College Football

Matt Rhule has a plan to make Nebraska feared once again

Updated Jul. 27, 2023 5:16 p.m. ET

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Nebraska gave Matt Rhule an eight-year, $74 million contract to guide its football program back to relevance, and that's precisely what the new head coach is striving to do.

Rhule explained at Big Ten media day Thursday how he wants people to get back to fearing the Nebraska brand.

"There was a time when Nebraska football was feared, and we certainly want to get back to that. We want to be a team that you say, you know what, that team's feared. But we're not at that point yet," Rhule said. "We're at a point where I believe we have to take back the respect of what it means to play Nebraska and to be at Nebraska.

"I want people to respect when they see that white helmet with that red N on it. I want our fans to respect us when they pay their money to come watch us play. And I want our opponents to respect us. And I want all of college football to respect the way Nebraska plays the game. And most importantly I want our players to respect what it means to be a Cornhusker and playing at Nebraska," Rhule said. "This season for me is all about us, not just earning, but taking back respect and bringing back respect to Nebraska football. Once you earn respect then you can talk about being feared. And that's the process we're going to go through."

Rhule also noted how Nebraska legend Tom Osborne, who led the Cornhuskers to three national championships during his run as head coach from 1973-97, has been a mentor for him.

"I'd be a fool if I didn't ask Coach Osborne what the blueprint [for success] is," Rhule said. "He doesn't talk about plays; he talks about the way they practice, first and foremost."

Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost three games into the 2022 college football season, with Mickey Joseph serving as the interim coach for the rest of the season. The Cornhuskers were a combined 16-31 under Frost from 2018-22. They announced the Rhule hire one day after beating Iowa in the Heroes Game for the first time since 2014. 

Nebraska went 4-8 (3-6 in Big Ten play) in 2022 and hasn't finished with a winning overall or conference record since 2016.

Rhule has developed a track record of building college programs from the ground up. After a two-win debut season with Temple in 2013, Rhule and the Owls won six games in 2014, followed by back-to-back 10-win campaigns.

Why Matt Rhule is an A+ hire for Nebraska

Rhule then jumped to the Big 12 in 2017 to coach Baylor. After an abysmal one-win debut campaign, the Bears won seven games in 2018 and 11 the ensuing season. At one point in 2019, Baylor was 9-0 and later went on to play in the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma, which reached the College Football Playoff that year. Rhule then went off to the NFL to be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, who fired him five games into his third season (2022) after he recorded a combined record of 11-27.

Nebraska has done a plausible job this offseason of keeping recruits in the state, as seven players from its 2023 class are in-state. Furthermore, 247Sports ranks its 2023 class 25th in the nation and its current 2024 class 19th.

"That was all intentional," Rhule said of his efforts to keep top Nebraska high school prospects in the state. "That's part of the reason we took the job. If you're strong at home, if there's talent coming from Nebraska, then you're going to win.

"We have a certain ratio we want to have. We want to make sure we always have hometown kids there, guys who grew up and being a Cornhusker means something a little bit more to them. And that was important to me. And so to keep that talent home was good.

"And I think that's good when you bring a kid in from Florida, a kid in from Texas, to be surrounded by guys that are local, that can take them home, show them a little love, parents that will adopt them and they'll be there for them. That's how you have a program like Nebraska take off."

The Rhule era begins for Nebraska on Aug. 31, when it travels to Minnesota for the 2023 season opener, which will air on FOX.

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