Nebraska recruits waiting, watching coach Matt Rhule's future
by:
Adam Gorney26 minutes ago
adamgorney
Whether
Nebraska coach
Matt Rhule stays with the Huskers now that the
Penn State job is open has been heavily discussed ever since
James Franklin was fired in Happy Valley.
Nebraska commits are handling the swirl of news and rumors in different ways.
Some are hitting refresh every few seconds. Some are letting it play out. Many are reaching out to position coaches to see what’s going on. And one – 2027 three-star OT
Matt Erickson from Omaha (Neb.)
Millard North – is so locked in on his season, he doesn’t have time for coaching carousel talk yet.
“I’m not really focusing on all of that right now,” Erickson said. “Only time will tell what will happen. Nothing is affecting me right now. I’m just trying to focus on finishing out my season.”
Others are watching closely.
“I’m paying very close attention to the situation,” said 2027 four-star quarterback
Trae Taylor from Mundelein (Ill.)
Carmel Catholic. “Him being in Lincoln is very important to me. I have been very clear: As long as he is there, I’m locked in. But if he leaves, I’ll then have to sit with my family and have a discussion on what my options are. We actually have started those conversations already.”
Three-star receiver
Nalin Scott from Powder Springs (Ga.)
McEachern isn’t so sure Rhule is going anywhere. After talking to some people he’s close with in Lincoln, Scott basically said this will be a non-story.
“I’ve been talking with my coaches about everything and he’s locked in and made it known and that’s big hearing it from your coach and not anyone outside,” Scott said. “But it would be an impact if he left for sure.”
Many other commits are monitoring the situation closely, trying to find any nugget one way or another.
It’s one of the most-interesting stories in college football right now.
In his third season at Nebraska, Rhule has embarked on a massive turnaround to make the Huskers a national contender again.
He’s done it before at
Temple and
Baylor, wastelands that had no business being good when Rhule accomplished the impossible by having back-to-back 10-win seasons at Temple and then taking a team besieged by scandal from 1-11 to 11-3 in three seasons in Waco.
While he has everything in place in Lincoln from a strong relationship with athletics director Troy Dannen, to an incredible fan base, to facilities and recruiting pipelines, Rhule played linebacker at Penn State. He’s a close friend of AD Pat Kraft since they worked together at Temple.
According to a source, when Rhule worked at Western Carolina in the early 2000s, he told people that Penn State was his dream job. At Monday’s press conference, Rhule expressed that dual-thinking: He’s building something special at Nebraska… but the Penn State job just opened.
“I love Penn State,” Rhule said. “Met my wife there. It’s my alma mater. A fan since I was born. I probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I love Pat Kraft. Really sad to see coach Franklin go.
“…I really respect James Franklin. Troy and I are in an unbelievable relationship, too. Troy and I are in constant, constant, constant communication about this program and where we’re headed. I came here for two reasons: I love the community here and wanted to live here and I love it here and I wanted to rebuild Nebraska football.”
Three-star tight end
Luke Sorensen said he’s monitoring things closely because Rhule was a big reason why he committed. Three-star running back
Jamal Rule is visiting Nebraska with his parents for the USC game and they plan to have some conversations with the coaches that weekend.
Rex Waterman said if Rhule leaves he might have to reopen his recruitment but that’s also based on where offensive line coach
Donovan Raiola lands.
Hayden Ainsworth is watching it closely but doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions based off hypothetical scenarios.
Jabari Watkins said even if Rhule leaves he wouldn’t automatically de-commit.
At this point, everyone is waiting and watching. What seemed like an impossibility just weeks ago – the Penn State job opening – has now become reality. And it’s put Nebraska’s coach in the crosshairs of a decision that will impact both programs.
“In my gut, I don’t feel he is going anywhere or even really taking this seriously,” Taylor said. “I hope if he was, I’d be one of his first calls.”
