Should We Believe What Matt Rhule Said Yesterday?

To nobody’s surprise, the second James Franklin was fired by Penn State, the name that immediately sprung to everyone’s mind was Matt Rhule. And that was an immediate jab into the hearts of most Nebraska fans. Yesterday, during his weekly appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, Rhule was asked about the Penn State opportunity. This was his answer:

“This is not a jumping off job,” said Rhule. “This is a destination job. This is one of the greatest places in the world. This is a town of 300,000 people…I can do whatever I want here. I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Just think how good we will be next year. Now I’m not thinking about next year. But where we are right now. We are learning, learning, learning. Think about where we are going to go with Dyland and all these guys. I refuse to be distracted. At the same time I love my alma mater. You have to show it love and respect. I love Pat Kraft and they’ll find the right coach for them, whoever that is. But this is a destination job that should be a national bully. A beast and I think we are on our way to doing that.”

So, do Nebraska fans feel better about the Rhule situation after his comments? And should they be? First, before anything else is said, it is important to note that if you trust what a coach says during a search, then you’ve likely been disappointed before and will be again.

Nothing a head coach says during a search should be seen as fact. Unless he finishes the comment by physically signing an extension, they are only words. However, that doesn’t mean that his comments shouldn’t be dissected to try and find the truth. So let’s do that with two of his comments:

“This is a destination job.”

From 1962 to 1997, a 35-year period, the Huskers had two head coaches, Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. From 1998 to 2025, a 27-year period, the Huskers have had six head coaches. Times have changed in college football, and the days of a coach like Osborne hanging around for 25 seasons are mostly over. And the days of Nebraska winning at least nine games for 33 consecutive seasons, from 1962 to 2001 are definitely over.

The Nebraska job has a great deal going for it. But in 2025 most of that revolves around the devoted fanbase, rabid support of the community/state and its history. But Nebraska’s history isn’t going to help bring back the glory years.

In 2025, Nebraska is a destination job for everyone associated with the program, its fans, alumni and supporters. It is still a big job, but the days of it being a destination job nationally are gone.

“At the same time I love my alma mater.”

Any Nebraska fan who didn’t feel a jab of pain in their heart when Rhule made this comment is in denial. It is obviously very natural to have love for your alma mater, but Rhule’s situation is a bit different than most people.

He can feel love for Penn State, but he didn’t have to say it publicly days after the head coaching job reopened. Rhule knew that his comments would be dissected but still decided to express his love towards Penn State verbally.

The second comment is enough to keep Nebraska fans sweating until one of two things happen. First, is that Nebraska signs Rhule to an extension. This had to already have been in the works, so it needs to be cemented as soon as possible. And if Rhule wants it to happen, it should happen quickly.

The second sweat-reducing option is that Penn State hires a different coach. Which is quite possible, but there is no definitive timeline for this. Since Penn State fired Franklin in mid-October, there isn’t the usual rush to hire anyone until at least the end of November. There are several other job openings, but Penn State is at the very top of the pecking order. They can take their time over the next six weeks, do their due diligence, and in the process keep the Nebraska fanbase sweating.

Either Nebraska signs Rhule to an extension in the next week or two, or this is going to get continually more painful for Husker fans.