 Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Humm attended Bishop Gorman High School, where he was an All-American prep quarterback and a heavily recruited prospect.He accepted a scholarship from the University of Nebraska, where he was a three-year starter from 1972–74 under head coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.He succeeded Jerry Tagge, who piloted Nebraska to back-to-back national championships in 1970 and 1971.