The Case for Parting Ways with Matt Rhule

I’m not qualified to run an athletic department. I’ve never had to manage a budget that stretches well into nine figures or navigate the political waters Troy Dannen has to. So take my opinion for what it’s worth.

But there’s a case to be made this year should be Matt Rhule’s last.

I’ve written positive, perhaps undeservedly flattering things about Rhule before. I wanted this to work. We all did.

Rhule hits all the right notes. He reveres Nebraska’s history. Welcomes its former players. He even got Frank Solich to finally come home to receive his flowers. He credits his predecessor and lavishes praise on his assistants even when they haven’t earned it. That’s the sort of amiable, deferential humility Nebraskans can get behind.

But this is over. It’s done.

Because we know Matt Rhule is not the guy.

Nebraska Illinois — Nov 6, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Owen Stoudmire (34) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini running back Jordan Anderson (23) during the second half at Gies Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Think back to his very first game at Nebraska against Minnesota in 2023. Wasting timeouts early in the first half along with untimely procedural penalties cost them points before halftime. With 12:16 remaining in the fourth and Nebraska ahead 10–3, the Huskers called three consecutive passing plays. They gained zero yards, punted, and used only 55 seconds of game clock. Then Rhule trusted a running back with a history of fumbling problems to make game-sealing first downs. When he inevitably coughed up the ball, the Gophers converted it into a game-tying touchdown pass. After Minnesota, Nebraska kicker Tristan Alvano would make 57% of his field goal attempts on the year.

Now think to this season. Minnesota 2023 looks no different than any of his other games since. There’s been no evolution. No lessons learned. Rhule still mismanages the clock and his teams still make back-breaking penalties. Special teams? How predictable was Nebraska’s regression this year?

Rhule is still consistently, reliably outcoached by his peers each and every week. You can set your watch to it. His poor time out use, constant haranguing of the referees, incompetent special teams play, and puzzling calls are found in a farmer’s almanac somewhere, they’re so predictable.

His answers at the podium don’t exactly inspire thoughts of a coaching savant, either. When asked why he didn’t blitz Oregon QB Dylan Raiola – when two years of play showed he struggles mightily with pressure through the A-gap – he pointed to the mistake he made in not pressuring Indiana’s Josh Hoover the week before. As if the two were the same situation. He defends decisions by saying he’s adjusting based on the criticism he receives, as if he was some avatar for a democratic fan poll. Great leaders have to make tough decisions even when they’re unpopular, not kowtow to fans and critics.

Consistent with that reactionary M.O. is his lack of identity or coherent philosophy on what he wants this program to be. He says he wants to be physical. Run the ball. Then he hires an Air Raid disciple who runs an empty set on fourth and one. Rhule’s actions show a strong disconnect with his slick rhetoric.

But, you might ask, how can Nebraska afford to fire Rhule?

How can it afford not to? Four years of the same issues over and over show there has been little to no progress. Who is signing up for a fifth? Forget the sellout streak. If that’s not done when Ohio State comes to town, it certainly will be next season. What does Nebraska hang its hat on then?

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I don’t purport to know the ins and outs of UNL’s cash flows. But I do know if a cash-strapped Florida State University can fire Mike Norvell with a $50 million buyout, and deeply in debt UCLA can still hire Bob Chesney that Nebraska, too, can find a way. It has to.

The harm in waiting is difficult to calculate precisely but compounds in growth. For each loss, and there’ll be plenty more with Rhule in charge, Nebraska loses a potential new fan among the young generations and sees several more of the older ones check out. How many late Millennials and Gen-Z’ers are raising their kids as fans when they’ve grown up with a soul crushing enterprise? Who will fund future projects for UNL in the future when the fan base has eroded and the program fails to generate any TV dollars in a continually consolidating landscape? The fact that the sellout streak is still technically intact is a small miracle given what we’ve seen the last twenty-five years.

You let Matt Rhule go because you know it doesn’t take four years anymore, let alone five, to get a program righted. Would Nebraska lose their vaunted recruiting class, including five-star wunderkind Trae Taylor’s commitment if Rhule goes? Maybe. Possibly.

But losing your recruiting class has never mattered less. Coaches arrive with their own players now. The transfer portal and NIL have created a giant reset button. Colorado beat Rhule in Prime’s first year with a 4-8 roster completely revamped from the year before.

Let’s say Rhule is given more time and the recruiting classes stays mostly intact. Where are his high school recruits on the field now? The offensive and defensive lines – the places where development can make the biggest difference – are a who’s who of transfers. I count two starters, potentially three if you count Vincent Shaevers, on his defense that arrived here from high school.

Good coaches show their stripes early and often. No one saw Curt Cignetti coming. But because of his success, more saw Bob Chesney coming. Rhule is a solid builder. But his blueprint has dust from the 2010s on it. Winning games at Baylor in 2019 in not analogous to winning in the Big Ten in 2026. And as we’ve learned, builders don’t always equate to good gameday coaches.

The most damning evidence against Rhule was reported by The Athletic in September. Rhule has a roster in the upper third of NIL roster spend in the Big Ten. Henry Cordes of the Flatwater Free Press found the administration pumped substantial amounts of money into the football program the last three years. Their football operating expenditures rank 12th nationally. Yet, Nebraska is nowhere to be found in the top 25 polls. And Rhule is routinely trounced by Kirk Ferentz, Bret Bielema, and PJ Fleck. Scoff at those names, if you will. They all coach circles around Rhule each year with far less money, less fanfare, and facilities that sure as hell don’t look anything like Nebraska’s.

Looking at game probabilities in the fourth quarter, Nebraska’s chance of losing to Indiana, Oregon, and Washington was 0.09%. There is no curse – there’s just bad coaching. And it’s been costing Nebraska opportunities to break through.

Maybe after 10 straight seasons failing to reach their old benchmark of nine wins, it’s fair to wonder: is it time to throw in the towel and accept that this is the best Nebraska can do now?

No. One thousand times no.

Today’s college football world has never made winning more accessible. There’s more proof beyond just a unicorn like Cignetti at Indiana. Perennial underachiever UCLA is undefeated now. SEC bottom feeder Kentucky is ranked in the top ten. Texas Tech has parlayed NIL dollars into a conference championship.

Surely, a blue blood that can pay what Nebraska can is capable of something at least in the same ballpark.

This is Nebraska and this season is a watershed moment for what the program wants to be. You either accept this mediocrity for the sake of saving money, or you recognize you’ve made a mistake and try again. Anything’s better than trotting out the same product yet again and expecting different results.

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