Culture Over Chaos: Why Rhule is the Right Coach Right Now

For the first time since the passing of the torch to Frank Solich, Nebraska hired a coach with its heart instead of its head.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule celebrates with his team after beating Boston College in the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In a little more than three weeks, Nebraska will embark on its third season under head coach Matt Rhule, and for the first time since his arrival in Lincoln, even the more conservative portion of the fan base is thinking of much more than making a bowl game.

To understand where we are, you have to comprehend the road that got us here.

Tom Osborne gets a hug from Jason Peter after the Huskers routed Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl, Osborne's final game. | Nebraska Athletics

Back in 1997, Nebraska walked off the field as national champions for the third time in four seasons under coach Tom Osborne. It was the perfect end to a legendary coaching career for Osborne, who took the coaching torch from Bob Devaney back in 1973. After throttling the Peyton Manning-led Tennessee Volunteers to win his final championship, Osborne wanted to pass the torch to his protege Frank Solich. The hope was that Solich would run the team for the next 25 years just like Osborne did following Devaney.

Frank Solich took the torch from legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne | Huskers.com

Instead, Solich took over a team with unrealistically high expectations. Not winning a national championship was a down year, so when Nebraska started sliding into mediocrity under Solich (if a 10-3 record in 2003 can be considered mediocrity), the unthinkable happened: the school fired him. Reasons were diminishing returns on the field (3-4 losses in a season were not acceptable -- I know) and, more importantly, a quickly-declining ability to bring in solid recruiting classes.

That's when Nebraska's administration started using its head instead of its heart. The shift in hiring tactics led to a long string of reactionary hires.

Bill Callahan was introduced as Nebraska's new head coach on Jan. 12, 2004. | Nebraska Athletics

Solich couldn't recruit, and the option wasn't cutting it anymore, so they hired NFL and offensive mind Bill Callahan. After leading the then-Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl, Callahan went 27-22 at Nebraska, including a shock value opening season of 5-7. Among many things that went wrong, Callahan's defenses were his ultimate demise. In his final season as coach, Nebraska gave up 49 points to USC, 40 points to Ball State, 41 to Missouri, 45 to Oklahoma State, 65 to rival Colorado, and an unimaginable 76 points to Kansas.

Former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini yells at an official during the game against Purdue. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Nebraska reacted again by hiring one of the best defensive minds in the country. Enter Bo Pelini, who came to Lincoln after making the LSU Tiger defense one of the most feared units in the country. He returned Nebraska to a respectable level of football, achieving both 9 and 10-win seasons, but you guessed it -- the defensive coach didn't have much of an offense. However, his ultimate demise was his inability to control his emotions on the sideline. Bo Pelini's tantrums on the sideline earned him reprimands from the conference and made him a frequent visitor to the "did you see this" files of SportsCenter highlights.

Former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and former Nebraska coach Mike Riley laugh prior to their game at Memorial Stadium. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Nebraska's leadership reacted again. After having a hot-headed, uncontrollable coach on the sideline, the Huskers brought in a complete outsider with the calmest-natured sideline behavior you could find. Mike Riley came in and restored respectable behavior on the sideline from the team's head coach, but that was about all he restored. Riley was a great guy, but he never acclimated to Nebraska's culture and history. Nebraska..you guessed it...reacted again.

Former Nebraska coach Scott Frost speaks to the media during Big 10 Media Days. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Scott Frost, the native son of the Nebraska football program, came in to restore everything that was great about the team in the 1990s. He just led UCF to an undefeated season, and as quarterback of the 1997 national championship team, the Wood River kid was supposed to restore the glory of a team that had lost its way.

From 2008 to 2018, Nebraska hired five head football coaches. Certainly, that was in stark contrast to only needing to hire two coaches over the 35 years of Devaney and Osborne. After the firing of Scott Frost, Nebraska let Mickey Joseph finish out the year as interim coach, and what came next was a break from Nebraska's new reality.

For the first time since Osborne passed the torch to Solich, Nebraska wasn't reacting to anything. Instead, they wanted a coach who coached with passion, but also showed compassion for his players. They wanted a coach who had a proven track record of success in college, but was humble enough to accept his shortcomings. However, most importantly, they wanted a coach who was willing to build a program from scratch instead of trying to bring a former team back to glory.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule high fives Heinrich Haarberg. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

That's what Matt Rhule is. He's not a coach that can be lumped under one label like his handful of predecessors. He's not just an offensive or defensive mastermind. He's not homegrown, but he's ingrained himself into Nebraska's values more than Mike Riley would have in a decade.

What's even more unique is what Rhule's done in his two full seasons as the head ball coach. He's found a way to embody all of the positive qualities of his post-Osborne predecessors. He's the most charismatic coach Nebraska's had since Callahan. He's as media-savvy as Riley was and is showing he's even more relatable than Frank Solich may have been while at the helm.

However, he's not stopping there. He's also transparent while genuinely connecting with both players and the public. He understands why communication matters—both internally and externally. He's warm and authentic, while still showing he can be both confident and humble. Rhule shares details transparently in his press conferences, and you will often catch him praising players by name—and not just the guys starting for him.

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule chats with the media after practice. | Kaleb Henry

He's using his personality as a tool to foster trust, not just image. Oh, and it's working.

During his most recent press conference over the weekend, the media was told Rhule only had a few minutes, and when his sports information team tried to sweep him away, Rhule told his staff that he'd stay put not once, but twice. It's a level of transparency and good relations with the media that, if mixed with consecutive winning football seasons, will not only give Rhule a longer leash than his predecessors—it might give him the keys to the program for as long as he wants them.

Another season of Husker football kicks off at the end of this month, and like every season for the past quarter century, fans will be hoping for a team that will bring Nebraska back into the national discussion. Hell—a 9 or 10-win season would likely do the trick for the next few seasons. Then the fan base might get a bit greedier again.

Gone are the days of high expectations and lofty goals in Lincoln. Right now, offseasons are more centered around hope and silent optimism surrounding the program. Instead of reacting to bad defenses or hot-headed coaches, Nebraska's heart is asking Rhule to build a program that will make the state proud. If Rhule continues to have players who will lay it all on the line for him and the N on their helmets, it will put him in the same discussion as Devaney and Osborne. Their mission back then was simple—just win.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule looks down at his play sheet during a game against Northwestern. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

It's the same reason why Rhule is the right coach right now for Nebraska.

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