Matt Rhule takes shot at coaches looking forward to transfer portal

A lot of talk right now in college football is surrounding the recent opening of the second transfer portal window, which happened on Saturday, Apr 15. There are a number of programs and head coaches that have suggested they will be looking to acquire some more talent during the 15-day window before it closes on Apr 30. But while some coaches are preparing to go transfer portal recruiting, others, like Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule are scoffing at the ideal entirely. During Rhule’s press conference following the Cornhuskers’ spring practice finally, the Nebraska headman had some choice words on the matter, even appearing to take a shot at other college coaches.

“Whereas I hear other schools say they can’t wait for today; the transfer portal. They can’t wait to go out. I can’t wait to coach my guys; let me tell you that. I’m not here; I’m not thinking about anybody else than this team that’s out here,” said Rhule.

Clearly, Rhule is not taking a direct shot at anyone in particular. But it does seem like some believe it was a shot at newly hired Colorado head coach, NFL legend Deion Sanders. In the video below, you can hear Rhule’s take on the transfer portal and the coaches looking forward to it.

May have gone unnoticed over the weekend but Matt Rhule fired a shot at Deion Sanders and Colorado pic.twitter.com/jYgrfqQNn9

— Colorado on Athlon (@BuffsonAthlon) April 17, 2023

Whether it was directed at Sanders and the Buffaloes is unclear. But what is clear is Rhule is not worried or concerned with the transfer portal to the same level as other coaches in college football. His focus is on those who are already putting in the work and are a part of this program.

Rhule in the first transfer portal window

Rhule is not wholly opposed to the transfer portal. In fact, the Cornhuskers were big players in the first transfer window, the winter window, which was open between Dec 5 and Jan 18. During the winter transfer window, Nebraska added a total of 11 players during that time. Two of which are former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker MJ Sherman and tight end Arik Gilbert. Both Sherman and Gilbert were rated 5-star prospects according to On3’s 2023 transfer portal player rankings.

Although Rhule didn’t name Sanders specifically; it’s no secret that Sanders has been vocal about how active he’s been and will continue to be in the transfer portal. The Colorado social media team even put out a post the day that the portal opened, reminding everyone, “Coach Prime ain’t hard to find.” This series of events, coupled with their impending matchup, leads some to speculate that Rhule was taking an indirect shot at Sanders intentionally.