The Husker Cheer Squad is part of the Nebraska Spirit Squad, together with the Scarlets Dance Team and the mascots, Herbie Husker and Lil’ Red. The Spirit Squad is run by Nebraska Athletics. It cheers at home and away football games, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball, and it performs over 200 hours of public service a year.
Where things stand (September 29, 2026): Huskers.com has no current tryout page. The most recent tryout requirements Nebraska has published are for the 2022-23 squad, and they’re summarized below as a guide to the format. For the next tryout, check the Spirit Squad page or email the head coach.
The Program
- Conference: Big Ten.
- Head coach: Erynn Butzke has led the Spirit Squad since 2012, according to Nebraska Athletics.
- Stunting and tumbling returned in 2019. Nebraska Athletics restored tumbling and basic one-high stunting for the 2019-20 season. Under that policy, basket tosses and multi-level pyramids aren’t allowed. Before 2019, the squad hadn’t stunted or tumbled since 2007.
- Men returned in 2019. Nebraska brought male cheerleaders back for the 2019 season, the first on the squad in more than a decade. The 2025-26 roster includes men and women.
- Academics: Nebraska says squad members keep full-time academic standing and an average 3.4 cumulative GPA.
Eligibility (2022-23 Requirements)
- Admitted to UNL, or to the University of Nebraska Medical Center Lincoln campus, by the stated deadline (April 1 in 2022)
- A 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher
- Personal health insurance kept for the whole season
- Full-time enrollment in fall and spring (the graduating semester is exempt)
- At least one year of eligibility left, with five years maximum
How the Tryout Worked in 2022
There were three rounds.
- Skills video. Online registration and the video were due March 27, 2022, and invitations to in-person tryouts went out on a rolling basis. The video showed: a short introduction; a standing back tuck (required); a standing full and a toe touch to standing tuck (both optional); three running tumbling passes; a toe touch, right hurdler and front hurdler. Stunting was optional in the video.
- Traditions choreography. Women learned the fight song, the Husker step, a sideline routine to band music and a cheer from videos, then performed them in person, with cuts.
- Final round. Stunting, tumbling, the game day material, a personal questionnaire, an interview, a written sports information quiz on Husker Athletics, and a letter of recommendation from a current coach or instructor.
In-person auditions ran April 1-3, 2022, on campus in Lincoln. A separate tryout for men was held in July. The selected squad had a mandatory training camp in July, and some members attended UCA Spirit Camp in August. Nebraska said it didn’t prefer virtual auditions. Candidates who had to try out virtually could email the head coach to request an exemption.
Clinics
The Husker Cheer Squad hosts skills clinics through the UNL Marketplace. The most recent was the March Cheer Skills Clinic on March 29, 2026, for grades 9 and up ($80). It covered game day choreography, crowd engagement, stunting and tumbling. As of September 29, 2026, no upcoming cheer clinic was listed.
What Nebraska Doesn’t Publish
Nebraska hasn’t posted tryout dates, requirements or a fee for the 2026-27 or 2027-28 squads. Treat the 2022-23 details above as a guide to the format, not as current rules.
Contact
The Nebraska Athletics staff directory lists Spirit Squad Head Coach Erynn Butzke: ebutzke@huskers.com, (402) 472-0846.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are Nebraska cheer tryouts? In 2022, videos were due in late March and in-person auditions were in early April. No current dates are posted, so contact the head coach.
Do Husker cheerleaders stunt and tumble? Yes. Since 2019-20, the squad has done tumbling and basic one-high stunts, but no basket tosses or multi-level pyramids.
Can men try out? Yes. Men have been back on the squad since 2019.
Related Resources
- University of Iowa Cheerleading Tryout Guide
- University of Minnesota Cheerleading Tryout Guide
- How to Do a Standing Back Tuck
- College Cheerleading Tryout Guides Directory
Sources: Nebraska Athletics, Nebraska Spirit Squad, 2025-26 Spirit Squad Roster, 2022-23 Spirit Squad Tryout Information (with the linked Cheer Tryout Requirements), “Nebraska Spirit Squad to Feature Tumbling and Stunting” (2019), “Male Cheerleaders Return to Enhance Fan Experience” (2019), the Staff Directory and the UNL Marketplace. Last checked September 29, 2026.
