Matt Rhule discusses excitement at taking Nebraska job on College GameDay

There’s a new man atop middle America’s biggest college football program. The Nebraska just tabbed former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule as the new head man for the Cornhuskers. And a giddy Rhule joined the College GameDay crew live on Saturday morning to discuss why he took the job and what excites him so much about it.

“I think it was two things,” Rhule shared. “The more you get away from it the more you miss the players, the more you miss the locker room, etc. And then, you know, this is Nebraska. This is a team that I grew up, not just watching, but this is a team I grew up revering.”

Then, Rhule hammered home just how important alignment is, from top to bottom, in creating a great college football program.

“I could see right away that the leadership is right, there’s tremendous alignment. It’s got the greatest fan base in football, a storied history, and at the end of the day, I just felt like it fits me. I’m a guy that likes to go places and develop players. You know, that’s my passion in life, to watch players grow on and off the field. Just seemed like the right fit and I’m excited to get there.

“Well I think when you go back to the Hey Day, the five national championships, it all goes back to alignment. And when the head football coach and the Athletic Director and the President and the Chancellor — when everybody wakes up every day with the same mission, then you have a chance to do great things.”

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Lastly, Rhule explained the type of players he wants in the red and white, like the guys who succeeded under him at Baylor.

“There’s lots of good football players out there. I sat there last year and watched the draft. I think it was six or seven Baylor kids got drafted. Guys that weren’t highly recruited, that weren’t five-star players, but they came and played for us and built themselves into NFL players on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, in the weight rooms. So, to me, the players that come to Nebraska have to want to be NFL players.”

Welcome to the Matt Rhule Era of Nebraska Football, folks.