in fewer than 10 games. He recorded at least one tackle for loss in seven of his nine appearances and had three games with four tackles. For his performance, Stille was named to the Big Ten Network All-Freshman team and took home one weekly honor as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining David Santos (2012) as the only Husker defenders to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Stille made his career debut against Rutgers, totaling three tackles including one for a two-yard loss. Stille exploded onto the scene the next week at Illinois, registering four tackles, including three TFLs and his first career sack, which resulted in a forced fumble. He was honored by the Big Ten as the conference freshman of the week following his performance against the Illini. Stille’s performance earned him his first career start against No. 9 Wisconsin, and he made one tackle against the Badgers. He had two tackles and one sack against No. 9 Ohio State the next week and tallied three tackles, one TFL and a half-sack at Purdue. Stille tied his career high with four tackles against Northwestern and broke up the first pass of his career while adding another tackle for loss. He made it four consecutive games with a TFL with a 14-yard sack at Minnesota. Stille ended his debut season with four tackles and two TFLs against Iowa.
2016 (Redshirt)
Stille sat out the season as a redshirt and worked on the scout team.
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