Dave Feit's Reasons for Optimism About Nebraska Football in 2025

A QB with a full season under his belt. A more potent receiving corps. A stronger offensive line. Improved special teams. Those factors and more make it easy to expect another Year 3 jump for Matt Rhule.

Nebraska defenders celebrate after a goal line stand last season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Husker fans don't have to look far for reasons to be optimistic about the 2025 season. I've been doing this exercise* for over a decade. I can't remember the last time it was so easy to put this list together.

*And for those who don't like sugary sweet Kool-Aid, there is a list of reasons why a pump-the-brakes reality check might be in order.

I had so many optimistic options; I couldn't fit them all in. Heck, I cut sections about the new assistant coaches and the "Matt Rhule Year 3 Jump."

Let's dive in.

Making special teams special again.

Let's not sugarcoat things: Nebraska's special teams in 2024 were collectively awful. A rotating door at kicker led to predictably bad results. Inconsistent punting. Blocked kicks. A nonexistent return game. Leaky coverage units. Nebraska lost a ton of field position, lost dozens of points, and was forced into bad decisions due their special teams failures. Matt Rhule* rightly made special teams an offseason priority.

*A not-so-fun fact: I wrote that paragraph before the 2020 season. I simply changed the year and head coach. Everything else applied to 2024… and most of the years in between.

Had I not disclosed that, the only giveaway would have been that I didn't mention the woeful snaps on field goals and PATs.

How many wins have poor special teams cost Matt Rhule in his first two seasons? Two? Three? More? I don't even want to consider the number in the decade of "Groin Kick" losses.

I truly believe that if the special teams are merely competent, Nebraska will be a 7-win team. And if the long-forgotten third phase actually becomes an asset, that number will only go up.

After the bowl game, Matt Rhule set out to replace his special teams coordinator (and longtime friend) Ed Foley. For the majority of my adult life, whenever the Huskers have had an opening on their staff, they (and especially we the fans) seem to prioritize a candidate's Nebraska ties over their experience and track record.

Mike Ekeler's special teams at Tennessee were elite. | Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

It would be easy to assume Rhule fell into that same rut with the hire of Mike Ekeler - a David City native, (and nephew of a Husker great) who previously coached here under Bo Pelini. I won't judge if you felt Rhule fell into this trap again.

But here's the thing: If Ek had been born in, say, Nevada and had no previous ties to Nebraska, he still would have been a home run hire.

Ekeler's special teams at Tennessee were elite. The Vols were strong in almost every category, but this one stands out: They averaged 13.9 yards per punt return in his four seasons.

To put that in perspective: a 13.9-yard average is almost a yard better than Nebraska's LONGEST punt return of the Matt Rhule era to date. In 2024, Tennessee averaged 16 yards per return. Nebraska has not had a punt return longer than 16 yards in its last 32 games (Trey Palmer had a 22-yard return against Indiana in 2022).

In addition to the coordinator change, Nebraska reached into the portal to find upgrades at key specialist spots: long snapper Kevin Gallic, kicker Kyle Cunanan, and punter Archie Wilson. Wilson has been drawing rave reviews for his ability to punt with either foot.* More than that, he has become a beloved fan favorite and viral sensation before ever appearing in a game.

*That means Wilson is the first ambipedal punter in school history. It also means I have the opportunity to use "ambipedal" in a sentence for the first time.

Blocked punts were a thorn in Nebraska side last season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

It is hard to overstate just how many things are impacted by special teams. In addition to the biggies like extra points and field goals, there are the "hidden yardages" of where offensive and defensive drives start. For far too long, Nebraska has needed to go 75 or 80 yards to score while their opponents needed just 65 or 70. Over the course of a game - let alone a season - those lost yards add up. It is one of many reasons Nebraska has played in - and lost - so many one-score games this decade.

Honestly, if we didn't discuss anything else, the special teams improvements are enough to leave me feeling optimistic about Nebraska's chances in 2025.

I'll say it again for emphasis: If Nebraska's special teams can rise to the level of "competent," this is a seven-win team. And if special teams become above average, or *gasp!* a legitimate strength… whoo buddy.

Dylan Raiola and Dana Holgorsen’s symbiotic relationship.

Or should it be Dana and Dylan?

There is a bit of a "chicken and the egg" discussion to be had about whether the offensive coordinator will make the former five-star quarterback better, or if having a QB with Raiola's talent will make it easy for Holgorsen to retain his reputation as an offensive genius.

Regardless, the pairing should be beneficial for both parties - and for Nebraska's offense as a whole. Under Marcus Satterfield, the Huskers were stagnant and predictable. Fans often felt he failed to properly utilize the talent on the roster. I think Raiola hitting a wall midseason was the final straw. Rhule had to give his franchise QB some hope.

The pairing of Dylan Raiola with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen could have the sophomore quarterback poised for a big year. | Dylan Widger / USA TODAY Sports

Based on what we saw in the final four games of 2024 when Holgorsen took over, the focus will be on Dylan being more of a point guard, distributing the ball to his playmakers in space. I like this approach a lot more than Raiola standing in the pocket all day waiting for a receiver to get open. Far too often, that method left Raiola scrambling, making bad throws or taking sacks.

I went into more detail here and here, but I think Raiola is poised for a big year. Having one of the best offensive coordinators in the Big Ten will definitely help.

Multiple upgrades at wide receiver.

The bad news: Nebraska lost 68% of its yards and 80% of its touchdowns from the 2024 WR corps. (This includes the 86 yards and one touchdown from Carter Nelson, who will play tight end in 2025).

The good news: Jacory Barney Jr., who led the team with 55 receptions (along with a third-best 447 yards), is back. He's joined by a host of talented newcomers like Dane Key, Nyziah Hunter, Cortez Mills Jr. and others.

I'm excited to see the growth of the young receivers (including promising youngsters Quinn Clark and Keelan Smith) under new position coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. Shorts - who put together an impressive résumé at Kentucky - feels like an upgrade over Garret McGuire, who never blew me away as a respected teacher of fundamentals.

Dane Key is a Husker after proving his productivity during three seasons at Kentucky. | Nebraska Athletics

In 2024, Raiola was hindered by receivers who could not get open, did not make timely catches, or had receptions turn into interceptions as they lost the ball on their way to the turf. There are at least two losses in this category.

Raiola needs to be able to be confident in his receiving corps. On paper, this group looks to be up to the task.

The offensive line bamboo patch is ready to take off.

In April, Donovan Raiola talked about "watering the bamboo" - an analogy for offensive line development using a plant that can often take years to start growing, but will then grow rapidly. Raiola, in his fourth season as the offensive line coach, is hopeful that his carefully watered plants will take off in 2025.

I love the bamboo analogy, as it harkens back to the "assembly line" approach that Milt Tenopir and Dan Young used to great success in the Tom Osborne era. I will note that Coach Raiola sought out some already established bamboo plants in the transfer portal - both of which are expected to start. But, for the first time in a long time, it doesn't feel like there is a dramatic drop-off between starter and backup.

In this piece, I go into more depth about my renewed optimism for the offensive line.

If the O-line can be a strength of the team, it should help to keep Raiola healthy and provide some support for an inexperienced running back room.

There have been talent upgrades all over the team.

Pick any position group on the team, and I'll show you a notable addition to the room (via the transfer portal, freshmen or otherwise):

• Defensive backs: Jamir Conn, Andrew Marshall
• Defense line: Jaylen George, Williams Nwaneri 
• Linebackers: Dasan McCullough, Marques Watson-Trent
• Offensive line: Rocco Spindler, Elijah Pritchett
• Quarterback: TJ Lateef
• Running back: Isaiah Mozee
• Special teams: Kyle Cunanan, Kevin Gallic, Archie Wilson
• Tight end: Heinrich Haarberg
• Wide receiver: Nyziah Hunter, Dane Key, Cortez Mills Jr.

Almost every name is currently first or second string on the depth chart, meaning most should get extensive playing time.

Matt Rhule has said he needed to raise the talent level on the team to allow NU to jump to the next level. While no team ever gets a 100% hit rate, I feel confident in saying the overall athleticism and skill level of the roster is better than it was a year ago - and is much better than when Rhule took over.*

*If you want to know how much of the roster has flipped since Scott Frost was fired, look no further: Just 16 players signed by Frost remain on the NU roster, less than 13% of the team. Of those, about a third have had limited contributions in their careers.

The runway is long.

As you'll see over here, I'm not hopping on the annual "schedule is easy!" train. The reality of college football is that only a handful of teams are truly immune from losing on any given Saturday (or Thursday or Friday). And it has been a while since Nebraska has been in that club. 

That said, I like how - on paper - the schedule should allow a relatively young team to get up to speed as it tries to take off. Cincinnati is a legitimate opponent that could beat Nebraska. But having it as a de facto home game will definitely help. I don't think Nebraska will sweep the two Michigan teams (Wolverines and Spartans), but the Huskers will have five games under their belt before they play their first true road game… at Maryland, which is not known as one of the more intimidating stadiums in the league. The following week has another road game at Minnesota, a stadium that has hosted large contingents of Husker fans over the years.

In the best-case scenario, the long runway allows this team to gain experience, confidence, and pile up some wins before embarking on a November gauntlet that will be anything but "easy."

Matt Rhule is confident.

While I do not believe past performance is always indicative of future results - especially when it happens at Temple or Baylor - it is really tempting to go all-in on the patented Matt Rhule Year Three Jump.

Rhule has an aura of confidence around him. He's not making brash "be glad you beat us when you did, because those days are over!" proclamations or sliding down a railing outside the stadium to show how laidback and carefree he is. His "walk and talk" videos* show a leader who has been developing and building, and is ready for a breakout.

Head coach Matt Rhule has confidence in his system. | Nebraska Athletics

*Yes - I will free acknowledge that Rhule's walking recruiting pitch videos are as planned and staged as Frost's railing slide on his way to Dublin. It is no coincidence that almost every video just happens to have a cameo from a player or support staffer that Rhule wants to recognize.

The difference - to me, at least - is that Rhule's videos still have an aura of authenticity. Make no mistake - he is absolutely, 100% selling his program and/or putting out a narrative for fans.

But it is easy to believe that Rhule actually does this as he roams the facility. Nobody believed that Frost was the kind of guy to be sliding down the railing before embarking on a make-or-break season.

Matt Rhule is a confident guy who believes in his system for rebuilding programs. He feels he is on track with where he has been previously when his teams made a jump in Year 3.

It very well could happen here too. It is very easy to buy into that confidence.

That is, unless one or more of these things happen.

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