Matt Rhule explains what he's doing to prepare for first season in the Big Ten

Matt Rhule has made head coaching stops in the American Athletic Conference, the Big 12, and even at the NFL level, but never in the Big Ten as he enters his first season as Nebraska‘s head coach. And at Big Ten Media Days, Rhule revealed that he’s drawn from some of Nebraska’s past head coaches including Tom Osborne on how to go about business in the Big Ten Conference.

“I think I’ve been very blessed that Coach Osborne has been willing to share some things with me,” Rhule said. “We have a little bit larger roster than I’ve had at other places I’ve been. So really practicing in the ways that Coach Devaney and Coach Osborne, Coach Solich did for 42 years of dominance, having multiple stations, multiple drills going on. A lot like we practiced at Penn State. But I haven’t done it for many years, and getting back to it this spring has been really good for us.”

Rhule played at Penn State from 1994–1997 and was a volunteer assistant for one season in 1998, but hasn’t returned to the Big Ten since. And even though he does have a tall task of turning around a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 in one of college football’s top conferences, he’s more concerned with the nuances that come with being the Cornhuskers’ head coach.

“So I think that’s maybe not about the Big Ten; it’s more about being at Nebraska. I’d be a fool if I didn’t ask Coach Osborne what the blueprint is. He doesn’t talk about plays; he talks about the way they practice, first and foremost,” Rhule explained.

Rhule led his previous two programs (Temple and Baylor) to conference title game appearances following one and two-win seasons in his first season at the helm. But he also understands that his recipe for success at other places may not be the same in Lincoln, as himself, his coaching staff, and even some mentors will look to work collaboratively to make the first year of the Matt Rhule era a success for the Cornhuskers.

“I’ve evolved, being in the NFL, being in different places — this is my fourth head coaching job — I tried to be really intentional taking this job and how am I going to do it,” Rhule said. “I say ‘I’. But I’ve got great coaches. They bring to the table a lot of great ideas, and we’ll try to put it together as best we can.”