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'We've Always Built Toward Year Three': Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule Meets with the Media Ahead of Spring Football

Rhule covered a number of topics with the media before the Huskers begin spring football.

Kaleb Henry

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule meets with the media ahead of 2025 spring practices.
Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule meets with the media ahead of 2025 spring practices. / Kaleb Henry
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Spring football is officially here for Nebraska.

Coach Matt Rhule met with the media Tuesday morning for more than 40 minutes. He began by listing off the players that will be out or limited for the next month and a half.

  • Tristan Alvano
  • Jaylen George
  • Jamir Conn
  • Gunnar Gottula
  • Carter Nelson
  • Henry Lutovsky
  • Teddy Prochazka
  • David Borchers
  • Sua Lefotu
  • Demitrius Bell
  • Carter Nelson
  • Keelan Smith
  • Mac Markway
  • Turner Corcoran
  • Conor Connealy
  • Rodger Gradny
  • Dawson Merritt
  • Pierce Mooberry
  • Evan Taylor

Rhule said his staff is lucky to have added Pat Stewart as the new general manager for the program. He added that Stewart will operate like a coordinator in his role with a staff.

"He'll oversee (transfer evaluations)," Rhule said. "He'll implement the philosophy. The way we evaluate college players within the portal is going to be different than the way we evaluate high school players and the valuation that goes on top of that is completely different.

"It used to be, we'd love to offer this guy a scholarship we'd really love to have him; now, it's what value financially are we willing to put on him?"

College football looking more like the NFL, but Rhule likes the way staffs are able to expand personnel and narrow the roles for each person, especially in regard to on-field coaches and on-the-road recruiters.

"I think things are actually moving in the right direction," Rhule said.

Heading into year three in Lincoln, Rhule feels that the program has continued to improve.

"We're certainly further along than we ever have been," Rhule said. "I think you see a team that's bigger, faster, strong...understands things that need to be done. I think everyone understands what's at stake."

Rhule also spoke on new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, Dylan Raiola, Rocco Spindler and the offensive line, having an older team, how the spring is different without the spring game, transfer portal, nonconference scheduling, revenue sharing, and more.

"We've always kind of built toward year three."

- Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule

Watch the appearances from Rhule and players Rocco Spindler, Dane Key and Dasan McCullough below. Continue scrolling for more coverage from Tuesday.

Coverage

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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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