Nebraska Football's Manic Monday

Dave Feit breaks down the news from an extremely busy day for Matt Rhule's program.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule during preparations for the Huskers' 2024 season opener. / Nebraska Athletics

The first business day after the end of Nebraska football's regular season brought about a ton of news and changes.  Let's unpack the biggest stories and look at what they mean in the short (and long) term:  

Tony White will become Florida State's defensive coordinator. 

Let's be honest: we've known this day would come for over a year. A year ago, Matt Rhule publicly campaigned* for his defensive coordinator to be a candidate for head coaching vacancies.  In February, Rhule endorsed White for the UCLA job.  With White, it was always a matter of when he would leave, not if. 

*A notable quote from that November 2023 press conference:  "Anybody who has called me about Tony, I said, "Give him a shot.' And I told Tony, 'Pick the right job. Don't pick the wrong job.'" 

As the incomparable @Stewmanji pointed out:  Tony White becomes just the second Nebraska Offensive or Defensive Coordinator to be hired away by a power conference school since Monte Kiffin went to Arkansas in 1976.  (Jay Norvell to UCLA in 2006 is the other one). 

The days of assistant coaches staying at Nebraska until they retire are (almost) over, with Ron Brown being the last of that generation.  Today, assistants are either looking to move up the ranks, or they fail and need to be replaced. 

I'm not going to open the Pandora's Box that comes with opining on if going to Florida State is a lateral move, step up, or step down.  There's enough to talk about without getting into the weeds of which program has been more successful in the last 25 years.  Tell yourself whatever you want to hear. 

No, Tony White is not leaving to become a head coach.  But at the end of the day, does the difference between the defensive coordinator at FSU and the head coach at a random Group of 5 team really matter?  

Either way, White was going to leave big shoes to fill.  I know I didn't consider some of the other potential fallouts from his departure (which we'll discuss next).  But the big takeaway is this:  

Tony White is leaving Nebraska's defense much better than he found it.  That's all we can ask from a coach or coordinator who moves on. 

Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton during Nebraska football's 2023 spring drills. / Nebraska Athletics

Could Terrance Knighton follow White to Tallahassee? 

As of this writing, nothing has changed since the initial reporting that Knighton would join Tony White's defensive staff at Florida State.  But if it happens (and based on the smoke, I'm assuming it will be official soon), the loss will really sting. 

Knighton is an old school Rhule guy, playing for him at Temple and coaching on his staff in Carolina.  Despite his limited coaching experience, Pot Roast was one of the best assistants on the Nebraska staff, grading out highly in both 2023 and 2024.  His players are fiercely loyal to him (something else we'll talk about in a bit), and the defensive line has been one of the best - and deepest - units on the team during Rhule's tenure. 

So, if Knighton is a "one of us" Rhule guy, why leave?  I can't speak to Knighton's motivation, but I can think of an experience from my career that might be relatable.  I've been in a job where I'd run through a wall for my manager’s boss, but was lukewarm on the person I'd be reporting to day in and day out.  Sometimes, you want to hitch your wagon to a rising star.  In my opinion, Tony White is a rising star.  I get Knighton's decision to follow White, even if I don't like it. 

Who's the next defensive coordinator - and what type of defense will he run? 

When John Butler was hired to coach the defensive backs in July, it was widely assumed that Butler would be the "Defensive Coordinator in Waiting" when White left for another job.   

I have no idea if any assurances were made to get Butler to come to Nebraska.  And I do not know how much the 2024 season - where the secondary was arguably the defense's weakest link - changes the "DC in waiting" perception.  For now, I'm operating under the assumption that Butler will be Nebraska's DC in 2025.  At a minimum, he'll likely get the bowl game as a trial run. 

If not Butler, then who?  I won't pretend to have a defensive coordinator hot board list in my desk drawer - and I was most definitely joking* when I suggested "Jason Peters and Grant Winstrom" (sic) fill the role.   

*And if you post suggestions for Ndamukong Suh, Bo - or Carl! - Pelini to be the next defensive coordinator (like I saw on Monday), I'm going assume you are joking as well. 

Ultimately, the decision on White's replacement comes down to two big questions: 

1. What kind of system does Matt Rhule want to run?  White's 3-3-5 was responsible for keeping the Huskers in several games when the offense sputtered.  But after seeing the Big Ten up close for two years, does Rhule still believe it's the best system?  If not, what does the head man want?  A couple of weeks ago, White made a cryptic comment about "Whatever the head man wants, whatever the head man suggests, that's the way the program goes."  To me, that suggests the 3-3-5 might be on the way out. 
2. Who is the best fit to fun the system Rhule desires?  If the hire of Dana Holgorsen (more on him in a bit) has taught us anything, it's that Rhule will go big and outside his circle of trust to move the program forward.  If that ends up being Butler, so be it.  If not… we'll see where things land. 

Transfer portal announcements are starting to come fast and furious. 

The transfer portal does not open until December 9, but players are already starting to announce their intention to enter the portal.  Gabe Ervin, Jimari Butler, Stefon Thompson, Vincent Jackson, and Mikai Gbayor announced their decisions on Monday.  There will be many more before the portal closes on December 28 - which is why I'm going to bookmark this Husker Portal Tracker. 

As Rhule mentioned last week, he expects anywhere from 30-50 players to jump in the portal as the roster must shrink to 105 before the 2025 season starts. 

Butler's decision is curious, as he recently said he planned to return to Nebraska for his final season.  Could he intend to follow White and/or Knighton to Tallahassee?  Maybe.  I can think of a few other defenders who are passionately loyal to those coaches.  That’s their right. 

A few things to keep in mind as more decisions become public in the coming days: 

• The sky is not falling.  I've never bought into the "off-season national champions" schtick, but I assure you that Nebraska will still be a heavy favorite regardless of how many players leave. 
• It is impossible for Nebraska to have 30-50 players enter the portal without it impacting starters, key reserves, players you like, and/or guys with promising upsides.  That's a sad reality of the coming numbers crunch. 
• There's no need to trash players on the way out the door.  There's a difference between being disappointed by somebody's decision and leaving rude comments on their social media. 
• The portal taketh and the portal giveth.  I guarantee that Nebraska will snag multiple 2025 starters from the portal before everything is said and done.  That's also the reality of the current situation. 

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen during the Huskers' game against Wisconsin on Nov. 23, 2024 in Lincoln. / Nebraska Athletics

Dana Holgorsen is locked in for two years. 

Monday night, Nebraska announced that Dana Holgorsen has signed a two-year contract to be Nebraska's offensive coordinator.   

Finally, some good news!  In his small three game sample size, Holgorsen did a very nice job simplifying the offense, and using players in clear roles that maximized their strengths.  He also brought a much-needed "bad cop" presence to a team where the accountability for slopping play was lacking.   

I assume the full-time gig comes with collaborative control of the offensive identity, staff, and which players NU pushes to retain (and which get thanked for their contributions and sacrifice).  As with the future defensive coordinator (and the presumed opening in special teams), my biggest wish is a unity of purpose between Rhule and his coordinators.  The head man lays the vision, and the coordinators carry it out, with everybody on the same page. 

There has not yet been an official statement on what Holgorsen plans to do with the offense between now and the 2025 season opener.  Holgorsen strikes me as a guy who is smart enough to realize what he has in Dylan Raiola (presumably, for the next 2-3 seasons), and will tailor the offense around him in a way that Marcus Satterfield did not / could not do. 

It should be a fun ride. 

Garret McGuire is reportedly reassigned. 

Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald reported that "receivers coach Garret McGuire is expected to remain at NU in an adjusted role." 

No further details were given about what that "adjusted role" might entail.  I interpret it to mean McGuire will not be the receivers coach, and will focus on something else.  McGuire has received praise for his work on the recruiting trail, so I could see some type of recruiting / player personnel role that fits his strengths. 

I suspect McGuire will not be the only staffer to end up in a new role in the Rhule Regime 2.0.  As I wrote after the Iowa game, I expect the roles and responsibilities to look different next year.  I remain of the opinion that Ed Foley is much more valuable (re)building relationships with the in-state high schools than his current role as special teams coordinator. 

With all of this turnover in the roster and coaching staff, what will the bowl game look like? 

I addressed this in my post-game column before all of this went down, but the amount of the changes is already starting to add up.  And we haven't had any players officially opt-out of the bowl game… yet. 

Yes, the Nebraska team that plays in the yet to be announced bowl will be noticeably different than the team we saw throughout November.    

But that's okay! 

For teams outside the College Football Playoff - and especially for 6-6 teams playing other mid-tier schools on a random weekday between Christmas and New Year's Day - a bowl game should be viewed as a Spring Scrimmage in December instead of a do-or-die grudge match.   

For Nebraska, the bowl game is more about the 15 practices than anything else.  It's a chance to give the guys who (for whatever reason) did not see a ton of playing time during the fall a chance to prove themselves.  The Huskers will likely see big contributions from guys that will have dedicated fans asking, "who is that?" 

Again, this is good for development and the growth of the program - even if the game itself is a little sloppy. 

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Dyaln Raiola look up at the scoreboard during the second quarter against Illinois. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Should we be worried by a remake of Rhule's staff going into Year 3? 

When Nebraska reconvenes for spring practices, there's a very good possibility that the Huskers will have three new coordinators (including Holgorsen).  I could see as many of four of the seven primary position group coaches being gone or reassigned.  Surely that is a red flag, right? 

Yes, and no. 

Ideally, Rhule would have hired a staff of amazing assistants on Day 1. But that rarely happens. I'd argue that none of the Cornhusker head coaches post-Osborne have done it. 

When Rhule was hired, he said he wanted to run a developmental program.  But that developmental tag cannot apply to players AND assistant coaches.  That was the fundamental flaw in Rhule's original staff. He hired too many guys (namely McGuire and Bob Wager) with limited coaching experience at a Power 5 conference school, let alone one that is desperately trying to maintain their status as a blue blood program.  The stakes are too high - and the margin for error too small - for a position coach to learn on the job at Nebraska. 

Starting with Satterfield's demotion, Rhule is clearly acknowledging that his original staff wasn't getting it done.  He's going to make changes before the dead weight sinks the entire ship, even if it strains relationships with friends and longtime colleagues.  This is something that multiple NU coaches (Callahan, Frost, etc.) either refused to do, or waited too long to do it. 

I have no idea if the revamped staff will work or if the other factors (scheme, talent, the realities of being in an 18-team mega conference, etc.) will derail the train before it gets up to speed.  While not an apples-to-apples comparison, I do like McKewon's analogy on how Nebraska’s basketball program is thriving after three terrible seasons forced Fred Hoiberg to reevaluate nearly everything. 

Put a pin in this, as we'll revisit it during the offseason. 

For now, there's more than enough to discuss.

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