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'I Didn't Want to Be a Meme': Nebraska Football Coach Matt Rhule, Dylan Raiola Discuss the Bull in the Weight Room

The Huskers leaned into their agricultural roots in recruiting this offseason, something both coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Dylan Raiola spoke about Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days.
Kaleb Henry|
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's iconic picture with a bull inside the Tom Osborne Legacy Complex.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's iconic picture with a bull inside the Tom Osborne Legacy Complex. | @mattrhule1/Instagram

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

LAS VEGAS—Trendy and fun.

That's how Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule described his new recruiting persona that has featured a bull and a $900,000 tractor this offseason. His quarterback, however...

"I didn't get that when I was being recruited," Dylan Raiola said Tuesday at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas. "It's fine. I'm not complaining about it, but I think it's just interesting that that's what would be brought into our weight room for a recruiting weekend."

As for how the bull idea became a reality, director of football relations Troy Vincent told Rhule that Nebraska needed to lean more into its agricultural roots.

"He caught me like in a moment where I was like what? He's like what if I bring a bull in the weight room? I was like if it's okay with whatever. And I showed up on Saturday and we had a bull in the weight room," Rhule said.

Both Rhule and Raiola had worries about the experiment.

"Please don't use the bathroom in our weight room. It's brand new," Raiola said.

"I just kept looking to see if, you know, because no one told me if the bull was going to go to the bathroom in the weight room or not. Like, I had no idea what I was going to step down into," Rhule said.

Rhule had one goal with the unorhtodox recruiting pitch.

"I just didn't want to fall and I just didn't want to be embarrassed," Rhule said. "I didn't want to be a meme. I've been a meme too many team times in my life and I just did not want to be a meme. But the things we do for recruits, do we get any of those kids? I think we got a couple of them."

You can watch Rhule's and Raiola's side session appearances from Big Ten Media Days below.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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