CBS Sports reveals latest on Nebraska head coach search

As the final game of the regular season comes around, there are two big questions on the minds of Nebraska fans. When — and who — will the Cornhuskers hire a head coach?

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd shared some insight on the situation, and he had a major update on one big name.

Dodd reported former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule might have turned down the job over the weekend. His name has come up quite a bit since the Panthers fired him in October, and Nebraska has been a program linked to him ever since. The report then adds to speculation Rhule might sit out the 2023 season.

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“Did Matt Rhule turn down the Cornhuskers this weekend? That was the word from several sources,” Dodd wrote. “Rhule had been the No. 1 candidate to replace Scott Frost. If Rhule has indeed taken his name out of consideration, that isn’t necessarily a statement about the quality of the job. It’s still a heavy lift for whoever takes Nebraska, but for Rhule, it may be a further indicator that he intends to sit out 2023 to rest and retrench.

“Rhule is at a point in his career where he can have his pick of jobs and not have to settle. His first two college jobs were bottom-of-the-barrel, last-place types (Temple, Baylor), but he made his reputation with worst-to-first success stories.”

If Rhule did, in fact, turn down the job, who would Trev Alberts turn to next? Kansas coach Lance Leipold is another name that came up as soon as Alberts announced he fired Scott Frost, and Dodd had some insight on his candidacy. Remember, Leipold engineered quite the turnaround this season, and he has connections to Alberts and the Lincoln area.

“If Rhule is no longer available, does Nebraska turn its attention to Kansas’ Lance Leipold?” Dodd wrote. “The 58-year-old coach has deep roots in the state of Nebraska as a former analyst at Nebraska-Omaha and assistant under Frank Solich with the Huskers. Has the shine worn off, though? The Jayhawks started 5-0 and were ranked but will finish 6-6 if they lose to Kansas State this week.”

Then, at the end of the report, Dodd dropped one more name who was part of last year’s crazy coaching carousel.

“Another name to watch at Nebraska: Washington first-year coach Kalen DeBoer,” he said.

Since Frost’s firing, Mickey Joseph took over as interim head coach and has taken the Cornhuskers to a 2-6 record since taking the helm. It seems like Nebraska is wanting to look outside the program for its next full-time coach, but Joseph’s restructured contract stipulates he’d return to his previous post as wide receivers coach if Nebraska goes that direction.

The Cornhuskers’ season finale is Friday night against Iowa.