Matt Rhule Says NFL Failure Changed Him, Made Him Right for Nebraska

The Husker football head coach opened up about his experience with the National Football League and how his changes made him right for Nebraska.

Oct 9, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule shouts to an official during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football has had plenty of reasons for optimism since hiring Matt Rhule back in late November of 2022. For the head coach, however, it has been a tumultuous climb back into college football.

The Husker head coach joined "The Joel Klatt Show" this week, discussing various topics, including his expectations for his second season in Lincoln, the Colorado night game matchup, and his new five-star quarterback.

However, Klatt—a FOX Sports College Football analyst—asked Rhule about the lessons learned from his time with the National Football League and the Carolina Panthers. Rhule had spent nearly 2½ seasons in Charlotte, finishing with an 11-27 overall record before being fired in 2022 after a 1-4 start.

" I would not be able to be the coach at Nebraska had I not gone through that"

- Matt Rhule speaking on his NFL tenure

Sep 16, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Ty Robinson (9), head coach Matt Rhule, and linebacker Nick Henrich (3) before the game against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

"Every decision you make is magnified in Nebraska - ten times over. If you are not really confident in who you are, I could see it affecting you." Rhule said. "I have such a different relationship with our players now."

Rhule then talked about the different coaching stages he has been a part of, including being a Coach of the Year recipient, the "be our coach" candidate, and added he had been a meme on SportsCenter.

"When I go out there now, and the crowd is cheering... I have also had 50,000, 70,000 fans in Panther Stadium screaming to fire me. I learned through all of that I want to make it about my players. It is not about me," Rhule said. "I came back to college football because I knew young people needed coaches who cared about them. Coaches that didn't want to throw them away."

The Husker head coach then went into the relationships he built with some of the then-Panthers stars that he grew with.

Aug 21, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) and head coach Matt Rhule during the National Anthem at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

"Christian McCaffery, Brian Burns, all these amazing players I had to coach. They are just people. You see them as superstars, but they are just people," Rhule added. "I lost a little bit of that during COVID. Early-on there, I didn't connect enough. My last year there, I did an amazing job connecting with players and they battled for me to the very end."

Rhule continued that the Carolina experience also brought his family closer together, and continued the importance of impactful relationships, especially with the transfer portal and NIL.

The now-Nebraska head coach was fired into his third year of a seven-year contract, receiving $40 million as part of his buyout. However, that contract was void after sigining his next contract with Nebraska. Rhule did later file an arbitration suit claiming the NFL franchise owed him around $5 million due to the year-to-year difference.

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