Nebraska's Matt Rhule Addresses Penn State Opening After James Franklin Firing

Matt Rhule could be a candidate for Penn State's coaching vacancy.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule spoke about the Penn State vacancy on Monday. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

With Penn State firing head coach James Franklin on Sunday, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has emerged as one of the potential candidates for the opening in Happy Valley.

Rhule, who is in his third season as the Cornhuskers' head coach, grew up a fan of Penn State and played college football there. On Monday, Rhule was asked about the Nittany Lions' coaching opening.

"I love Penn State," Rhule said. "Met my wife there. My alma mater. Fan since I was born, probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft. Really sad to see Coach Franklin go."

Coach Rhule speaks about the Penn State HC job opening: pic.twitter.com/mALVQbLjcB

— 247Huskers (@247Huskers) October 13, 2025

"I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come," Rhule added. "... I’m not going to talk about my contract here. I'm gonna talk about the team. I absolutely love it here. I want to continue to take the steps needed to turn this thing into a beast."

While Rhule expressed multiple times that he loves Nebraska and wants to continue building his team into champions, he never explicitly said he wouldn't turn down the chance to become Penn State's next head coach. Rhule did note his wife, Julie, decides where they live and loves her hair salon business in Nebraska. He also enjoys that his daughters can sit in the stands at Nebraska games.

“I love all of this,” Rhule said. “This is a great place. And I just want us to be positive about this place and where we’re headed. We’re in a good place. I just want to keep rolling.”

Still, Rhule has yet to rule out the possibility of returning to Penn State if he gets offered the job. Currently, he has Nebraska on an upward trajectory as the Cornhuskers have started the 2025 season 5-1. But even if they continue winning and spend more, it might not be enough to stop the allure of becoming head coach of his alma mater.

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