LINCOLN, Neb. — At age 40, Matt Rhule flipped Temple from a doormat to a 10-win team that played for the American Conference championship. At 44, Rhule took Baylor from a troubled mess of a football program to 11 wins and a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
At 50, Rhule stands at the doorway to his third season with Nebraska. It is the moment that he began to work wonders at both of his previous college stops as a head coach.
“There’s a process that he has, and it’s not easy,” said Phil Snow, the defensive coordinator for Rhule at Temple and Baylor who came out of semi-retirement after last season to join Rhule with the Huskers as associate head coach. “A lot of the things that coach Rhule believes in and demands take time.
“And you can see this team doing it.”
As Nebraska readies to kick off 2025 Thursday night against Cincinnati at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, Rhule is seemingly up to his old tricks. The Huskers are a trendy pick as a College Football Playoff darkhorse — surprising if only because Nebraska last year played in its first bowl game since 2016, defeating Boston College to finish a 7-6 season.
Rhule carved out a new path this year, designed to produce a breakthrough. College football has changed dramatically since his teams in 2015 and 2019 equaled school records for victories in a season. His formula has followed suit. Rhule is more open to allowing a look behind the scenes. He’s ceded a bit of control. He said he’s more prepared to listen.
“It’s a growth process,” Rhule said. “Maybe I’m maturing. Maybe it’s empathy. You have to be careful, though. I’ve also seen some coaches at my age become too grandfatherly. And then you don’t have high expectations. You have to have high expectations and standards. But I also want to have a sense of understanding.”
The coach recognizes that players’ needs and perspectives have changed since his last time down this road. Ultimately, though, the goal remains to empower them.
Confidence is high in the locker room.
“If we win a natty here, our lives will change forever,” quarterback Dylan Raiola said in a conversation with teammates captured by CBS Sports. “That’s a crazy feeling to have. But it can actually be reality.”
“Will be reality,” replied running back Emmett Johnson.
“We know what coach Rhule wants to get,” safety DeShon Singleton said. “We know his expectations. We have the athletes. We have the talent. Now we’ve just got to go out there and do it.”
Last season, Matt Rhule and the Huskers reached a bowl game for the first time since 2016 (Marc Lebryk / Imagn Images)
Some time last winter, shortly after his milestone birthday, Rhule challenged safety Marques Buford to a wrestling match in front of the team — or something of that sort, as Buford tells the story. Buford took him down. And Rhule made a vow to the Huskers that he would put in work, physically, every day until the season opened in August.
Six months later, he’s trim and fit.
“He’s ripped up,” Raiola said.
In May, Rhule attended a leadership summit organized by author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon. Alongside the likes of Sean McVay, Mack Brown and Tim Tebow, Rhule further expanded his journey of personal growth.
In addition to morning workouts, Rhule walks the grass practice fields alone without music, carrying a 45-pound weight.
“It’s his way of showing us guys he’s going to put in the same amount of work and effort that we put in,” Raiola said.
Rhule renewed his efforts to read at night. Among the latest works, Adam Grant’s “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Great Things” explores the topic of perfectionism. In striving to better himself, he grew in his profession, said Rhule, who coached the Carolina Panthers from 2020 until five weeks into the 2022 season.
“One of the ways to connect to this generation of young people is to talk about your imperfections,” Rhule said. “Because they live in a world of perfect.
“You don’t study your mistakes to shame your past self. You do it to educate your future self… It’s really the key for our guys, because every failure brings you closer to success.”
In that vein, Rhule repeatedly has rewatched the Huskers’ regular-season finale last year at Iowa, a 13-10 loss in which they blew a 10-point lead with a series of second-half mistakes.
“When I came back to college football,” he said, “I recognized, as I was watching the young men, a lot of guys that were mired in fear of failure and doubt.”
A part of his process to free them involves freeing himself. Rhule started a podcast, “House Rhules.” It debuted last week. He conversed with co-host Anthony Gargano, a Philadelphia sports broadcasting personality, and sat down for chats with Nebraska players and other guests.
“It’s time I start to tell our story,” Rhule said in the first episode. Rhule said he’s “got nothing to lose” and “no reason to be politically correct.”
“I want to get to the College Football Playoff,” he said. “That’s why we’re doing this, right?”
So at 50, he’s not holding back.
“For us, it’s a window to open things up,” Rhule said. “But I have to be very careful. I don’t want the players thinking, ‘Oh, coach Rhule thinks the program is all about him.’ I don’t.”
It’s the opposite, in fact.
“A big thing going into Year 3 is how it’s more player-led,” defensive end Cam Lenhardt said. “So a lot of this is going to fall back on the guys and how we’re upholding the standard.”
Rhule had time to adjust his leadership style, in part, because of new leaders he added over the past nine months. In November of last year, Rhule hired former West Virginia and Houston coach Dana Holgorsen as offensive coordinator. Holgorsen inked a two-year deal in December after he coached three regular-season games for Nebraska.
Also in December, Rhule promoted secondary coach John Butler, who spent the previous 10 seasons in the NFL, to defensive coordinator. Snow came on board. And in February, Rhule hired renowned special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler from Tennessee.
“For me, it’s unique,” Rhule said. “I have Dana Holgorsen on my staff. And he’s running the offense. Does he need me in there with him every day? No. Now, do I still have to be the head coach and have an overall vision? Yes.”
Rhule unveiled six permanent captains this week. Each of them, including Raiola, the sophomore face of the program, signed an oath to uphold the Huskers’ standards. In 2023 and 2024, Nebraska named captains week-to-week. The depth and maturity of this roster demanded a new approach.
A special moment for our Team Captains ✍🏼 pic.twitter.com/fNPoZu5CqT
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 23, 2025
This roster features juniors or seniors as a starter or co-starter at 18 of 22 positions on offense and defense.
Newcomers occupy seven spots on the offensive two-deep, six on defense and three specialist positions. Projected starters new to the program include receivers Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter, offensive guard Rocco Spindler, linebackers Marques Watson-Trent and Dasan McCullough, punter Archie Wilson and kicker Kyle Cunanan.
The change in three years, since the start of the season before Rhule arrived, is “night and day,” said Buford, the senior safety.
Even in just one year, it’s dramatic.
“It went from begging guys to do things,” Raiola said, “to now, it’s the standard.”
Ekeler said he believes that Nebraska possesses “probably the most disciplined team in America.”
“The infrastructure that I walked into was amazing.”
Holgorsen feels similarly. Nebraska’s organization and structure provide it with an advantage, the 54-year-old OC said.
Said Raiola: “You look at what (Rhule) has done in the past, and all you can do is trust his process. You see it works.”
Enough of the talk. Year 3 is here. Will it click for Rhule, as it did in his stints at Temple and Baylor? Thursday night at Arrowhead ought to offer a hint.
“We’re significantly farther ahead in terms of how we handle a game than we have been in the last two years,” Rhule said. “I’m excited to see them actually play it out.”
(Top photo of Matt Rhule (left) and Cauden Echternach: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)