Matt Rhule defends Nebraska wearing alternate uniforms: 'We have a right to do cool things'

The Nebraska Cornhuskers recently revealed a new alternate jersey for the 2025 season. For a school with a very traditional uniform, it was seen by some as a bold move, but it’s also one that head coach Matt Rhule stands by.

Recently, quarterback Dylan Raiola shared some insight into their photoshoot to unveil the new uniforms, but downplayed the alternates themselves. For his part, Rhule explained that Raiola was just showing off his media training. The players are actually very excited to break out an alternate uniform.

“Dylan’s a really mature guy,” Matt Rhule said. “He knows what to say to you. What he’s trying to say is that we know wearing this jersey or that jersey doesn’t make you play better. If it does, then we have way bigger problems to begin with, but we have a right to do cool things.”

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— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 15, 2025

“At the University of Nebraska, we have a right to do what other schools do. We have the right to go out there — in my first year here,” Rhule said. “They had already planned an alternate jersey my first year. It was like the Northwestern game. Like 100 years, I remember it was just a blue outline. The guys were like, ‘Coach, can we please wear blue gloves?’ And I remember it was like when I went to Trev [Albert], and guess what? We won the game. We won the game because of how we tackled and caught, blocked a field goal for a touchdown — we stopped them in the redzone.”

Nebraska is going to break out its new black alternate uniforms for the game against USC. There’s an expectation that it’s going to be a night game against a premier opponent, which makes it a good time to break out those uniforms.

“So, what I think Dylan is saying is, it’s gonna come down to how we play,” Rhule said. “Especially versus a great team like USC. We’re anticipating that being a night game. There’s nothing worse than black jerseys in the middle of the day, in my opinion. So, if you have a night game, you have black jerseys, it’s a couple days after Halloween… So we said, ‘If we’re gonna do it.'”

The black jerseys do also play on Nebraska’s team history. The Cornhuskers’ defense is known as the “Blackshirts” and wearing these uniforms can play off of that.

“My hope for us is I don’t want to be a team where that’s not our thing. We’re an iconic look. So, I want us to have that look most of the time. But I think once a year we should step out and do something in all black. We are the Blackshirt defense. Like when I was at Albright College our defense wore black jerseys because of Nebraska. So, I think black is a little bit within our DNA of who we are historically. So, once a year maybe we go out there and we do a different black jersey every year… I think it’s really fun. I think it’s cool,” Rhule said.

“The thing that I’m learning as I go out recruiting, the kids all around the country, or right here in Omaha, they want a cool brand identity, name, and they want to see stuff like that. So, they come on the visits. They want to put those things on. So, I have to mix the iconic nature of what we do with some cool, swaggy stuff. So, if they want to wear something different now and then, so be it. What I won’t do, is talk about the record in it, the history in it. I want to know in alternate uniforms, I think, 1-0. I’ll take it. 1-0 in anything, I’ll take. So, we’re gonna go out and play. It’ll come down to who tackles better. Lincoln [Riley] is a great coach, but I think it’s fun for us to have some fun stuff.”

Before Nebraska has a chance to wear any alternate uniforms, they’ll open the season at a neutral site on August 28th against Cincinnati. There, the fans and players will have to settle for the traditional Nebraska uniforms. In the meantime, the excitement will build for the alternates.

“The kids, they downplayed it,” Rhule said. “They’re very excited about it. They try to be very professional but, trust me, they asked me about this every day… They want to feel good going out there. So, go buy your black jerseys.”