Husker head coach Matt Rhule likes how Nebraska is positioned as college football works toward a different model.
He’s apparently received a few «Hang in there» texts.
No need to send.
You can understand the well-meaning nature of such texts to Matt Rhule in a month that would seem to be about everything other than football for a … football coach.
Portal this, portal that. Big graphic here, big graphic there. «Am I coming or going? I can barely decide,» a famous rapper from Detroit once opined.
Could be the current tag of college football.
And yet.
«I love this month,» Nebraska’s head football coach said on Thursday.
Every day is a fast ride, sure. The coach acknowledged the mad run they’re on when trying to recall the practice days from last week.
And Rhule told the story of how people have kept coming up to his wife, Julie, congratulating her on being pregnant. Except she’s not. Some social media account posted it for whatever reason. And people just go with whatever is posted for whatever reason.
To Rhule’s main point, «I would just tell everyone out there, ‘Be careful what you read.’ I have people walk up, ‘I heard this, I heard that.’ There’s a reason why if you look at my phone there is no Instagram or Twitter … The external message maybe sometimes is not what we’re saying here.»
What Rhule is saying is he’s not bemoaning December. To the contrary. He’s more so looking at the opportunity it presents.
Yeah, some coaches and players have announced they are leaving. Here and everywhere.
And others are now arriving. See the Thursday news of D-lineman Williams Nwaneri, the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2024 class, being an expected addition to the Husker program.
It is a crazy time in college football, but Rhule also obviously thinks the Huskers are well positioned compared to many as everyone sifts through it.
«You know me, I’m never going to say anything negative about anyone who leaves here. Sometimes people need to leave. Sometimes people aren’t a great fit – staff wise, player wise. Sometimes there’s guys you wish would stay but they have to do what’s right for them,» Rhule said.
As it plays out, the Huskers have the resources put their elbows out with other big boys.
Note Nebraska won a few standoffs in recruiting battles against SEC schools on signing day.
Note Rhule’s words on Thursday.
«1890, they’ve doubled down and they’ve helped us out,» he said of Nebraska’s collective. «And now we have the rev share. We’re going to have more than most people in college football. We have to make really good decisions. But the staff that we’ve added, the people that we’ve added…»
That’s where he said the «hang in there» sentiments aren’t anything he needs.
At 6-6 heading to the Pinstripe Bowl that will decide if it’s Nebraska’s first winning season since 2016 or not, Rhule stressed the Huskers have to get better.
But to be honest, he said, he’s enjoyed the process of this month and the possibilities with it.
«Now there’s an emotional component of me that loves everyone that I coach and sometimes I worry about some guys making bad decisions,» Rhule said. «I knew this was going to be really hard just getting from 150 down to where we are and still adding the talent that we need to win.»
But Rhule sees it as a great, great opportunity.
«This is a time that we need. If I had one message it just would be to be careful what you hear, be careful what you listen to, be careful what you read, there’s usually an agenda,» Rhule said. «A lot of people make money off of the chaos around Nebraska football.»
Or perceived chaos as he later put it.
Like, Rhule pointed out a report that said he fired Garret McGuire. He didn’t.
The night before early signing day, McGuire told him his father, Joey McGuire, offered him a job at Texas Tech and that he hadn’t taken it yet.
Rhule didn’t know that possibility until that night and called every recruit and told them McGuire could leave. He ultimately did.
«But I love Garret. He did a great job for us. He recruited Jacory (Barney). He recruited Cortez (Mills). He recruited some great players for us. And now we’ve Daikiel (Shorts) here. And Daikiel I think is going to be great,» Rhule said of the new Husker receivers coach. «This is a really good time I think for us. This is a time moving moving forward that we can make a jump. I expect us to make a jump.»
Rhule believes there will be a lot more «perceived chaos» in the coming weeks, but that doesn’t seem to be how he will view it.
«Some coaches have made the decision to try to keep their roster together through the bowl game. I feel like it’s best to get it done now and so we can move forward into the bowl game with who we think is going to be around.»
Some movement will still happen after that, but the Huskers will have a good idea by then of the guys they want and what they need.
«So whereas I haven’t been pro portal before because I didn’t want to get rid of guys, now in this new model we’re embracing everything.»