Danimal

I'm rather relieved. Was somewhat expecting to be stuck with Mike Siravo learning to DC on the job despite already having inexperience at LB and DL. White has legit experience and seems like a legit up-and-comer. Interested to see if he sticks with the 3-3-5 or goes with the 4-3 Rhule has said we'd run.

We got better under MJ, not enough better to garner the HC job but better. O-line didn't get better under Raiola, thus he has less of a case than MJ. Is Raiola as bad as he seemed this season? Could he be good down the road? I can see that. But why not hire an O-line coach that is actually proven to be good?

I've seen that quote and it seems to me Rhule should be looking at why he wasn't better at networking and interviewing to land the right guy, that's something coaches that succeed over the long term are good at. Of course coaches hire guys they have prior experience with, that's expected, but they shouldn't limit themselves to only that talent-pool. Yes Rhule is demanding but he's far from alone in that and all coaches have their style that their staff must fit. Successful coaches can find good coaches that fit, from there trust and relationships build quickly enough.

If this staff is worth a damn they'll be able to attract players. We were able to do it this year despite Frost losing for four seasons and going into this one obviously on the hot-seat. You aren't getting my point about year-one. Unlike when Rhule took over Baylor he not only has more ability to win now but also has motivation to win-now rather than go into "develop and play for the future" mode. He needs to keep the players bought-in so they stay and fans bought-in so they keep the coffers full. Plus the team needs wins to get their belief and confidence up. I never implied he can wave a wand and make everything better but what he can do is bring experienced players and plug them in rather than throw young guys to the wolves as seen in Baylor year-one. I'm not saying we can be good, I'm saying we can achieve mediocrity.

Very nice way for Fickell to start his tenure, he'll have the typical tough Wiscy defense and his offense can only be better than the Mertz-led crap seen this season. If Wiscy makes good portal acquisitions on O they'll be a tough team.

We play a weak noncon, the BIG West isn't that good, plus we get MSU and Mary out of the east. With the noncon and NW that's four bad teams then you have several fairly average ones. Six wins is doable without vast improvement, we have been a very competitive team, we just haven't finished games well. As far as Rhule's previous stints go they weren't in the NIL and transfer-portal era. A roster turnaround can be pulled-off much more easily now with what we have to offer. This is a hell of a lot different than Rhule starting at Baylor with 45 schollie players in the wake of the rape scandal. Plus I'd hope Rhule recognizes he can't afford to just sacrifice year-one. NIL and the transfer portal are a double-edged blade. Players now bounce penalty-free and the better ones will get outside NIL offers while still on your team. Meanwhile our fans won't be so free with that NIL money to buy and keep players if they're pissed-off we went 2-10. It's just a different game now, keeping your players and fans bought-in is important. Plus this is a team with a damaged psyche that expects to blow games, more losing means feeding the monkey on their back. I can also see Rhule putting more into winning some games now because this team really needs that boost.

Wish the BIG would quit hamstringing us with these games til we get on our feet as a program again.

I know he's Rhule's guy and a quality DC but I gotta agree. If he was truly all-in he'd have already been announced. I could take him as DC if we have a hotshot Co-DC Snow can groom then hand the reins to. Would be a great analyst hire and that could fit where he's at in life, wouldn't have to schmooze teenagers year-round or work the long hours but he's still be in football. Of the "Rhule tree" guys that have been mentioned- Snow, Robinson, and Collins, I like Collins the best. Already explained Snow. Robinson hasn't been a DC before, may not be good at it, and if he is good he'll be a hot name we lose to a HC job. Collins is a proven DC and after that crappy stint as GT's HC he won't get any HC offers that pay more than coaching D here. We could be set well at the position for a long time.

The SWAC plays the MEAC in a bowl because those cons got sick of getting their asses kicked in the first round of the FCS playoffs. With his recruiting and connections it's not really that hard to win in the FCS's equivalent of the G5, big jump from that to winning in the P5 of FBS. I'm not saying Prime won't be a success, could be huge, but it's silly when folks act like he'd be a sure thing.

I wouldn't say he regressed as much as the east-west JUCO running wasn't cutting it once we started playing solid defenses. Unfortunately Applewhite wasn't able to break Grant's bad habits. Annoyed me when we left him in there against Iowa. That late 3rd and 1 where Grant wouldn't just lower his shoulder and fight for a yard didn't end-up costing us but it easily could have.

Agree, love that we got the W but it could have easily become another heartbreaking L due to our piss-poor game management.

I want to keep him around but disagree about making him RC. He is our go-to salesman. I want him out on the floor moving our product not spending a substantial amount of his time back in the office running things.

Yes USF is in Prime's hunting-grounds, plus they'll admit some guys that CU would say no to and they're a G5 team. They would be easier to turn around. CU is obviously the bigger program, has the advantage of being P5, but I really doubt Prime considers Colorado his forever-home. Either would be considered a stepping-stone, I can see him taking the stepping-stone with surer footing.

I'd prefer Calhoun because he was a NFL OC when he took over Air Force, he's proven he can run a more balanced offense at a high level.

IMO we should have built a new stadium rather than repeatedly building onto the old but since we've done all that work there's no going back.

IMO we should have rolled with Mankilling Mastodons

Purdy's ceiling may be higher than Smother's but what matters is what you do when the bullets are flying and Purdy has been incompetent the last two weeks. You can work around Smothers not having a big arm better than you can work around Purdy not being able to settle-down and hit the broad side of a barn.

Not really. Dude started having winning seasons back in 2016, which is a major achievement at a program where he has less to work with than any other P5 school in country. Took til 2021 to start competing for conference championships. Turnaround would be WAY quicker here. It's the transfer-portal and NIL era, he can get instant help here he couldn't at WF. He'd have much more to recruit to with our VASTLY superior stadium, facilities, and tradiiton. He'd have much more money/cache to optimize his staff with, our coaching would likely be up a notch from Wake's

I know his pressers would be legendary but I would not hire Pootie Tang to coach Nebraska.

No link needed, just living in reality. First, Sanders just doesn't have the resume, very unlikely Trev will think he's qualfied. Dude has two seasons coaching in FCS, and we're talking the SWAC here, not even like he coaches in the Missouri Valley against the better FCS teams. Second, hiring Sanders would piss-off WAY too many people with money and power. Why did Frost get another season when it was obvious Trev didn't really believe in the move? Because folks with stroke wanted to give Frost another season. The folks that keep the program flush are more important than ever in the NIL era and Trev needs a hire that will make a lot of them happy so the money keeps flowing. Third, it would be Trev's career on the line, if he makes this risky hire and it doesn't work-out he will not get to make another one. There's too much going against the move for it to happen.

Trev is not offering Deon in the first place AND I doubt Deon wants to come to Nebraska anyway. A job in his southeast stomping grounds will come calling sooner or later.

Was really disappointed by our tackling against Purdue. I hope we're really working on it with the extra prep time. Getting Reimers back should help.

If we're going with a guy of questionable resume I also would rather go with Mickey. When it comes to bringing kids to Nebraska I think he'd do fairly comparably to Neon. Mickey knows the landscape and culture here. Mickey would put in the ridiculous hours needed that Frost wouldn't. I like Mickey's demeanor and how he interacts with the kids, knows when to be supportive and when to be tough. Big thing I would want to know about Mick is who his staff would be, that's absolutely huge. There are several reasonable options I'd take before Mickey but with the right staff I can see Mickey working.