Matt Rhule explains hiring of strength coach Corey Campbell

Nebraska is getting underway under new coach Matt Rhule, which means players are getting to know a bunch of new staffers. None will likely have the same offseason impact as head football strength and conditioning coach Corey Campbell.

Campbell arrives at Nebraska after following Rhule from the Carolina Panthers. The two also worked together at Baylor previously.

“Corey’s elite since the day I first met him at Baylor,” Rhule explained. “He’s unbelievably demanding but players sometimes they either feel like you’re for them or against them. He can hold you really, really accountable and they’d still know that he’s for them.”

In the long offseason, when coaches are limited in the amount of time that they can spend with players, strength coaches are pivotal.

The players spend a huge chunk of their time in the offseason with the strength staff. Not just Campbell, but all of his direct reports, as well.

“So Corey has that and he built a staff of guys,” Rhule said. “We have a physical therapist that’s part of our weight room staff. One of the greatest gifts we can give our players is health. We have the right knowledge base, because I don’t know anything about the weight room. So I need people that are experts that I can trust who also have my mindset about culture and development. Corey has all of that.”

Corey Campbell will drive Nebraska’s offseason

One of the other things that Rhule stressed about Campbell was his breadth of knowledge.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Campbell has a bachelor’s degree in biological science and a master’s degree in kinesiology: human performance. He’s well studied in the latest and greatest training techniques.

“He’s also really knowledgeable, right?” Rhule said. “He understands all the science of what he does in the weight room. I want us to be a place that’s on the cutting edge of everything sports-science wise, player development wise, recovery wise.

“That’s what this new building the Go Big project is going to allow us to do. But the people have to match the functionality.”

Rhule believes he has that right combo in place.