The Nebraska football team is hosting ESPN Game Day for the first time in over a decade. Some Husker fans think the return deserves a very special guest.
ESPN has long had a tradition of allowing for a "guest picker" during it's program when they go to the portion of the show where the hosts and guests pick who will win the marquee matchups of the day. As a general rule, these guest pickers are someone who has some kind of attachment to the Game Day hosting city.
Not long after it was announced the program would be in Lincoln ahead of Nebraska football's matchup against Ohio State, some fans on Twitter decided that Jack Hoffman should be the very special guest.
Triumphant return for famous Nebraska football fan?
For those who aren't familiar with who Jack Hoffman is, he was one who first got the attention of the Huskers during the Rex Burkhead/Bo Pelini era. Hoffman had a form of brain cancer but never gave up fighting the disease.
After Burkhead helped to make "Team Jack" household words in Nebraska football nation, the young man was eventually rewarded with a once in a lifetime opportunity. He was given a carry during a Husker Spring Game. The team cleared out one side of the field and allowed him to run it in for a long touchdown. It was a moment that made more than one Cornhusker fan tear up.
Years have passed since then and both the Nebraska football team and Jack have moved on.
The excitement surrounding ESPN Game Day coming to town has made some fans believe there should be a kind of reunion take place.
Jack Hoffman for @CollegeGameDay celebrity guest picker. Make it happen.
— Grant (@Muessel) September 22, 2019
Jack Hoffman playing real football now
While the Nebraska football team has been pretty up and down over the years since Hoffman made his run, the young man has continued his battle against brain cancer.
He's actually relapsed again, a couple of different times. In 2018 he changed up his treatment and is going through another clinical trial.
In the meantime, the now teenager is just trying to live the life of a normal football fan. This fall, he's decided he wants to put on the pads for real. His father recently spoke to the Beatrice Daily Sun and made it clear the decision to play football was not one that was shoved down Jack's throat.
Instead, it's one the boy made all by himself.
The degree of difficulty here is that the brain cancer and the treatments he undergoes can cause any number of complications. That includes seizures from time to time. His coaches, according to Jack's parents, have been told how to recognize when the famous Nebraska football fan is going to suffer one.
Beyond that, Jack Hoffman is allowed to practice and play just like anyone else on his team. He's being treated like any other normal kid starting his football career. Some Nebraska football fans want him to have at least one more extraordinary experience by making an appearance on ESPN Game Day.