Honors & Awards
- Second-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches)
- Third-Team All-Big Ten (Phil Steele)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (Media)
- Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist (1 of 10)
- Dave Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List (2010, 2011)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches, AP, 2010)
- Tom Novak Award Winner (2011)
- Jake Young Memorial Scholarship Recipient (2011)
- Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2011)
Career
Center Mike Caputo was the leader of the Nebraska offensive line during his senior season in 2011, and was a fixutre in the middle of the line each of his final two seasons at Nebraska. The 6-1, 275-pound Caputo started all 27 games during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, helping the Huskers rank among the conference leaders in rushing each of those seasons.
Caputo's leadership was a key ingredient for a young Nebraska offense in 2011. Up front, Nebraska had four first-time starters alongside Caputo at the beginning of the year, and the unit also battled significant injuries throughout the latter half of the season. Originally a walk-on, Caputo was one of three walk-ons to start in the middle of the line in six games, as sophomore Spencer Long and junior Seung Hoon Choi manned the starting guard spots for much of the season.
Caputo was honored for his effort, being chosen a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the league's coaches and an honorable-mention pick by the media. He was also a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to a standout college player who began their career as a walk-on.
Caputo earned his bachelor's degree in communication studies in December of 2011.
2011 (Senior)
Caputo keyed an offensive line that helped Nebraska rush for more than 200 yards seven times in 2011. Nebraska racked up back-to-back 300-yard rushing games in wins over Washington and Wyoming. Caputo and the offensive line also played a key role in wearing down the Ohio State defense in a school-record comeback win. The Huskers rushed for 232 yards and had 423 yards of total offense against the Buckeyes, including 195 second-half rushing yards.
The line helped NU put up a season-high 346 rushing yards at Minnesota, and also top the 200-yard rushing mark in the regular-season finale against Iowa. Caputo and the line also paved the way for junior I-back Rex Burkhead to rush for 1,357 yards in 2011.
2010 (Junior)
Caputo and the offensive line paved the way for a strong running game. The offense averaged 247.6 rushing yards per game and topped 200 rushing yards 10 times in 14 games. The rushing average was Nebraska’s best since 2002. The Huskers had three 100-yard rushers in their victory at Washington—just the fifth time that has happened in school history—and had two other games with a pair of 100-yard rushers. Senior I-back Roy Helu Jr. rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns behind the offensive line. Overall, NU had 12 100-yard rushing games.
2009 (Sophomore)
Caputo appeared in six games as Hickman's backup at center and saw important playing time with Hickman battling nagging injuries for much of the season. Caputo played in three non-conference games, then saw his most extensive action against Iowa State when Hickman was sidelined with a leg injury.
2008 (Redshirt Freshman)
Caputo played in seven games and helped the NU offense rank among the top 20 nationally in scoring, passing and total offense.
2007 (Redshirt)
A walk-on, Caputo redshirted in his first season.
Before Nebraska
Caputo was a two-way standout for Millard North High School and Coach Fred Petito. Caputo helped Millard North reach four straight Class A state semifinals, including a victory in the title game in 2005. Caputo was named to the Class A all-state team by both the Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World-Herald as a senior. Caputo received offers from several Division II schools, as well as several Division I walk-on offers, before deciding on Nebraska.
Personal
Mike was born on May 2, 1989, and he is the son of Tony and Maryann Caputo. Caputo majored in communication studies at Nebraska and earned his bachelor's degree in December of 2011. He assisted with team hospital visits, the Omaha Heart Walk and volunteered at Elliott Elementary, Eastridge Elementary and Huntington Elementary. He was named to the 2011 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team for his outreach work.
Caputo's Career Statistics
» Games Played- 40 (7 in 2008; 6 in 2009; 14 in 2010, 13 in 2011)
» Games Started - 27 (14 in 2010, 13 in 2011)