Nebraska coach Matt Rhule says he's received more calls about 'this player' than anyone
Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule gave a strong endorsement to former Husker tight end Thomas Fidone, who could be selected in the NFL draft. The draft itself begins this Thursday.
Fidone had a whirlwind Huskers career, which was marred by injuries. Nevertheless, he was able to find his way onto the field over the last two seasons. He was a valuable piece of the Huskers' offense in 2024 and recorded 36 catches for 373 yards. For his Nebraska career, he recorded 61 catches for 633 yards and four touchdowns.
The tight end declared for the NFL draft in January. Rhule credited the tight end for persevering in a major way, as he spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon.
"There's no one more loyal than Fidone. I'm excited for him. He's going to get drafted, I think. I've gotten more calls on him. He's an unbelievably freaky athlete. He took probably the toughest shot to the knee – I saw the practice rep and almost threw up. No disrespect to the kid who did it, I've just never seen anything like it. Sometimes, you see vitriol on Twitter for that kid. Why, because he was a five-star and you wanted a little more? That's tough. I think he's an amazing, amazing young man."
The head coach of the Huskers went on to say that he encouraged the tight end to enter the draft and has already heard from multiple NFL teams about the prospect.
"I encouraged him to go to the NFL. I remember my call with Matt Nagy at the Senior Bowl. I said 'I think if you can get him in at the Senior Bowl, we're going to tell him to go pro.' He was like 'why?' I just didn't want to see him have another knee thing. He had two of the toughest injuries and he's fought back and he's carried it on his shoulders and he's so loyal. He plays hard and his best football is ahead of him. I'm excited for him.'
It will certainly be interesting to see where Fidone goes. This is a lighter tight end draft class, and that could work to his advantage. His playmaking ability and his ability to be a red zone threat are things that could get him to the NFL. Time will tell where he goes in the draft itself. Regardless, he has put together a remarkable story and was an instrumental building block for the program at a time when it needed playmakers.
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