Turner Corcoran shares Matt Rhule's message ahead of Nebraska camp

The next progression of the Matt Rhule era at Nebraska is underway as the Cornhuskers kicked off fall camp on Monday. There will be plenty of competition as Rhule enters his first season as Nebraska’s head coach, and following the first practice, veteran offensive lineman Turner Corcoran shared what Rhule’s message to the team was prior to the start of camp.

“Just come out and compete,” Corcoran said. “We’ve got a long camp ahead of us and he just wants us to stay healthy, do our job of recovering and hydrating, getting to know our playbook and stuff like that. And just come out ready to compete.”

The Cornhuskers have failed to compete at a high level for quite some time, as the program has not achieved a winning record since the 2016 season. And Nebraska is hoping that Rhule can be the one to turn things around.

Rhule has proven he can do so in the past in his previous collegiate head coaching jobs, inheriting a four-win Temple team and a Baylor team going through a significant transition after Art Briles entire staff resigned or was fired. He eventually led both squads to conference title game appearances during his tenure, both in his third season at the helm. And if he did so in Lincoln, it’d represent the program’s first Big Ten title game appearance since 2012.

Corcoran could be a part of Nebraska’s success if they do make an impact in their first season under Rhule, as he returns as the Cornhuskers’ most experienced offensive lineman.

As a true freshman, Corcoran saw playing time, playing in three games for Nebraska and making one start in the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020, where he became the first true freshman to start at left tackle in program history.

From that point forward he’d become Nebraska’s most versatile offensive lineman, making starts at three of the five different positions on the offensive line throughout his career. Last season he led all Nebraska offensive linemen with 739 total snaps, and his ability to avoid injury and position versatility could make that the case again this upcoming season.

It will be interesting to see which players surround Corcoran this season on the offensive line, as the Cornhuskers look to replace starters like Trent Hixson and Brock Bando from a season ago and protect their new dual-threat quarterback Jeff Sims in his first season with the team.