Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Rhule Rules the Day
Late Friday, reports began leaking out that former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule was the new Nebraska head football coach. The university announced the hire in a press release Saturday morning, and Matt gave an interview shortly afterward on ESPN's "Game Day" program.
Finally, the cat was out of the bag.
When was the deal sealed? Athletic director Trev Alberts says it happened Thursday. One of my sources told me about two weeks ago that Matt Rhule was "The Guy." But the initial deal fell through, and getting Rhule to Nebraska was no sure thing.
Even as of late last week, other names were being tossed around as "done deals." The list included former BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
Fast forward to Monday afternoon at the Hawks Championship Center on the UNL campus. Matt Rhule was introduced by Alberts as the 31st Husker head football coach.
How did Matt perform? Simply put, Rhule ruled the day. He said all the right things. Matt was joined by his family (wife Julie, son Bryant and daughters Vivienne and Leona). OK, so Matt may have won me over by having a daughter named Leona (my mother's name).
In his press conference, Rhule talked about the need to teach the fundamentals of football: blocking, tackling, controlling the line of scrimmage etc. He also talked about needing to have a great work ethic and a disciplined special teams program.
What may have won over a lot of Husker fans was when Rhule mentioned that before taking the Husker job, he talked with Tom Osborne to get his blessing. That's classy, Husker fans. Really classy.
Now that the press conference is over, the real work will begin. Rhule will be meeting with the players over the next couple of days.
When a reporter asked Matt about Mickey Joseph's status, he sidestepped the issue. But he did say he'd also be meeting with the current Husker assistants over the next couple of days.
With the transfer portal looming next week and the early signing date Dec. 21, Matt has his work cut out for him. He must complete his staff, evaluate and interview the current assistants and players. He also has to decide which existing players he wants to keep, who will need to transfer and which players he wants to bring in from the portal.
Time will tell whether Trev Alberts' pick was a hero or a zero. All Husker fans are hoping the new guy is a "golden" Rhule.
How ’Bout Them Huskers
In this week's podcast, Will and I talk about the Matt Rhule hire, Friday's win over Iowa, the end of the Husker volleyball regular season and the upcoming NCAA volleyball tournament. Be sure to download this episode!
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