The Pros and Cons of Hiring Matt Rhule at Penn State

The Nebraska head coach has been a successful program-builder at several stops. Will that resume fit Penn State's needs?

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Penn State has embarked on one of college football’s most high-profile coaching searches to replace James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12. Athletic Director Pat Kraft promised a nationwide search for the coach he said possesses a “vision of championships.”

Penn State is hiring a football coach for the first time since 2014, when Franklin replaced Bill O’Brien. It’s a situation no one thought Penn State would be in this year, but there's no shortage of talent to assess.

We’re scouring the list of candidates for the opening at Penn State. In the third edition of our profile series, we spotlight Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and whether he’s a fit for the Nittany Lions.  

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Matt Rhule at a glance

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the sideline during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

• School: Nebraska 

• Age: 50

• Hometown: New York (attended high school in State College)

• Head coaching experience: Third season at Nebraska, four years at Temple, three years at Baylor, three years with the Carolina Panthers

• Where he has coached: Rhule has a variety of college and NFL coaching experience. He began his career at Albright [Pa.] College as a linebackers coach just one year after he finished his playing career at Penn State. Rhule spent the next 14 years at four different college programs (Buffalo, UCLA, Western Carolina, Temple) and one NFL franchise (New York Giants) coaching the defensive line, offensive line, linebackers, quarterbacks, tight ends and special teams. Rhule also has been an assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, run game coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He became a first-time head coach in 2013 at Temple and a first-time NFL head coach in 2020 at Carolina.

RELATED: The pros and cons of hiring Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz at Penn State

What to know about Matt Rhule

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts to a call during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Rhule is in the process of his third college rebuild, this time at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won just 16 games in the six years prior to Rhule’s arrival. After a 5-7 campaign in 2023, Nebraska went 7-6 last season and earned the program’s first bowl win since 2015. The Cornhuskers are 6-2, and their three Big Ten wins are tied for the most since 2016. 

That’s who Rhule is; he rebuilds programs. He took both Temple and Baylor from sub-three win teams to 10+-win programs in his tenure. Part of that success has involved recruiting. As Temple’s recruiting coordinator, Rhule twice helped the Owls land the MAC’s top-ranked recruiting classes. He’s also a well-regarded offensive coach who had success at previous stops.

Why Matt Rhule would fit at Penn State

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks along the sideline during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Rhule is Penn State. He was a walk-on linebacker for Joe Paterno in the 1990s, playing on the unbeaten 1994 team. 

Rhule also has a long relationship with Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft, who has said they’re “like brothers.” They worked together for four years at Temple and celebrated together when the Owls beat Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field in 2015. And in 2022, Rhule, then the Carolina Panthers’ head coach, offered guidance when Kraft applied for the Penn State job.

"Matt’s a good sounding board,” Kraft said in 2022. “When this process came to fruition in a very quick window, he was a wonderful sounding board. 'What am I walking into? I know what it looks like, but what am I walking into?' Bigger than Penn State, we talk about just how to run programs and how to do things and how to live this crazy life in athletics that we have. Matt’s a brother to me, and I’m proud of him and what he’s doing."

And when Kraft said he wants a coach who can attack the transfer portal, Rhule fits that. His 2025 transfer portal class ranked 13th in the country, according to 247Sports, 28 spots higher than Penn State.

 Why Matt Rhule might not fit at Penn State

Like Franklin, Rhule struggles mightily against AP Top 25 teams. Franklin was 17-27 against ranked opponents, while Rhule is 2-23. Rhule hasn’t beaten a ranked team since 2016 at Temple. The big-game problems that helped drive Franklin’s firing could continue with Rhule.

Further, Rhule’s 2026 Nebraska recruiting class ranks last in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite, and 84th nationally. Although Rhule put together top-20 classes over the past two seasons, the latest data point is difficult to ignore.   

Bottom line

While Rhule would be a good fit for Penn State, he might not be the right coach. Rhule and Franklin have similar, and successful, track records as program-builders. But Kraft wants a coach who can elevate Penn State to the championship level. That's probably not Matt Rhule.