Hot Board for Nebraska's Next Offensive Coordinator

Dana Holgorsen is out. Who is next?

In the wake of Saturday's firing by head coach Matt Rhule, here are six names to watch to replace Holgorsen in Lincoln.

Glenn Thomas, Nebraska Co-OC/QBs

For now, Glenn Thomas is calling the plays. The quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for Nebraska has been the OC before in his career. He held the position at Arizona State, UNLV, Baylor (co-OC), and Temple. The Baylor and Temple spots were both with Matt Rhule as the head coach.

Anthony Colandrea, coach Glenn Thomas and TJ Lateef quarterbacks 2026-03-10 Nebraska football practice — Quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas will handle the play-calling duties for the rest of 2026. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The 2016 Owls averaged 32.4 points and 413.6 total yards per game. That includes 176.1 yards a game on the ground.

With the Bears, Thomas and Jeff Nixon took the team from 404.9 yards and 24.3 points per game in 2017 to 421.5 yards and 33.6 points per game in 2019.

Thomas brings familiarity for Rhule, which is something the head coach has often deferred to. However, he is unlikely to bring as much change as an outsider would, which means the offense in 2027 would probably operate in much the same way as it has during the Rhule era.

Rob Ezell, Wake Forest OC

Through eight games, Rob Ezell and the Demon Deacons are averaging nearly 40 points and more than 450 yards a game. Both of those numbers are top-15 in the country.

Ezell took over as Wake Forest's offensive coordinator in 2025. He came from South Alabama, where he held the same position. The 2024 Jaguars averaged 441.8 yards and 34.4 points per game.

His coaching history includes working as an offensive analyst and an offensive grad assistant at Alabama from 2015 through 2020. That means he worked under offensive coordinators Lane Kiffin, Brian Daboll, Mike Locksley, and Steve Sarkisian, not to mention head coach Nick Saban.

Mike Bloesch, North Texas RGC

Mike Bloesch is in his second stint with North Texas, this time as the run game coordinator. The Mean Green are averaging 539.6 yards and 43.8 points a game, ranking first and second in the country in those categories. On the ground, North Texas averages 190.8 yards per game.

Prior to this year, he spent two years at Cal as the offensive coordinator (2024) and run game coordinator (2023). He was the offensive coordinator at North Texas from 2020 through 2022.

While at Cal, he coached current Husker wideout Nyziah Hunter and future Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza in 2024. That offense managed just 380.2 yards and 25.1 points per game.

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At the Group of Six level in 2023, his North Texas offense averaged just under 500 yards a game, scoring 34.5 per contest.

Slade Nagle, Houston OC

In his first season with the Cougars, Slade Nagle has the offense averaging 470.5 yards and 36 points per game. Working under Willie Fritz, Houston boasts one of the most explosive and balanced units in the country.

Slade Nagle has helped run Willie Fritz's explosive offense at multiple stops. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Nagle got to Houston by way of LSU, where he was the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2024.

In 2023, he led Tulane's offense before taking over as the interim head coach when Fritz left for Houston. The Green Wave went 11-3, scoring 26.3 points a game and averaging 370.1 yards.

Nate Potter, Boise State OC

Nate Potter has been with Boise State since 2022, moving up to co-offensive coordinator in 2024 and offensive coordinator in 2025.

With Ashton Jeanty in 2024, the Broncos rushed for 240.4 yards a game. Even without such a player, over the last two seasons, Boise State has averaged 179.1 yards (2025) and 222.8 yards (2026, so far), respectively.

This season, the offense is scoring 35.9 points per game and averaging 449.2 yards.

For the "run the damn ball" crowd, Potter should be at the top of the list.

Mitch Dahlen, Oregon State OC

Mitch Dahlen is in his first season as the offensive coordinator at Oregon State. This season, the Beavers are averaging more than 500 yards and north of 40 points per game. The spread scheme is posting 134 yards a game on the ground.

Prior to Corvallis, Dahlen worked as an assistant offensive coordinator at Alabama (2024-25), Washington (2022-23), and Fresno State (2020-21). Each of those stops was under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

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