Matt Rhule is returning to college football after his disappointing NFL stint with the Carolina Panthers. Rhule’s new stop is the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he’ll coach the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska unveiled Rhule as the head of their football program on Monday. He reportedly inked an 8-year, $72 million contract.
Rhule steps in for Scott Frost, who was fired by Nebraska after starting the campaign 1-2. Frost helmed the Cornhuskers since 2018 but failed to get a single winning season or Bowl appearance. Despite this, Rhule believes Frost left the program in good shape for future success.
“I know that program has a good culture, I know they know how to work,” said Rhule. “Now it’s about just all of us picking up, moving forward.”
Matt Rhule was out of a job since early October when he was fired by the Panthers after a 1-4 start of the 2022 NFL season. Rhule struggled in professional football in his previous two seasons in Carolina, posting a combined 10-23 record in 2020 and 2021.
However, Rhule’s track record in college is much better. He is known for turning around struggling programs and establishing them as powerhouses in their respective divisions.
At Temple, Rhule was 8-16 in the first two seasons before finishing 10–4 and 10-3 in the following two campaigns. At Baylor, he also started slow, finishing 1-11 in 2017 but then going 7-6 in 2018 and 11-3 in 2019.