Matt Rhule spends open night watching Jordy Bahl highlights

Nebraska’s new head football coach, Matt Rhule, is doing everything in his power to get in the good graces of his new fan base. On Thursday evening, Rhule was seen watching highlights of one of the best players in college softball, Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl.

Bahl recently jumped in the transfer portal and transferred to the Huskers, after deciding to leave the back-to-back-to-back national champs, the Oklahoma Sooners. Bahl is a native of Nebraska, so the connection made sense.

Here’s the brief clip of Rhule spending time at home with his family watching Bahl’s highlights at Oklahoma.

What else to do with your family on a Thursday night than to watch ⁦@jordybahl⁩ hilites?!?! #GBR ⁦@HuskerSoftball⁩ pic.twitter.com/XgZ11zs5vJ

— Matt Rhule (@CoachMattRhule) June 30, 2023

Bahl has been one of the top pitchers in college softball the past two seasons at Oklahoma. In 2023, she finished with a 22-1 record and a 0.90 ERA to lead the Sooners to a third consecutive national championship. It was a strong follow-up to a freshman season in which she had an identical 22-1 record with a 1.09 ERA. That earned her the NFCA’s Freshman of the Year award.

Bahl put on a show at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in the WCWS. She struck out 30 batters across 24.2 scoreless innings and allowed 12 while amassing a 4-0 record in OKC.

But after Oklahoma brought home the title, news came out that she intended to enter the transfer portal. She made it clear it wasn’t about anything wrong with Oklahoma, though. Instead, she wanted to move closer to home, and she did just that by committing to Nebraska Thursday morning. She initially committed to the Cornhuskers in high school but de-committed to join Patty Gasso at Oklahoma.

“After 2 years of wonderful memories, I’m excited for 2 more representing the Nebraska Cornhuskers,” Bahl tweeted. “This state, these people, and this N are all things I’m excited, proud, and thankful to be a part of.”

Nebraska coach Rhonda Revelle also released a statement expressing her excitement to add someone of Bahl’s caliber to the program.

“The entire Nebraska softball team is thrilled to have Jordy join the Red Team,” Revelle said. “Jordy is an amazing young woman, teammate and athlete who we know is an incredible addition to our team both on and off the field. Having known Jordy for several years, we have not been surprised by her accomplishments as she has always been the epitome of a driven, determined and laser-focused competitor. Jordy is a winner on the inside and out, and she uplifts and inspires all who are around her. This is a wonderful day for Husker Nation to welcome back our homegrown Husker Jordy Bahl.”

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.