Latest news with #Rhule
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule listed as safe in latest hot seat coach rankings
CBSSports released a ranking of the job security of all 136 FBS coaches earlier this week. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was ranked as safe for now, according to the measurement scale in the article. Rhule is 12-13 in his first two seasons in Lincoln. He is entering his third season with the program, which historically has been the most productive for him as a head coach. He has a rising sophomore quarterback, Dylan Raiola, as well as new pieces on both sides of the football. A new-look coaching staff should help him achieve that leap. CBSSports added the Huskers' coach at 2.11 on their measuring scale. This put him in the "good for now" category in terms of job security. It will be interesting to see how the program fares in Rhule's third season. They have the pieces to be able to compete with the rest of the Big Ten. Now, they have to focus on putting it all together. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What to know about the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2025
Penn State and Nebraska have only met twice during James Franklin's tenure and not since former Nittany Lion graduate assistant Matt Rhule took over as head coach. This year, Penn State will face the Cornhuskers for the first time since 2020 and the first time in Beaver Stadium since 2017. Though they don't clash routinely, the two have a relatively even series history, with Nebraska holding a 10-8 all-time edge. Penn State will have a chance to close that gap this fall. Here's a look at the Cornhuskers heading into the 2025 season. 2024 in review Nebraska made its first bowl appearance since 2016 after failing to reach the postseason for the entirety of Scott Frost's tenure. The cherry on top was winning the Bad Boy Mower's Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College, earning some momentum heading into 2025. First-year starting quarterback Dylan Raiola showed flashes of his 5-star rating, but turnover struggles kept the Cornhuskers from winning more games. However, his two leading receivers are off to the NFL, meaning he'll need new names to step up if he wants to replicate his passing production. Head coach profile Rhule has famously rebuilt college football programs in a three-year window, including Temple (2-10, 6-6, 10-4) and Baylor (1-11, 7-6, 11-3). His first two seasons with Nebraska were 5-7 and 7-6, setting the stage for another jump if the pattern holds. Rhule also had a three-year stint in the NFL coaching the Carolina Panthers, but he was fired after a 1-4 start in 2022. Top offensive player To replace the departing wide receivers, Nebraska needed to bring in a replacement and found a possible answer in Kentucky transfer Dane Key. Through three seasons as a starter, Key went over 500 yards each year. He peaked last season with 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns despite poor quarterback play with the Wildcats. Joining a pass-heavy offense in Lincoln and having a talented quarterback could result in career highs and possibly a 1,000-yard campaign for Key. Top defensive player Safety Deshon Singleton considered declaring for the draft this offseason, but opted to return and potentially boost his draft stock. He has good physical traits and was productive last season, ranking second on the team with 71 tackles and adding three passes defended and two takeaways. The junior college prospect will likely be a leader of the defense and continue to put up big numbers in 2025. 2025 schedule Nebraska gets many of its toughest games (Michigan, Iowa, USC) at home, but it'll have to travel to take on Penn State in what looks to be the toughest game of the season for the Cornhuskers. The Nittany Lions will hope to pull closer in the all-time series with a win in late November, but Rhule and Company will attempt to play spoiler. The clash of historic programs may be a ranked matchup, and could be one of the best uniform matchups of the year. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Nebraska tight end praises head coach Matt Rhule for preparing him for the NFL
Former Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone II enters his first season in the NFL after a long college career with the Huskers. The seventh-round pick by the New York Giants is doing a lot in his transition to the NFL and didn't hesitate to praise head coach Matt Rhule for preparing him for the next level. Fidone emerged from high school ranked as the No. 1 tight end in the 2021 recruiting class, but ran into numerous roadblocks on the collegiate level, tearing an ACL in the spring of 2021 before suffering a second knee injury in 2022. He then finally got the opportunity to play in 2023, Rhule's first year at Nebraska, and caught 25 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns, the most touchdown grabs by a Husker tight end in over a decade. He then exceeded those numbers in 2024, hauling in 36 passes for 373 yards. Fidone emphasized the transition from college to the NFL, including learning a new playbook, and Rhule's experience in the league has played a key part in helping him prepare. 'I would say the biggest thing would be coach Rhule,' Fidone said in an interview with KETV reporter Matt Sottile. 'The offense and the mindset that he brought definitely helped the transition in terms of the playbook and what they expect from you on the next level." Following the 2024 season, Fidone declared for the NFL draft and was selected by the Giants. He also joined his teammates at the recently concluded "Tight Ends University," hosted by George Kittle and Travis Kelce, with the latter praising Fidone's play. "He told me I was extremely athletic and moved extremely well. He told me that the top of my routes was good. He didn't say it like that, but he said it. So, just being able to hear that from him was cool," Fidone said. Rhule received numerous calls from NFL teams prior to the draft regarding Fidone. The third-year head coach also praised Fidone for his perseverance and encouraged him to declare for the draft. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
NBC Sports
03-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Matt Rhule believes NFL experience will help in new college football landscape
The new approach to college football will make it more and more like pro football. Which, in theory, provides an advantage for college football coaches with pro football experience. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who spent two-plus seasons as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, believes his time in the NFL will help him when it comes to shaping a college roster in an era of players getting paid. Via Shayni Matra of Rhule made his case in a recent visit to Greg McElroy's podcast, Always College Football. 'I think the biggest thing you learn when you're in the NFL is really evaluation,' Rhule said. 'Before, in college football, it was like, 'Yeah, he's a good player, let's offer him, let's take him.' You get to the NFL, they're all good players. It's just, 'Hey, what's the financial value we put on this person and put on this position?' Every year in the NFL, you go through free agency, and you see teams walking away from it with really good players because of their contract situations.' One key difference comes from the inability, under the current college system, to manipulate the available spending by carrying dollars over from one year to the next. 'The smart teams in the NFL carry money over and position themselves through the years,' Rhule said. 'But that discipline, I think, is something that's really, really unique. It's hard because you get to know the players. You want to take care of everybody.' One goal of the House settlement is to balance out the dollars. Rhule hopes that will lead to parity. We'll believe it when we see it. With the money now flowing freely, the programs that have the most will always find a way to get it to the players, directly or indirectly. Then there's the thing that you were probably thinking earlier and that probably goes without saying. But I'll say it anyway. Given that Rhule was 11-27 in 38 NFL games, does it make sense to put much stock in his NFL experience making a positive difference at Nebraska?
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule: QB Dylan Raiola 'could have taken the easy way out' and entered transfer portal
According to Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, QB Dylan Raiola was a hot commodity among other schools this offseason. In a Tuesday appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Rhule said that 'everyone' reached out to Raiola after his freshman season with the Huskers. Those inquiries could have been a reason why Raiola posted to social media in December that he was 'all-in' at Nebraska. 'He is in such a good place,' Rhule said of Raiola. 'He's got so many eyes on him. He's got the weight and pressure of an entire fanbase — an entire state — of a blue blood like Nebraska. First year, you come in, to me, if you're a big-time recruit, it's about learning how to handle the pressure. Learning how to handle the frustrating moments. I think he did that really well. Highs and lows. He finished the year on a real uptick.' 'And everyone reached out to him. He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone into the portal and gone to someplace where he could start over where he doesn't have to do as much himself. But he chose to stick it out and fight. He came back and I've been excited to see where he's at.' Advertisement Raiola was the top pro style QB in the class of 2024 and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Georgia. He originally committed to Georgia but flipped and signed with Nebraska in December of 2023 to play at the same school where his father Dominic and uncle Donovan were offensive linemen. He was also the highest-ranked recruit to sign for Nebraska in at least two decades. Raiola started right away for the Huskers in 2024 and showed flashes in his first season. Over 13 games, he was 275-of-410 passing for 2,819 yards with 13 TDs and 11 interceptions. After three multi-TD games over the first four games of his college career, Raiola threw just five touchdown passes over nine games the rest of the season.
