Matt Rhule on Dana Holgorsen's impact: 'Dana is what I'm not'

Now going into his third season as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Matt Rhule is looking to take a step forward in 2025 and be competitive in the Big Ten. One of the keys to that potential success is going to come down to offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen.

While speaking about the impact Holgorsen has had on Nebraska, Rhule shared on The Pat McAfee Show that they’re different coaches from one another. It’s that difference that allows them to fill the gaps the other might have.

“We beat Wisconsin Week 11, we hadn’t beaten them in 12 years to go to the bowl season,” Rhule said. “Which was awesome. The next week, we lost to Iowa. It was like a gut punch the way we lost. But the next day, Dylan [Raiola] was like, ‘Coach, I’m all in.’ And Dana was like, ‘I’m all in.’ They both were kind of like, if he’s in, I’m in. That felt great because I think they have a great relationship.”

Prior to Nebraska, Holgorsen spent 13 seasons as a head coach with stops at West Virginia and Houston. Between the two spots, for which he was mostly coaching in the Big 12 — though part of his Houston stint was in the AAC — Holgorsen went 92-69 and was known for his offenses. He previously was an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Houston, and Texas Tech, coming off the Air Raid coaching tree.

It’s that head coach experience that might be most important to Rhule. With it, someone on the staff has had similar experiences and issues that Rhule himself has had, making Holgorsen someone he can lean on.

“Dana is what I’m not. Dana is aggressive offensively. He wants to — there’s times he calls things and [I’m like], ‘My Lord, we’re doing that, Dana?’ He’s like, ‘It works.’ But I love it. I was so happy to get him. You’re right,” Rhule said. “When you’re a head coach, I can’t pick up a phone and call Coach [Kirk] Ferentz and be like, ‘Hey, Coach. What do you think I should be doing here?’ So, to have someone else who’s been there, who knows what that feels like, is a great resource.”

The major task now for Holgorsen at Nebraska is to help sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola take a step forward and improve for the 2025 season. A former five-star recruit, he has the potential to do so, but now he will look to live up to that lofty pedigree.

With Nebraska not playing a Spring Game, fans will get their first look at Nebraska in 2025 when the Cornhuskers open the season on August 28th in Kansas City against the Cincinnati Bearcats.