Nebraska HC Matt Rhule talks recruiting, NIL roster retention

Nebraska began 5-3 in 2023 before a four-game skid against Michigan State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa ended the Huskers’ season ahead of a bowl game.

However, the 2024 forecast is looking brighter in Lincoln.

Nebraska was picked to finish No. 8 in cleveland.com’s 2024 Big Ten media poll. The Huskers come into the season with back-to-back top-30 recruiting classes and nine additional transfers.

Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule won an American Athletic Conference championship in 2016 at Temple before taking Baylor from 1-11 to 11-1 in just three seasons. Now, he’s trying to do the same in Lincoln — and it all starts with recruiting.

“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Rhule told On3’s Steve Wiltfong on Wednesday at Big Ten media days. “We’re a unique team in that we have a senior-led team and then we have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. We’ve tried to add a ton of young talent.

“I think what we’ll see in the coming years is that the teams who can hold together guys for multiple years are going to have veteran teams who can make runs in the playoffs,” Rhule continued. “So we’re trying to find the guys that we think — hey this guy has the ability to do it, and also will be here for three or four years. So, I really like where we’re at. We’re going to have to add some key pieces in this class and probably in the coming classes to get over that hump, though.”

Nebraska’s recruiting success

Speaking of ‘key pieces’ in the current class, Nebraska currently holds commitments from 17 prospects — including four four-stars — and ranks No. 27 nationally in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“I think it’s a lot of size and speed,” Rhule said of the 2025 class. “It’s a lot of guys we had at camp, so we had the verifieds on them. I think a couple of guys in the recruiting world are under the radar because they committed early and haven’t really hit the circuit. I think if some of them would’ve gone out and done some of the camps and combines, they would’ve risen up the boards. But in terms of our live evaluations, we had a lot of live evaluations on these guys.”

In terms of how Nebraska commits and eventual signees are viewed in the general recruiting world, the Huskers bring in prospects all across the board. In the 2024 class, Cornhuskers prospects ranged from a five-star quarterback to an unranked, 6-foot-7 German defensive lineman.

For Rhule, it’s all about projecting a player’s long-term development rather than just their immediate impact.

“Nebraska has everything that you could want, we just haven’t won yet. So it’s getting guys to want to come on faith,” Rhule said. “Really with every player — whether they’re a four-star or a two-star — I’m purely looking at them and saying, ‘Hey, where’s this guy going to be in four or five years.’ So sometimes that guy is further along in his development so he’s a five-star or a four-star. Sometimes he’s 190 pounds but I know he’s going to be 240 or 250 — those are the Haason Reddicks of the world.

“We don’t shy away from recruiting anyone, but we also don’t shy away from recruiting the guys that we believe are going to grow into big-time players. I think that’s one of the reasons why I came to Nebraska, because I think we can recruit anybody against anyone.”

2024 QB class

On the subject of that five-star quarterback mentioned above, Rhule spoke about the pair of signal-callers the Huskers brought in with the 2024 class.

Bellevue (Neb.) West three-star quarterback Daniel Kaelin and Buford (Ga.) five-star QB Dylan Raiola both signed with Nebraska and have been putting in work this offseason in Lincoln.

“I know this — there will be a day in seven or eight years where both guys are playing in the National Football League, okay,” Rhule said of Kaelin and Raiola. “Danny has the arm talent, but he has the brain — he can process as fast as anyone I’ve ever seen. A lot of time in college football, you’re throwing to open receivers. He can throw it to spots. So, that’s going to translate really well for him. Right now he’s in a phase of just physical development and getting him big and strong to withstand the rigors of a Big Ten schedule.

“Then Dylan, you know Dylan really was born to play quarterback,” Rhule continued. “He just has a natural feel for everything he does. But make no mistake, he’s in there every morning at 6 a.m. He’s throwing before his lift, he’s working on things. I think both guys have a unique intellect. And that’s where, my time in the NFL, the guys who make it go there are the ones who are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. I think these guys have that opportunity.”

The impact of NIL on recruiting, roster retention

Name, image and likeness has been at the center of the college athletics discussion for a couple of years, now. At Nebraska, a strong and still growing NIL operation has been built to give back directly to the athletes.

“We’re blessed that our 1890 (Nebraska) collective, mainly with the help of the Peed family, every dollar that someone gives to that collective goes right to a student-athlete,” Rhule said. “They’ve backstopped everything. They’ve been amazing and we wouldn’t be where we are without them. We’re not at the top, though, nationally. We still have some work to get to the top where other people are, but I think for where we are heading into year two, I couldn’t be happier with where we’re at. We just some ways to go.”

While NIL has dominated the recruiting conversation, it also has a significant impact on roster retention. Rhule said that a major priority at Nebraska is ensuring that players actually on the roster are earning their fair share and that NIL is not restricted to incoming players.

“I think really what you’re saying is, you have to look at the guys on your team that are on the uptick, that are earning it — and say okay, he’s someone that we need to make sure that we can keep him here and not let another school come in and just buy him away from us,” Rhule said. “So we want to have great relationships and connections, but at the same time just like a coach — if someone is being offered three times what he’s making, he has a right to come back to you and say, ‘Hey, what’s the deal here?’

“So, we’re lucky in that, like I said, we have enough to get those things done. What we don’t want, is we don’t want all of our money invested in the incoming players only so that we win in recruiting but our players that are there don’t feel valued. So, it’s a whole balancing act.”