Report: Nebraska expected to hire TCU GM Anthony Crespino

Nebraska is reportedly expected to hire TCU general manager Anthony Crespino, according to Matt Zenitz.

It’s the latest addition to Matt Rhule’s Husker staff for the 2024 season. Prior to TCU, Crespino served as the Chief of Staff at SMU under Sonny Dykes.

He then followed him to TCU but will head to Lincoln for the 2024 season.

“Crespino spent two years (2016-17) as assistant director of football operations at Northwestern and two seasons (2014-15) at Texas State as the director of football operations and director of player personnel,” his TCU bio read. “It was his second stint with the Bobcats, having also served in San Marcos in 2012 as an assistant director of football operations and recruiting coordinator under former TCU Head Coach Dennis Franchione.

“Prior to his return to Texas State, Crespino was the director of player development at Penn State in Spring 2014 and the director of operations at Western Michigan in 2013.”

Any positive additions to Nebraska could signal that Rhule is building something big in Lincoln. Husker fans are probably happy he did not take time off once he was fired from the Carolina Panthers.

Rested and rejuvenated, Rhule and Nebraska could take off in Year 2 after the coach once thought he’d be lounging around.

“Yeah, I was absolutely gonna take a year off,” Rhule said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I was tired, I was beaten up. And I was like, Hey, I’m gonna take my time and find the right job. And I think two things happened. I got fired so early that I had the rest of that year which was almost kind of like a year off.

“My wife and I traveled, we went to Ireland and the first bar we sit down and I’m like, I just want to be away. The gentleman walks up to the bar, you know (I’m gonna) order two Guinness and he’s like, are you Matt Rhule? Like, oh my gosh.” 

Rhule realized he was meant to coach all the time and taking a gap year wasn’t in the cards. Then the Huskers called.

“It was just like, you know what, I’m a coach man, let’s get back to work,” Rhule said. “But I wouldn’t have taken any job. I wasn’t gonna coach, I was gonna take a year. You know, my contract. I had to find a job so I knew I had to honor my contract and I wasn’t just gonna take any job though. And Nebraska came open.”