Matt Rhule to speak to former interim coach Mickey Joseph about staying on staff

New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has hit the ground running and one of his first orders of business is meeting with former interim coach Mickey Joseph to determine how to proceed.

Joseph steadied the Nebraska program after taking over just three games into the season following Scott Frost’s firing in mid-September. Nebraska won two of its first three games under Joseph’s direction, and players seemed to gravitate toward him.

The team capped a forgettable season by beating Iowa on the road on Saturday, preventing the Hawkeyes from reaching the Big Ten Championship Game as a result.

“I reached out to Mickey right when I got the job,” Rhule said in his introductory press conference. “Looking forward to talking to him at some point here and talking to the rest of the staff. I’ve been on both sides of it. I’ve been an assistant coach on a staff that’s been let go and I’ve always appreciated the coach coming in and talking to me, so I’ll try to be thorough with that process over the next couple of days.”

Joseph, a Louisiana native, has spent the majority of his coaching career in the south. He joined the Nebraska staff in 2022.

So the conversations between Joseph and Rhule will likely dig into his experience at Nebraska and whether Joseph wants to remain around the program.

“To me, it all comes down to fit. People have to want to be here, No. 1,” Rhule said. “They have to want to be in the role that they’re in and we have to all move forward. When I’ve not had success, it’s when some people are pulling in one direction.

“There will be a very clear vision, a very clear process for how we do things within the walls of the football program and within the Xs and Os. Any staff member that’s bought into that, I would love to talk to.

No longer interim coach, will Mickey Joseph remain at Nebraska?

With the tag of interim coach off, Mickey Joseph will have to decide if there’s a role on Rhule’s staff he’d like to take should that offer come.

It’ll be a two-way street, by the sound of it.

“I think Mickey did a fantastic job and I’ve known coach Joseph for a while, not personally but professionally,” Rhule said. “Excellent recruiter, players love him. I’m anxious to have a chance to visit with him and the rest of the staff.”

Prior to arriving at Nebraska in 2022, Joseph spent the 2017-21 seasons at LSU. He served as LSU’s receivers coaching from 2017-19 before adding assistant head coach to his titles in 2020.