Recapping Nebraska ST Coordinator Brett Maher's First Media Availability After Promotion

2026 marks the third special teams coordinator Nebraska will have on its staff in as many years, but unlike the rest, Brett Maher has been with the Huskers the entire time.

After the departure of Mike Ekeler to USC, the NU alum has been promoted to replace the Nebraska native and will now be tasked with proving the program is bigger than any one coach. If the former five-year NFL veteran's introductory press conference offers any indication, his units will look to build off the success the Big Red earned last fall and take it one step further.

With that in mind, here's a recap of everything the former Big Ten Kicker and Punter of the Year (2011) had to say during his time at the mic earlier this week.

Eleven days after Maher was officially promoted to special teams coordinator at Nebraska, the 36-year-old has already gotten to work during spring practice. Despite never holding the same title in previous years, his NFL background is something he'll look to lean on, from former coaches to teammates, to find success in year one. That's exactly where the conversation started, and one in which Maher says he's got plenty of old relationships from his playing career that will help him head into the fall with things where they need to be.

"They're just really good people," he said. "To be able to pick up the phone and call them- you're always busy in this profession. So, to have people who do pick up when you call, those are invaluable. Nick [Humphreys] and I will probably go out and take a couple of visits once we settle on a few more things".

After a well-tracked professional career, full of ups and downs, Maher's experience in both the National Football League and his time in Canada will be something the duo of special teams coaches will use to grow their own knowledge over the coming months. And though it's still new to him to be on the coaching side of things, the former professional is finding teaching younger players the things he learned to be "unbelievably rewarding".

The Huskers are set to return both of their specialists from the 2025 season, which allows Maher and Humphreys to hit the ground running this spring. Even with that luxury, the new-look staff isn't interested in letting those players stay idle in their development.

In fact, he pointed out will-be sophomore punter Archie Wilson as a player whom he's excited to see grow ahead of his second year playing American football. "That process was way more rewarding to [me] than I ever could've imagined," he said. "Sometimes you lose sight of what your bread and butter is. So, moving forward, honing in on that, but still having the other tools [is what they'll focus on]".

With Wilson being ambidextrous, Maher has had to adapt to his skill set, but the special teams coordinator says it's a challenge he's been thankful to have. Now, instead of focusing on all that the talented Australian can do, the two will work to "dial in [his] fastball." But he isn't the only player Maher can help grow.

For Kyle Cunanan, who heads into his junior season as a three-time starting collegiate kicker and second year at Nebraska, Maher is excited to pass the lessons he learned while tasked with doing the same within the Big Ten. After finishing 2025, going 16-for-19 on field goal attempts, and remaining perfect on all 45 extra point tries, the Arizona native is viewed as a weapon at Maher's disposal. Still, there are plenty of areas where the two can grow together in terms of trusting kicks inside their home stadium.

While Cunanan said, "I learned that you can't always trust the wind," during his time at the mic earlier this week, Maher stated the two have shifted their focus towards consistent ball striking to cut down the variance between each attempt. His coach even took it a step further by saying, "This place isn't easy to kick in. This conference isn't easy to kick in. I thought he did a great job," regarding what the Cal transfer was able to do last fall.

Now, with over a year having passed since Cunanan joined Rhule's roster in Lincoln, the upperclassman has arguably gone through his hardest stretch. With a full season of experience kicking in stadiums across the country and through all sorts of weather, Maher's units will look to improve upon their execution from 2025 with the veteran leading the charge.

USC is likely hiring Nebraska special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, sources tell @CBSSports.

Before Nebraska, was outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee. Had a previous stint as an assistant at USC in 2013. pic.twitter.com/S2k2pVf1Iy
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 16, 2026

With NU's dramatic overhaul of special teams in Ekeler's lone season in Lincoln, Maher and Humphreys aren't interested in changing philosophies much from what worked well. Still, he said that despite that, they'll look to add their own twist.

"There will be a lot of our influence on it," he said. "Schematically, there's a lot of room to grow". With that in mind, there aren't many former players with more experience living the schematics of where the unit can go. For Maher, and more importantly, Rhule, that is a distinct advantage to have regardless of the combined experience of his new-look staff. Even with that, the special teams coordinator suggested there will be plenty of the same things enacted in 2026.

"There was a lot of stuff that we did well last year," said Maher. "So, it would be foolish to try [to] overhaul everything." Because of the timing and unique nature of the promotion, the Huskers will look to keep the same instinctual approach to the unit this upcoming fall, while looking to add a more versatile set of schematics to a group that has proven they can directly positively impact games.

Brett Maher (8) kicks a field goal during the first quarter of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Detroit Lions. — Brett Maher (8) kicks a field goal during the first quarter of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Overall, Maher's first media availability was impressive to say the least. During his time as a professional athlete, he was put into the spotlight often throughout his career, but before his promotion to a coordinator role, the 36-year-old largely did his work behind the scenes. To see him step up to the plate without, at least, obviously skipping a beat was encouraging to media and fans alike, and it should give reason for optimism that he is adequately suited to do his job.

Even with his apparent confidence at the podium, Maher will ultimately need to put results on the field in 2026 and beyond to prove Rhule was right in promoting from within. After spending the majority of his adult life living what he will now be teaching, the former pro seems to be in a good position to get things started on the right foot, but living up to his predecessor and perhaps surpassing what Ekeler has done will now be the challenge.

If the combination of Maher and Humphreys can do just that, the Huskers will head into 2026 knowing they'll have reliable and possibly even game-changing units in the third phase of the game. Without knowing if that will happen, for now, they'll spend the next month implementing the schematics required to improve. Having Maher heavily factored into the fold allows Nebraska to get back to playing its best ball, and if everything he said translates to the field, NU will continue to emphasize its special teams units as something that will help return the program to where it believes it should be. At the very least, special teams will no longer take a back seat, and if nothing else, it shows the Huskers' new-look staff is eager to get the program back on the right track.