Matt Rhule reveals what he looks for in transfer portal prospects

Nebraska and head coach Matt Rhule have not been shy about turning to the transfer portal for help. The Cornhuskers have added a number of players from the portal ahead of the 2025 season, with the most recent addition being former Notre Dame offensive lineman Rocco Spindler.

Matt Rhule was recently asked what Nebraska looks for in transfer portal players before recruiting them and adding them to the Cornhuskers roster. He revealed that he looks for qualities outside of just playing football.

“I can handle anything. I can handle guys who make mistakes. I can handle guys who lose their cool and yell at me. I just can’t handle a lack of gratitude,” Matt Rhule said. “I can’t handle guys who are ungrateful.”

Rhule runs his Nebraska program with a lot of structure, and there are benefits that come with that. For example, yes Cornhuskers players are expected to wake up early and eat breakfast every day, but they also get every meal made by a chef throughout the week.

He is thankful for the players who appreciate that.

“Sometimes guys come from a school that they don’t have 21 meals [per week] served by a chef, and they’re like, ‘Wait, you’re going to feed me? I don’t have to eat ramen noodles?’ So there’s a level of gratitude,” he said.

“And so that’s why the bowl was so fun was some people left, and the guys that were on the bowl trip all wanted to be on the bowl trip. We had fun together. They were grateful to be a Husker. They were grateful to have all the things that we have.”

Nebraska beat Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, before Matt Rhule turned his attention to filling out the Cornhuskers roster.

Rhule was diligent in making sure that the players he added from the transfer portal will fit in well with Nebraska’s culture.

“When guys come to visit, and they treat people well and they’re grateful and all of those things then the talent speaks for itself. But I’m looking for that other piece. There’s other guys that when they left we said, ‘Hey, this isn’t going to be a fit.’ We had one player who was coming here and as he was dealing with people it just wasn’t a great fit,” Rhule said. “So we’re not going to ruin the locker room over one guy.

“I think that’s the biggest thing for me is trying to evaluate ‘Why are you coming here? What are you leaving? And what do you really want to do?'”