Matt Rhule is charged with returning Nebraska to relevancy, here's a shortlist of how he should get started

About six weeks ago, Matt Rhule was fired as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, getting clowned on his way out the door for his take on Pepsi as a brand after a document titled ‘The Way of the Panther’ was leaked. 

“Pepsi tastes like Pepsi 24 hours a day! We have a Brand at the Panthers,” the document reads. “This Brand defines us both on the field and in everyday life. We are: The Toughest, Hardest Working, Most Competitive Team in the NFL.”

On Saturday, Matt Rhule was named the new head coach at Nebraska, as Cornhuskers AD Trev Alberts is betting big that the former Baylor and Temple coach may not have the best takes on soda but he can return a fellow-fading brand back to relevancy.

Rhule, who is still owed more than $40 million from Carolina, agreed to an eight-year contract with the Cornhuskers, looking to turnaround a once storied program desperate to be back in the national spotlight after not even making a bowl game since 2016.

“This is Nebraska,” Rhule told ESPN’s College Gameday on why he jumped immediately back into coaching so soon. 

“This is a team that I grew up not just watching. This is a team that I grew up revering.”

In a statement announcing his hiring, Rhule added, “When you think of great, tradition-rich programs in college football, Nebraska is at the top of the list. The fan base is second to none, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to coach in Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field. My family and I are so grateful to become a part of the Husker Family, and we can’t wait to get started.”

WHY MATT RHULE MAKES SENSE FOR NEBRASKA

Rhule’s resume is well-known. He’s a builder. A developer. A turnaround artist.

He took over a Temple program in transition, and after a 2-10 start, he delivered consecutive 10-win seasons, including a conference championship. The fast-talking Yankee then went to Texas and guided Baylor out of the ugliness from the Art Briles era, going 1-11 in Year 1 to 11-3 and a Sugar Bowl berth two seasons later. 

Today, Matt Rhule walks into a different situation than his previous two college coaching stints. The 47-year-old coach needed bulldozers to dig Temple and Baylor out of its ditches. 

That’s not exactly the case with the Cornhuskers. 

Nebraska isn’t in need of a total rebuild. The bones of a solid program — not national championship contender but annual 8-win bowl team — are there. This is a Chip and Joanna Gaines take their talents from Waco to Lincoln episode — only finances aren’t an issue. 

Nebraska needs someone with a vision and plan.

The Cornhuskers have among the most passionate and loyal fan bases in America (389 consecutive sellouts). It has resources (a new football facility set to open in less than a year) and a concentrated and booming NIL Collective. In a new college football landscape, Lincoln’s location isn’t the end-all recruiting deterrent anymore. 

But what Nebraska doesn’t have is an identity. Since firing Frank Solich in 2003, the Cornhuskers have mostly flailed in the wind. 

Rhule is tasked with changing that. 

While Rhule’s principles of discipline, defense and toughness didn’t work in the pros, that’s exactly what Nebraska needs after mostly self-immolating over the last three years of the disastrous Scott Frost regime. 

Rhule is an organizer who does pay attention to details. After being out of the college game for several seasons, he definitely has some catching up to do. 

Here’s a shortlist on how he should get started:

1. Establish an identity — What exactly that looks like is up to Rhule, obviously. Be Wisconsin with more NIL funds? Or perhaps Midwest Baylor, tough with a RPO-heavy offense? Whatever route he takes, Rhule simply must implement his plan. 
2. Focus early on development — With an eight-year deal, Rhule has been awarded time, so he shouldn’t worry about a quick-fix approach. His initial focus should be on rebuilding Nebraska’s line of scrimmage (especially OL) to compete weekly in the Big Ten. You’re not plucking a whole new starting OL from the transfer portal, recruit and develop 
3. Use a robust NIL machine to supplement the roster with more speed (a Rhule specialty) and a quality starting quarterback — Casey Thompson is likely gone, so Rhule will need a new starter. NU lost top wideout Trey Palmer to the NFL Draft, too. 
4. Retain interim head coach Mickey Joseph — The Cornhuskers alum did well in his role and will certainly be highly-sought after for plenty of other coaching staffs, especially considering his reputation as a recruiting ace, but Rhule should do every thing he can to make sure Joseph stays home. At Baylor, Rhule smartly identified a need for local connections, so he hired a trio of Texas high school coaches — including eventual Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. Joseph would be a similar slam-dunk hire. 
5. Diversify the rest of his coaching staff — Rhule has a strong-eye for coaching talent, but he made the mistake of taking most of his Baylor staff with him to Carolina. In a new world of college football, he needs to surround himself with some fresh voices, including Mickey Joseph, and people who are familiar with NIL-recruiting and the transfer portal. He’s had plenty of time to evaluate various coaches, so ideally, he has some hires in mind.

Reports are Matt Rhule said, “No” to Nebraska more than once. That doesn’t matter. It also doesn’t matter that Rhule was unsuccessful in the NFL and thinks Pepsi is the ideal soda brand. 

All that matters now is that Nebraska might’ve finally landed a coach capable of stabilizing a once-proud Big Red brand.