Matt Rhule explains moving Nebraska players into dorms for camp

This year, as Nebraska starts training camp, the Cornhuskers are changing their living arrangements. Coach Matt Rhule put them all in the dorms to start camp — and there was a reason for it.

“I want our whole team to get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Rhule said.

Rhule doesn’t just want the players sleeping in the dorms, though. He wants them staying on campus, meaning they can’t go back to their apartments if they live off campus.

It’s all part of his plan to build camaraderie as he settles in for his first season at the helm.

“Like, they’re not allowed to leave campus without permission,” Rhule said. “We told them, ‘Don’t tell me your dog needs walked’ [or anything]. You’re here. I think, for me, we just have to get comfortable with new things. But more importantly, like we’re trying to build brotherhood, right? We’re trying to build a sense of common purpose by getting to know each other.”

There are also team-bonding activities in the dorms thanks to director of player development Gus Felder. The goal with those is to make sure the players unplug for a bit and have more face-to-face interaction for a change. Additionally, it allows them to get more familiar with the campus for which they’re playing.

But living in the dorms isn’t a permanent thing. Rhule noted the players will get to go back to their apartments in a couple weeks before camp ends.

“Gus and his people put a bunch of board games and cards hoping that they’ll maybe get off their phone and talk to each other,” Rhule said. “And then, we don’t just play for ourselves. We don’t just play for the football team. We play for the University of Nebraska and the state of Nebraska. So returning to the heart of campus, to me, is really important. I think it’s that.

“It kind of divides camp up. You’re in the dorms for two weeks, then you have a week of kind of being at home coming in, then school starts and then we have 10 days before the first game. So [it’s] sort of this two week grind.”

That said, Rhule noticed something about Nebraska’s dorms he might not have expected when he initially planned to put the players there for camp.

“I thought the dorms would be a little bit harder,” Rhule joked. “They’re pretty nice.”

Rhule will make his Nebraska debut Aug. 31 when the Cornhuskers take on Minnesota to kick off the 2023 season.