Detailing Matt Rhule’s impact on future of Nebraska athletics
As Nebraska finds itself in search of leadership with athletic director Trev Alberts leaving, the Cornhuskers have turned to Matt Rhule. Alberts recently became the new AD at Texas A&M and Rhule gave an impassioned speech at his press conference in what the next steps are in keeping Nebraska relevant in the new age of college football.
Rhule spoke on making sure that the Huskers are prepared “for the next 20 years” on constantly changing issues such as NIL and the transfer portal. Nebraska will surely find a new athletic director until then, but no one currently finds themself in better position to lead the athletics department until then.
Rhule has connections from his time in the NFL and with college sports becoming more and more like professional leagues every day, his expertise could certainly come in handy.
“There is really no true captain of the ship at Nebraska right now,” Husker Online‘s Sean Callahan said in an interview with On3’s Andy Staples. “He is the captain of the ship. He has taken the wheel. He’s the leader. He’s the highest paid guy. When football wins, all boats rise.”
Rhule is coming off of a 5-7 finish in his inaugural season at Nebraska but seems to have the program trending in an upward direction. The Huskers added five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola this offseason and signed the No. 4 transfer class in the Big Ten according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.
Nebraska was at one point a premier program in college football, consistently competing for national titles and New Year’s Six bowl games. However, it’s now been seven straight losing seasons and the Huskers are pretty much an afterthought in the national conversation.
However, Callahan believes that this could be a breakthrough year for the Huskers given their improved roster and a relatively manageable early schedule. If the football program can get back to being a regular contender, it will have a massive impact on the rest of the sports as well.
“He has made a lot of gains this offseason keeping (defensive coordinator) Tony White in place after Tony White had multiple opportunities for head coach jobs and other things. Getting Dylan Raiola, getting a really good group of transfers in here, getting most of the key guys to return for that extra fifth or sixth year of school.
“So they’ve got a team and they’ve got a schedule where you could arguably make a case they could be favored in their first seven games. It’s not out of the question when you look at those first seven games that Nebraska could theoretically be favored in all those games.”
Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see how Nebraska does in Matt Rhule’s second season. However, there’s a lot to be excited for as we look forward to the future under his guidance.