With two seasons in the books, Nebraskans have gotten a read on their Big Apple-born coach. We’ve examined why there are reasons to believe. Now let’s examine the other side of the coin and allow a little doubt to creep in.
1. He sometimes says one thing and does another
Rhule has paid lip service to being different and veering away from the style of offense most teams roll out. “We’re going to be more old school, get in the huddle, control the clock, pound the football… win special teams and let the elements help us.” But anyone who watched the Huskers this year saw the offense quickly pivot to being conventional 2024 fare, giving up on the run game quickly and allowing defenses to tee off against a true freshman quarterback. The less said about Special Teams, the better.
Rhule has also called having a mobile quarterback “vital.” That was reflected in his transfer addition of Jeff Sims in 2023. But his quarterback recruiting since then has said otherwise. Daniel Kaelin, Dylan Raiola, and newly signed TJ Lateef are all considered pocket passers, as was Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord, who was all set to come to Nebraska until the Raiola news broke.
A consistent philosophy is necessary to steer a blue-blooded program like Nebraska. Just ask Mike Riley.
2. He’s made questionable assistant hires
When the team you’re poaching a coach from isn’t sad to see them go, you may have made a bad hire. Rhule also took flak for hiring fresh-faced Garret McGuire, son of his former colleague, Joey McGuire. Rhule defended his choice on Will Compton’s Bussin’ with the Boys, essentially saying “look at my track record and trust me.” But McGuire’s unit underachieved in 2024 and he’s now in Lubbock as a result. That’s to say nothing of his choice in Bob Wager, the Texas high school coach no doubt brought on to get a foot in the Lone Star state’s deep pipeline of talent. But Wager resigned after a DUI arrest before ever coaching a game. And Husker fans are still curious if Ed Foley will have a job by the time the New Year’s ball drops.
3. He still can’t solve the Huskers’ one-score woes
As much as Rhule downplays the Huskers being snake-bitten or cursed, at this point, you have to wonder at least a little bit, right? Like his predecessor, Rhule has a horrid record in one score games. The Huskers can hold onto a tight lead, as they did against Northwestern in 2023 and Rutgers in ’24, but to have the ball in their hands with the game on the line? Forget about it. Nebraska won one – one! – of their last 33 contests when tied or losing by a score on their final possession. The lone win? 2019 against Northwestern. It defies all realms of possibility.
4. He can’t seem to fix the turnover issues either
They had the second worst turnover margin in FBS last season. After a promising start to 2024, they finished the regular season –0.1. It’s an improvement, yes, but if two years in you’re still finishing in the negatives, it makes you wonder if they’re actually capable of getting it in order. Chief among John Butler’s to-do list is finding players who can take the ball away.
5. His offenses have historically been dreadful
An injury-riddled offense ranked near last in FBS last season. The hope was that a 5-star quarterback, exciting new receivers, and an offensive line among the most seasoned in all of football would be able to put together a much-improved product in 2024. But the Huskers finished ranked 97th in scoring, 94th in yards per game and 106th in yards per play. They don’t do anything particularly well and they routinely flounder in the red zone. As Sam McKewon pointed out, 10 teams have had scoring defenses ranked in the top 20 each of the last two seasons. Nebraska is the only one among them with a losing record. That speaks to an offense that isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
Until Wisconsin, Nebraska had not won a game under Rhule in which they gave up more than 14 points. Ask Carolina fans if that sounds familiar.
This year there was no denying that Raiola and his receivers regressed as the season went on. Bret Bielema and his Fighting Illini showed teams the way to befuddle Satterfield. But if Illinois could figure out the blueprint in September, why couldn’t the Huskers pivot in October? Dana Holgorsen’s turn as offensive coordinator has been encouraging thus far and it’ll need to ramp up even more in 2025 if that Huskers want to better their record.