Matt Rhule experienced the lingering power of the Nebraska brand during his three-year run as the head coach at Baylor, when assistants bearing the school logo would gain entry to some of the top programs and best prospects in Texas nearly a generation after the program’s last breath of national relevance.
"The Nebraska ‘N’ means something," Rhule told USA TODAY Sports. "It means something across the world."
For a self-described "developmental coach" known for his building and rebuilding projects at Temple and with the Bears, Rhule’s decision to become the Cornhuskers’ next coach represents a dramatic leap into one of the most high-pressure, well-resourced positions in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Multiple attempts at replicating the program’s decades-long run as college football royalty have yielded increasingly bigger misfires, none more painful than the recent four-plus seasons under former coach Scott Frost. The school’s search for Frost’s replacement zeroed in on Rhule, who was fired in October by the Carolina Panthers less than midway through his third season.
Now, for the first time as a college head coach, Rhule has taken the reins of a program with three coveted assets: an extensive support system, a rich history and immense expectations. After the bitter disappointment of the five-season Frost era, these expectations have roared back to life in the past six months.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2023/05/23/matt-rhule-nebraskas-rejoin-college-footballs-elite/70172537007/
