Matt Rhule declares Nebraska 'a destination job' amid being linked to Penn State opening

Matt Rhule has heard all the rampant speculation linking him to the newly opened Penn State head coaching job. This all comes following James Franklin‘s surprise firing Sunday after 12 years in Happy Valley.

And while Rhule, a Penn State alum, can certainly appreciate — and even acknowledge — the legitimate connections, the third-year Nebraska head coach continues to downplay any interest in the Nittany Lions opening. He continued to do so ahead of the 25th-ranked Cornhuskers’ Friday night kickoff (8 pm ET) at Minnesota.

Rhule explained how he’s approached having his name intimately attached to the Penn State head coaching search during his weekly Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. There, he made his feelings on the Huskers well-known.

“With my team, it’s just unbridled honestly. You tell them the truth and don’t B.S. ‘em, because they’ll know. And secondly, just with what’s out there, this is it, this is part of (being a coach). It’s better than when I was in Carolina and they were chanting to fire me, it’s better than being on a hot seat list. So having other schools maybe be interested in you is pretty cool. But I don’t do that during the season, I don’t mess around with that, I don’t play that,” Rhule said Thursday. “And, at the same time, (Nebraska) is not a jumping off job. This is a destination job. This is one of the greatest places in the world. … I can do whatever I want here, I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Think about how good we’ll be next year. Now I’m not thinking about next year, but where we are right now, we’re learning, learning, learning. Think about where we’re going to go with (sophomore quarterback) Dylan (Raiola) and all these guys. So I refuse to be distracted.

Matt Rhule: Nebraska ‘making our way’ to becoming ‘a national bully’ in college football

“At the same time, when it’s your alma mater, you have to show it love and respect. And I love (Penn State AD) Pat Kraft, but they’ll find the best coach for them, whoever that is. But this is a destination job that should be a national bully and should be a beast, and I think we’re making our way to doing that.”

The 50-year-old Rhule played linebacker at Penn State between 1994-97 and even got his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant under Nittany Lions legend Joe Paterno in 1998. Now, he has things rolling at Nebraska.

Rhule is in the midst of his third season in Lincoln following a failed 2 1/2-year stint leading the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Rhule currently has the Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) back in the AP Top 25 following back-to-back conference wins over Maryland and Michigan State. And just based on his past history of third-year success in prior stops at Temple and Baylor, the sky is the limit for Nebraska.

Still, until Penn State ultimately settles on Franklin’s replacement, Rhule’s name will continue to be inherently linked to the opening in Happy Valley.