A Will Compton Phone Call Initiated Mike Ekeler's Return to Nebraska Football

Mike Ekeler can thank one person in particular for his return to Nebraska football - former Blackshirt and National Football League veteran Will Compton.

Ekeler was hired as special teams coordinator for Matt Rhule's Nebraska Cornhuskers during the offseason. Despite having an impressive background serving at Indiana, Georgia, North Texas, North Carolina, Kansas and Tennessee, Ekeler did not have a connection within the new regime of Husker football to return to Lincoln, where he had been a linebackers coach from 2008-10.

We can all thank @_willcompton’s phone call for bringing Mike Ekeler home! #Huskers | #GBR pic.twitter.com/UAxp7AQ9e8
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 15, 2025

That changed when Rhule announced he would be seeking a new special teams coach following the conclusion of the 2024 season. The Blair native first heard of the opening through a mutual connection to the coach.

"Well it started off with Will Compton," Ekeler said in an interview with Hail Varsity's Ana Bellinghausen at the 2025 Jet Awards last week. "When coach made the change, literally Will Compton called me like 30 seconds later and said, 'Ek, you need to go home, man.'"

Nebraska linebacker Will Compton looks at the scoreboard during the Huskers' 2012 win over Michigan. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Compton learned under Ekeler for three seasons, earning the starting inside linebacker job in 2009 as a redshirt freshman through fall camp. He played in all 14 games, with eight starts. Compton's first season on the field under Ekeler gave the future NFL linebacker a freshman All-Big 12 nod. Compton would add four more starts in the 2010 season after missing the first five games with an injury.

After a decade-long stint in the National Football League, Compton continued his passion project of podcasting under his popular "Bussin' With the Boys" brand, giving him a larger spotlight in the national sports media field. Compton, paired with former Tennessee Titan teammate and Michigan alum Taylor Lewan, grew the platform to receive exclusive access to Nebraska's facilities and interviews through the past years. That includes interviews with Rhule, gameday passes and video blogs, and Compton recently earning the exclusive right to lead-off the game day Tunnel Walk tradition at Memorial Stadium for each Nebraska home game.

"He said, 'What are you doing?," Ekeler said. "I said, 'You know, I'd think about it."

Will Compton after the first quarter between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. — Will Compton during a break in the 2023 Nebraska-Michigan football game in Lincoln. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

"He said, 'I'm calling Coach Rhule.' So that's how it kind of started," Ekeler said. "It's ironic, because he was the first player I ever recruited as a full-time coach when I was here at Nebraska. So it kind of came back full circle."

Compton said on his podcast in January after Rhule announced that special teams coach Ed Foley would not return in that position that the Huskers should "go after coach Ekeler." The former Blackshirt has had a strong relationship with Rhule since the coach's hiring, as Rhule has appeared on the podcast twice while also giving Compton inside access to the program the past two seasons.

Ekeler aims to bring more consistency back to Nebraska's special teams unit. He aided in ranking Tennesse first or second in the SEC in punt return average in all four seasons in Knoxville. The Volunteers also led the nation in percentage of punts downed inside the 10 over the past four years. Ekeler also coached a first-team All-SEC outside linebacker in each of his final three seasons in Knoxville, and aided in guiding the Vols to the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Ekeler's full interview with Hail Varsity can be found below.

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