Greg McElroy speculates on what Year One struggles would mean for Matt Rhule, Nebraska

ESPN college football expert Greg McElroy has closely monitored some of the more prominent headlines in the sport during the offseason. Entering the 2023 season, he has a pretty good idea of how some of those storylines will play out. But recently, he has been entertaining “what if“ scenarios, with one of his more recent ones involving Matt Rhule’s first season at Nebraska.

McElroy shared his thoughts on what would happen if Rhule’s first season with the Cornhuskers is unsuccessful.

“Things have changed at Nebraska already. Trev Alberts, obviously, went out; they put together a war chest as it relates to NIL,” said McElroy. “Matt Rhule has already infused a certain amount of energy into the program. They’re already starting to feel that impact a little bit. …starting to feel as though they’re trending in the right direction from a recruiting standpoint. They were already very active in the portal and attracted some guys that other teams really, really, really wanted (Jeff Sims).”

Rhule has already enjoyed a decent amount of success in the offseason, acquiring talent through the NCAA transfer portal, such as Sims. The former Georgia Tech starting quarterback is slated to be Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2023.

Still, offseason success does not directly translate into on-the-field success the following season. Good thing for Rhule he has time to turn around and rebuild Nebraska’s football program. And his track record of successfully doing so at other collegiate programs helps, too.

“I think he already brings a certain level of credibility as a builder to what the program is ultimately going to become. Now, if we look at what he’s done in year one at both Temple and a Baylor; it was a struggle bus. I mean, he was 2-10 at Temple in year one; he was 1-11 at Baylor. But by year three, he was a 10-win team at Temple; he was an 11-win team at Baylor. So he’s a builder. I mean, he knows how to lay the foundation.”

McElroy lays out a compelling case for why Rhule is the best man for the job at Nebraska in the long run. However, that doesn’t necessarily answer the question of what would happen if he’s unsuccessful this year. And to that, McElroy simply says it doesn’t matter what happens with Nebraska football in Rhule’s year one.

“Whatever they do this year, they’re going to be better down the road,” said McElroy. “So I don’t care what they do this year. I mean, I would love for them to be able to get to the bowl game. I would love for them to get to seven wins… there’s some possibility for wins.

“There’s reason to believe that whatever happens this year doesn’t really matter. Because if you look at Matt Rhule’s track record, he’s going to get the job done. It’s just I want him to get it done this year. So, what if he doesn’t necessarily live up to expectations on the field year one? Doesn’t matter because I know year three, he’s probably gonna win double-digit games.”

McElroy would love for Rhule to return Nebraska to their powerhouse ways this season. Still, the college football expert does not anticipate that being the case. But that is fine because Nebraska and athletic director Trev Alberts brought in Rhule to develop and establish a foundation for years to come. And something like that we’ll take some time to get done.