The group of clean-shaven Spartans is growing.
Freshman center Tom Herzog showed up for Saturday's game with a completely shaved head, a la junior guard Drew Neitzel. Herzog had been keeping a short buzz cut all season but went for the Mr. Clean look this week at the suggestion of his barber, freshman guard Isaiah Dahlman.
"He pulls out his clippers, and he's like, 'I don't know where my guards are. I'm gonna have to shave it,'" Herzog said.
Hesitant at first, Herzog agreed.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "It'll grow back."
Dahlman admitted he modeled the 'do after Neitzel. Overhearing that from a few feet away, Neitzel jokingly applauded the decision.
"Tom said he wanted to pick up some girls on campus," he chirped, "so we told him he had to get my haircut."
Style aside, the change in appearance came as a shock to some of Herzog's teammates.
"Jake (Hannon) walked in the training room and was like, 'Oh my goodness!'" Dahlman said.
"We were like, 'Yeah, all the bigs have to shave their heads.' Jake was like, 'Really?' And then (Drew) Naymick was like, 'No!' He got all scared and stuff."
"I look horrible with a shaved head," Naymick said. "I did it in high school once for football, and it didn't look too good. I'm going to keep my hair."
Not everyone was buying Herzog's explanation. Sophomore center Goran Suton was asked if Herzog is trying to look like Neitzel.
"No," he said, "I think he's trying to look like Britney Spears."