Mike Rucker discusses the connection between Nebraska and Carolina Panthers

Mike Rucker was an edge rusher for the Nebraska Cornhuskers when Nebraska won its last national championship under Tom Osborne. He was later drafted by the Carolina Panthers, where he spent his entire NFL career.

This background has given Rucker some interesting insight into new Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, who previously coached the Panthers. While the two never had their paths cross directly, Rucker does know Rhule and knows that he’s committed to succeeding at Nebraska.

“Ya know, I got a lot of calls when his name popped up back home,” Mike Rucker told The State. “And they were asking me, ya know, ‘What’s he like?'”

As Rucker explained, failing with Carolina was part of the journey. However, Rhule has proven he can win in college already.

“And here’s my thing: I said that he’s a guy who is committed to the cause and puts in the time and the work. And so for him to go from here to there — he was successful in college; this didn’t pan out, which if you talk to any coach in the coaching world, no one has been in one spot 100 years, that’s part of the journey.”

Importantly, Rhule should be able to provide structure at Nebraska. That structure will help get the Cornhuskers back on the right path.

“But for Nebraska, for us, we’ve been at the bottom for so long, we need structure. And I think that he’s bringing structure to the University of Nebraska, and that’s something that makes us hopeful. If we can get pointed in the right direction, that’s going to be good for us. And I think that he’ll be able to do that.”

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said his time with Carolina was a purifying fire

Matt Rhule went just 11-27 during his time with Carolina and was fired early in the 2022 season after another slow start. It was, unfortunately for him, a failed tenure. However, Rhule doesn’t think of this as time lost, calling it a purifying fire.

“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Matt Rhule said.

“I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me. And I watched what my kids had to go through in Carolina. And we’re not going to let ’em go through that here.”