Matt Rhule shares Nebraska's approach to national recruiting

Matt Rhule didn’t have time to haul in many big fish from the 2023 recruiting cycle, signing as the next Nebraska head coach just weeks ago. Still, Rhule is determined to make Lincoln, NE a top-tier recruiting destination in the coming years.

“I think we’ll always be a national brand. You know, I think you look back to when Coach Osborne was dominating college football, you know, they still went other places to find guys,” Rhule said in an interview on ESPN2. “So, we want to be really strong in Nebraska, but as I look at other schools in the Big Ten — Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State — they’re all recruiting nationally.”

The great thing about being a well-tenured head coach like Matt Rhule is that he’s had stops to schools that are in some of the biggest high school recruiting markets in the country. Going from Temple University (Philadelphia/New England), to Baylor (Texas) and now to Nebraska, Rhule has dipped his hands into the Midwestern-Detroit recruiting pocket now. Of course, he doesn’t want to limit his recruiting to just one area.

Rhule singled out areas throughout Texas, Kansas City, Florida and even going as far as the northeast as his recruiting grounds. He made sure to make note of the fact that some of Nebraska’s greatest players have come from the New England area. That list includes names such as Mike Rozier and Rich Glover, among others that have came to Lincoln and stole the show.

Two of Rhule’s three four-star recruits (Princewill Umanmielen and Riley Van Poppel) both come from Texas, and has recruits ranging from California to New Jersey to Florida. Add in the commitments of seven of the top 11 players in Nebraska – including four-star ATH Malachi Coleman – and Rhule is already inheriting a program that dominates it’s home state’s recruiting scene.

If the Matt Rhule hype is real, high-level recruits and transfer portal players will flock to Lincoln to be a part of a team that is ready to get in front of the Big Ten when conference realignment in 2024 beefs up the conference, and recruiting competitions, even more.