Matt Rhule lays out plan for June recruiting

In college football, there is no rest for the weary. So, even though it’s the offseason, coaches still need to go out and recruit. In the modern game, that means recruiting from both the transfer portal as well as from the high school ranks.

This is incredibly important for a program like Nebraska that is going through a transitional period. So, Matt Rhule needs a plan of action for recruiting during the month of June.

“Really the June 23rd through the 25th weekend is the primary one,” Matt Rhule said. “The June 16th weekend could still be one. I think where a lot of people made their mistakes is they’re running their camps at the same time they’re having official visits and then the coaches aren’t even at the camps. I’ve seen that a lot of places.”

As of now, Nebraska has the 24th ranked class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3’s Industry Rankings. There is still time for that to change but it is Rhule’s first full cycle as the head coach. In 2023, the Cornhuskers had the 29th ranked class.

“So, we want to really have a focus on camp, not just for this class but for the 26s. You know, like I’m looking at 24s right now and I don’t how fast they run. I have to try to get them to camp. Well, I should know that already or I should have had them in the year before, the year before. So, really our camps are — we’re gonna go down to Texas for camps. We’re gonna do them here.”

Matt Rhule also pointed out that Nebraska is hoping that a good regular season will help the team to recruit ahead of signing day.

“And then, June 2nd to 3rd weekend, have a couple guys coming that weekend because that’s the only weekend they could come. When they went to the unlimited visits, it unlocked a lot more things and so — and I’ll be honest with you, I also want to wait for the season for some guys. I think being the guy that we’re not, just because a guy committed somewhere else, we’re going to be respectful but we hope we’re still viable for some guys, especially if we look like a good looking football team in the fall.”

Ultimately, Matt Rhule has a plan not just for recruiting but Nebraska as a whole. Recruiting is just a step in that overall plan, which he seems to have a lot of confidence in.

“My history has been we never win the first year,” Rhule said. 

“I do feel like, I’ve told the seniors this, there’s such a good group of seniors that really want to win. So we’re trying to win, right? I’ve never not tried them and it’s just more like, well, the seniors weren’t really bought in and didn’t do what I was asking at Baylor, then I’m just gonna play the young guys.”

Matt Rhule on being involved in the local community

One thing that Matt Rhule has made clear is that he wants to be involved in the local community around Lincoln.

“I don’t think any coach strictly focuses on football,” Matt Rhule said. “I think they focus on other things that we don’t see, like some focus on just their family or golf or a charity. So, for me, again if I list out those core values, my focus is on our players first, and recruiting, and then it’s the football, and then it’s the community, and the campus community.”

As Rhule explained, there is an opportunity to improve a community that he wants to be his home. It’s not about attention.

“I always look at it like this, how many little kids are in 100 square miles, you know 20 square miles, that our players can impact? So, some places have a culture where they do community service and the cameras are all on there and it’s all scripted, and we got guys, we got Elliott Brown going back and talking to schools in Omaha. We have five guys helping kids read and no one ever hears about it,” Rhule said.

“So, you know, my wife got here the first thing she did was start a charity. We just want to be involved. We want this to be our home. So, if you want it to be your home, you better not just take, you better give.”