Nebraska has hired former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule as its head football coach, the program announced Saturday morning. Here’s what you need to know:
- Rhule, 47, was at or near the top of the Cornhuskers’ list of targets in recent weeks after he was fired by the Panthers on Oct. 10. Nebraska fired former coach Scott Frost on Sept. 11.
- Nebraska signed Rhule to an eight-year contract. The school will formally introduce him at a press conference Monday.
- Rhule was offered the job earlier this month, sources previously told The Athletic, and then Nebraska came back to him this week with a stronger package.
- Mickey Joseph, a former associate head coach for the Huskers, served as Nebraska’s interim coach and led the Huskers to a 24-17 win Friday at Iowa in their season finale.
The future is bright in Lincoln.
Introducing Matt Rhule: Head Coach, Nebraska Football#GBR pic.twitter.com/yvGE9mWYnh
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) November 26, 2022
What they’re saying
Rhule said in a statement that it is an honor to lead the Nebraska program and he is excited to return to college football.
“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to lead the Nebraska Football program,” Rhule said. “When you think of great, tradition-rich programs in college football, Nebraska is right at the top of the list. The fan base is second to none, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to coach in Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field. My family and I are so grateful to become a part of the Husker Family, and we can’t wait to get started.”
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Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said Rhule’s success as the coach at Temple and Baylor provides evidence of Rhule’s ability to build a program and made him an ideal fit at Nebraska.
“It is a privilege to welcome Coach Matt Rhule, his wife Julie, and their family to Nebraska,” Alberts said in a statement. “Coach Rhule has created a winning culture throughout his coaching career, and he will provide great leadership for the young men in our football program. Matt is detail-oriented, his teams are disciplined and play a physical brand of football. Matt also has the personality and relationship-building skills to build a great staff and excel in recruiting.”
Backstory
Conversations between Alberts and Rhule intensified this month, with transfer portal activity restarting in early December. The early signing period opens two weeks later.
Rhule resurrected programs at Temple and Baylor from 2013 to 2019, winning 10 games or more in three of his seven seasons, and he was seen as a home-run hire by outsiders. He’s from New York and coached on the East Coast aside from one season at UCLA as an assistant and his tenure at Baylor, but he’s familiar with the Big Ten as a former Penn State linebacker.
Rhule also thrived in an unfamiliar environment in Texas, helping the Bears rebuild after a sexual assault scandal threatened to destroy the program.
His Panthers contract also increased his level of attractiveness to Alberts. Rhule signed a seven-year, $62 million deal in 2020 and is owed more than $40 million through the end of the deal. Any salary paid to Rhule by his next employer is subtracted from the amount owed by the Panthers, so the program could get a relative bargain in Rhule — for the first four seasons of his deal.
Nebraska finished the season 4-8 after its upset of Iowa. Alberts was in attendance at Iowa City. The second-year Nebraska AD, originally from Eastern Iowa, traveled separately from the Huskers to attend the final game of the season. An introductory news conference in Lincoln for Rhule could come as early as Sunday. Nebraska officials, without direct instruction from Alberts on the timing, have reserved the Hawks Championship Center for use to stage a hiring event.
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Why Rule is a good fit at Nebraska
Rhule’s personality will mesh with the state of Nebraska. He’s a New York native and thrived as a head coach in Pennsylvania and Texas. So he’s adaptable. Nebraskans will like his work ethic and the respect that he’s shown already for the Nebraska program, which has won or shared five national titles. He said Saturday on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that he grew up “revering” the Huskers. Rhule talked before the announcement with former coach Tom Osborne and praised the leadership at the university, including Joseph, the well-liked former Nebraska QB who coached the team for the final nine games this season after Frost was fired. — Sherman
What can Nebraska fans expect from Rhule?
He’s big on building culture, a must for Nebraska — which has lacked an identity on offense for far too long. Rhule emphasizes physical play. His track record at Temple and Baylor backs it up. Nebraska talked a big game about physicality under Frost, but its play on the field belied that message. The Huskers got bullied by the likes of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. And the new coach is big on unity. “When everybody wakes up every day with the same mission, then you have a chance to do great things,” Rhule said. “It’s about everybody moving in the same direction.” — Sherman
Required reading
- Sherman: Matt Rhule must save Nebraska football. Here’s a Huskers checklist
- Nebraska coaching search: What I’m hearing about Matt Rhule
- When college football teams flop: How long has it been for each Power 5 program?
- Nebraska coaching search: What I’m hearing about candidates, Trev Alberts’ efforts
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)