Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Matt Rhule addresses Nebraska future as Penn State speculation grows

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 6:29 PM ET

After the Penn State Nittany Lions fired James Franklin on Sunday, Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule was immediately linked to the job opening.

Rhule played as a walk-on linebacker at Penn State from 1994-97 and began his coaching career there as a volunteer assistant in 1998. Despite his ties to the Nittany Lions, the coach insists he's not planning on flocking to Happy Valley.

Matt Rhule downplays Penn State rumors

"I came here for two reasons: I love the community, and I wanted to live here, and I love it here. And I wanted to rebuild Nebraska football," the coach told the media Monday. "[Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen] and I understand the steps that you need to take to make us Big Ten champions and national champions. This place is elite."

Rhule then admitted he still loves his alma mater and has deep respect for Nittany Lions AD Pat Kraft, who hired him for his first head-coaching job at Temple in 2013.

"I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," the New York native who moved to State College, Pennsylvania, as a teenager said. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go."

Matt Rhule was asked on Monday about his name being connected to the Penn State head coaching vacancy.

"I absolutely love it here."

Watch Rhule's full press conference from Monday here ➡️ https://t.co/tQcqwmIASA pic.twitter.com/Aa4YZBHigK
— 10/11 News (@1011_News) October 13, 2025

Why Nebraska fans should still be worried about Matt Rhule possibly leaving

Many coaches have loved their jobs and still left for ones they believed were better. We're looking at you, Lincoln Riley, who accepted the USC head-coaching job in November 2021 after saying he would stay with Oklahoma.

Rhule is off to a 5-1 start this season, but he still faces a difficult rebuild at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers haven't won 10 games or more since the 2012 season.

More importantly, the five-time national champions are struggling to attract elite players like they once did. Per 247Sports, the Cornhuskers' 2026 recruiting class ranks second to last in the Big Ten. Penn State's crop, meanwhile, ranks No. 5.

Penn State named longtime Franklin assistant Terry Smith interim HC, but don't expect him to turn the 3-3 Nittany Lions around after losing three straight games. Plus, Kraft wants to move in a new direction.

During his Monday news conference, Kraft said Penn State's next coach will be someone who embodies the program. Perhaps he had Rhule in mind when making that comment.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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