Carriker Chronicles: Tom Osborne on Matt Rhule, Nebraska's Future, and Mobile QBs

Tom Osborne joins Adam Carriker for this exclusive interview. Osborne opens up (which he rarely does) about Matt Rhule's tenure, Nebraska football's future, the Huskers' needed improvements (especially on defense and in the trenches), what Nebraska fans should realistically expect, and the strengths of Husker football's team next season. Osborne also explains a mobile QB, "Going for 2," the "Fumblerooski" and more.

Hit the play button below to watch and listen, and scroll down for a synopsis.

We had a cool conversation on Carriker Chronicles with Coach Tom Osborne — and honestly, he doesn’t do a ton of these, so that alone made it special. Coach opened up about Matt Rhule, where Nebraska football is right now, and what still needs to happen for this thing to really take off in the Big Ten.

He started with Rhule and made it clear he likes what he’s seeing from a culture standpoint. The emphasis on work ethic, preparation, and discipline — all the stuff Nebraska was built on — that stood out to him. But he also kept stressing something fans don’t always love to hear: this stuff takes time. Rebuilding in the Big Ten isn’t a flip-the-switch deal.

A big chunk of the conversation was about the roster and where Nebraska still has to get better. No surprise here — it comes back to the trenches. Offensive line, defensive line, defense as a whole. Coach kept circling back to fundamentals too: tackling, blocking, execution. You don’t win consistently until you do those things really well, week in and week out.

One of the more interesting parts was when he talked about quarterbacks. Coach really emphasized how valuable mobility is in today’s game. Not as a gimmick, not as “run-first,” but as a way to stress defenses. Zone reads, bootlegs, extending plays when protection breaks down — all of that opens things up. He sees a mobile QB as another tool in the toolbox, not a replacement for good quarterback play.

He even got into some situational stuff — like going for two when it makes sense — and dropped a fun nod to Nebraska history with the Fumblerooski, which was classic Coach Osborne. Just a reminder that creative offense has always been part of this program.

Overall, Coach was very steady and realistic. He wasn’t overhyping anything, but he also wasn’t negative. The direction under Rhule makes sense to him. His message to fans was basically: be patient, understand the process, and recognize that developing the offensive line and quarterback room is where long-term success really starts.

It was a great blend of old-school Nebraska values and a clear understanding of how the modern game works — and honestly, just a really thoughtful conversation all the way through.

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