Rhule's staff as of now

[HerbRedman]

What grade do you give Matt Rhule's staff (as it sits on 2/3)?

For your rating, please take into account on-field coaching, development AND recruiting prowess, where applicable.

OC - Dana Holgorosn
QB - Glenn Thomas
WR - Daikiel Shorts
RB - EJ Barthel
OL - Donovan Raiola
TE - Marcus Satterfield

DC - John Butler
DL - Terry Bradden
EDGE - Phil Simpson
LB - Rob Dvoracek
DB - Addison Williams
Associate head coach - Phil Snow
ST coordinator - Mike Ekeler

 

[That SOB Van Owen]

Are we grading on a curve here? Is this the grade relative to what is good at Nebraska or are we comparing to Ohio state, Texas and Georgia?

 

[Goskers07]

B. I want to see how Sat does as a full time TE coach, Butler as DC and Bradden as his first time being the main man with the DL. Could easily bump to B+ or an A.

 

[Kaladin]

Solid

 

[HerbRedman]

Are we grading on a curve here? Is this the grade relative to what is good at Nebraska or are we comparing to Ohio state, Texas and Georgia?

I meant to put that in there.

I would grade relative to our resources. We pretty much have top 15 resources/opportunity across the board....so I would say 'where would you grade us relative to the top 15?'

I wouldn't grade us vs a Top 5 program.

 

[Lionsfan93]

What grade do you give Matt Rhule's staff (as it sits on 2/3)?

For your rating, please take into account on-field coaching, development AND recruiting prowess, where applicable.

OC - Dana Holgorosn
QB - Glenn Thomas
WR - Daikiel Shorts
RB - EJ Barthel
OL - Donovan Raiola
TE - Marcus Satterfield

DC - John Butler
DL - Terry Bradden
EDGE - Phil Simpson
LB - Rob Dvoracek
DB - Addison Williams
Associate head coach - Phil Snow
ST coordinator - Mike Ekeler

Offensive staff is insane. We really have 3 OC's, with the real one being an elite OC (IMO). Shorts at WR seems great and Donnie has been solid with the OL. Barthel is the weak link and leaves some to be desired. Grade: A

Defensive staff is is basically an unknown. Butler at DC is a big unknown. Dvoracek seems like he is doing a decent enough job with the LBs. I trust Rhule's rack record of hiring DL coaches, but we will have to wait and see with Bradden. Same with Addison Williams. With as much youth and inexperience we have on this side of the staff, having a guy like Snow is perfect and huge. Grade: C+

Ekeler at ST seems like a top tier kind of guy to run that room. Very happy with that hire. Grade: A

Overall, I think that staff has the potential to grow into a great staff. Right now, the defensive inexperience makes it just a good staff.

 

[That SOB Van Owen]

I meant to put that in there.

I would grade relative to our resources. We pretty much have top 15 resources/opportunity across the board....so I would say 'where would you grade us relative to the top 15?'

I wouldn't grade us vs a Top 5 program.

B+

 

[HerbRedman]

Barthel is the weak link and leaves some to be desired. Grade: A

Barthel is a weak link in on-field coaching, development or recruiting?

 

[Kinish]

What grade do you give Matt Rhule's staff (as it sits on 2/3)?

For your rating, please take into account on-field coaching, development AND recruiting prowess, where applicable.

OC - Dana Holgorosn
QB - Glenn Thomas
WR - Daikiel Shorts
RB - EJ Barthel
OL - Donovan Raiola
TE - Marcus Satterfield

DC - John Butler
DL - Terry Bradden
EDGE - Phil Simpson
LB - Rob Dvoracek
DB - Addison Williams
Associate head coach - Phil Snow
ST coordinator - Mike Ekeler

I have a bit more cynical view.

Offensive staff besides Shorts and Thomas sucks. Raoila,Barthel and Satterfield are all trash tier

Bradden is like Pot Roast coming in.. But instead of having played DL.. he has SB rings..

Butler and Addison Williams should cook with DBs.. but will be some growing pains with the defense. I like phil simpson the recruiter, no clue about phil simpson the coach.

Ekeler is a great hire, but that was teed up by former players and boosters I believe.

It's like a C+, B- to me...

Altogether, it SEEMS like an improvement from the staff Rhule hired initially. Lets hope it plays out that way.

 

[Boondock_St_Sker]

Barthel is a weak link in on-field coaching, development or recruiting?

imho...yes

 

[Quint]

B. I want to see how Sat does as a full time TE coach, Butler as DC and Bradden as his first time being the main man with the DL. Could easily bump to B+ or an A.

All fair and largely how I look at the staff as currently constructed.

I like the additions, but we’re going to be in ‘Prove it’ mode, well….until we prove it.

 

[Ext. 55]

I will go with a ‘B’ for the effort since the last third of last season.

Now prove it. I’m short of give a fucks for winning the offseason…again.

 

[KidsSeeGhosts]

A for execution. Holgs and ST obviously the immediate big win hires. Shorts already a big add with the talent we brought over from Kentucky. Have a lot of faith in the Butler and Snow combo on defense.

 

[Quint]

A for execution. Holgs and ST obviously the immediate big win hires. Shorts already a big add with the talent we brought over from Kentucky. Have a lot of faith in the Butler and Snow combo on defense.

I don’t want to say I’m just penciling in a successful ’25 on the offensive side of the ball, but with Holgorsen driving the bus for a full off season, Spring practice and Fall practice, I expect increased efficiency across the board there.

On defense, I like Butler, like Snow and think they’ll be fine. Just need to see it play out on the field.

 

[Driveway Jordan]

A for execution. Holgs and ST obviously the immediate big win hires. Shorts already a big add with the talent we brought over from Kentucky. Have a lot of faith in the Butler and Snow combo on defense.

To give you an indication of how much we have upgraded the WR talent, our departing WRs have left for Missouri St, UNK, and SDSU respectively.

 

[JankTheTank]

A- / B+

We have two coordinators that you could argue are Top 10 at their positions. We haven't had that since Osborne. In the past, we'd get a head coach who was a stellar coordinator and still call the plays on their side of the ball, but it always seemed like they would never hire other rock star coordinators. Between offense / defense / special teams, one might be great, the other one good / ok, and the third would be an inept liability primed to cost us games.

Probably for the first time since around the Solich era (and maybe even before that), we're looking at Great / Good / Great instead of some combination of Great / Good / Awful.

If Butler proves to be nails at defense, the team does some damage this year, and the staff mostly stays intact going into 2026, this is an A+ staff.

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

Offensive staff is insane. We really have 3 OC's, with the real one being an elite OC (IMO). Shorts at WR seems great and Donnie has been solid with the OL. Barthel is the weak link and leaves some to be desired. Grade: A

Defensive staff is is basically an unknown. Butler at DC is a big unknown. Dvoracek seems like he is doing a decent enough job with the LBs. I trust Rhule's rack record of hiring DL coaches, but we will have to wait and see with Bradden. Same with Addison Williams. With as much youth and inexperience we have on this side of the staff, having a guy like Snow is perfect and huge. Grade: C+

Ekeler at ST seems like a top tier kind of guy to run that room. Very happy with that hire. Grade: A

Overall, I think that staff has the potential to grow into a great staff. Right now, the defensive inexperience makes it just a good staff.

I disagree on Addison Williams, read his bio, guy has been as DC in the Big XII

Addison Williams was hired as Nebraska's defensive backs coach in December of 2024. Williams joins the Husker coaching staff after spending the past four seasons at UCF, including coordinating the Knights’ defense in 2023 and 2024.

A native of Atlanta, Williams has 15 overall years of experience as a college coach. In 2023, Williams guided a Knight defense that led the Big 12 Conference in fewest passing yards allowed at 196.7 per game. UCF also ranked third in the league in team pass efficiency defense at 120.32. The Knights permitted only 12 opponent touchdown passes the program’s fewest allowed since 2001.

Upon his arrival at UCF, Williams made an immediate impact with the Knights’ pass defense. In 2021, UCF ranked seventh nationally in pass efficiency defense (an improvement of 97 spots in the NCAA statistical rankings). The Knights closed the year with six victories in their final seven assignments to finish 9-4. UCF’s cornerbacks played critical roles as the Knights improved 86 slots in the passing yards allowed category, moving to 35th in 2021, allowing 89.1 yards fewer yards per game than in 2020.

Williams spent the 2020 season as the safeties coach at Coastal Carolina, helping the Chanticleers to an unbeaten and record-setting 2020 regular season, an overall 11-1 record and final rankings of 14th in both the AP and Coaches polls. Williams helped Coastal Carolina rank third nationally in 2020 with 16 interceptions (plus second in overall takeaways with 25) and 16th in team pass efficiency defense.

Williams also served as an analyst at Auburn in 2019 after coaching at Furman for two seasons, helping the team to the 2018 Southern Conference title. Williams also served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Tusculum from 2013 to 2016.

Williams played three seasons as a cornerback at South Carolina for Coach Steve Spurrier from 2007 to 2009, playing in 26 games. He began his coaching career as a student assistant with the Gamecocks in 2010, and served as a defensive graduate assistant for South Carolina in 2011 and 2012, helping USC to a 22-4 record in those two seasons.

COACHING CAREER
Pinstripe Bowl/2025: Nebraska (Defensive Backs)
2021-24: UCF (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2020: South Carolina (Safeties)
2019: Auburn (Analyst/Assistant to the Head Coach)
2019: Furman (Defensive Coordinator)
2017-18: Furman (Cornerbacks)
2016: Tusculum (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2013-16: Tusculum (Defensive Backs)
2011-12: South Carolina (Defensive Graduate Assistant)
2010: South Carolina (Student Assistant)

 

[Lionsfan93]

I disagree on Addison Williams, read his bio, guy has been as DC in the Big XII

Addison Williams was hired as Nebraska's defensive backs coach in December of 2024. Williams joins the Husker coaching staff after spending the past four seasons at UCF, including coordinating the Knights’ defense in 2023 and 2024.

A native of Atlanta, Williams has 15 overall years of experience as a college coach. In 2023, Williams guided a Knight defense that led the Big 12 Conference in fewest passing yards allowed at 196.7 per game. UCF also ranked third in the league in team pass efficiency defense at 120.32. The Knights permitted only 12 opponent touchdown passes the program’s fewest allowed since 2001.

Upon his arrival at UCF, Williams made an immediate impact with the Knights’ pass defense. In 2021, UCF ranked seventh nationally in pass efficiency defense (an improvement of 97 spots in the NCAA statistical rankings). The Knights closed the year with six victories in their final seven assignments to finish 9-4. UCF’s cornerbacks played critical roles as the Knights improved 86 slots in the passing yards allowed category, moving to 35th in 2021, allowing 89.1 yards fewer yards per game than in 2020.

Williams spent the 2020 season as the safeties coach at Coastal Carolina, helping the Chanticleers to an unbeaten and record-setting 2020 regular season, an overall 11-1 record and final rankings of 14th in both the AP and Coaches polls. Williams helped Coastal Carolina rank third nationally in 2020 with 16 interceptions (plus second in overall takeaways with 25) and 16th in team pass efficiency defense.

Williams also served as an analyst at Auburn in 2019 after coaching at Furman for two seasons, helping the team to the 2018 Southern Conference title. Williams also served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Tusculum from 2013 to 2016.

Williams played three seasons as a cornerback at South Carolina for Coach Steve Spurrier from 2007 to 2009, playing in 26 games. He began his coaching career as a student assistant with the Gamecocks in 2010, and served as a defensive graduate assistant for South Carolina in 2011 and 2012, helping USC to a 22-4 record in those two seasons.

COACHING CAREER
Pinstripe Bowl/2025: Nebraska (Defensive Backs)
2021-24: UCF (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2020: South Carolina (Safeties)
2019: Auburn (Analyst/Assistant to the Head Coach)
2019: Furman (Defensive Coordinator)
2017-18: Furman (Cornerbacks)
2016: Tusculum (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2013-16: Tusculum (Defensive Backs)
2011-12: South Carolina (Defensive Graduate Assistant)
2010: South Carolina (Student Assistant)

You're right. I don't know why I was thinking that he was someone else completely...

Probably pumps that C+ I was giving the defensive staff to at least a B-... probably even a B.

I give the offensive staff a grade of 94, defensive staff a grade of 83 and the ST a grade of 90. Overall, that's an 89.