Matt Rhule points to tampering when discussing Dante Dowdell's Nebraska departure

We are in a new era in college athletics. College football continues to change as we move closer to revenue sharing. We are now in the extended playoff era, the SEC’s best games are no longer found on CBS, and players owns ultimate freedom of movement when it comes to picking who they play for on a year-to-year basis. There’s also the NIL and pay-for-play factor that must be negotiated by the player and team side constantly.

That can often lead to tampering. No one talks about it on record, but we all know it’s going on. Players are often offered deals while they are still playing for another team. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule feels that Dante Dowdell was tampered with.

Is this a shot at Kentucky? Possibly so but it’s also a shot at the system.

“I love Dante and Dante loved it here. Dante loved it here. I’ve got nothing but elite things to say about Dante. This was a long, hard, arduous process for him. In the end, he went in the portal and took an opportunity. These aren’t kids going into the portal to see what’s out there,” Rhule said. “These are decisions — these are offers being made before they’re in the portal. To go in the portal.”

“So this isn’t like ‘I’m unhappy, I’m leaving’. This is ‘Hey, I’ve got this.’ The numbers are a lot. Hard decisions for kids. Once you’ve played for me one day you’ve played for me the rest of your life. I love Dante.”

“These are offers being made before they’re in the portal to go in the portal.”

Matt Rhule speaks on the departure of Dante Dowdell.#GBR | #Huskers pic.twitter.com/3UMPUL6sWK

— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) December 20, 2024

Nebraska is very likely doing the same thing. The Huskers are making some waves in the transfer portal with some big additions. Most notably, Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key joined the Huskers on Christmas Eve. Have the Huskers tampered with players on other teams? Probably so. But the head coach certainly seems to believe that Dante Dowdell had some contact with Kentucky before entering the portal. News broke that Dowdell was entering the portal on Dec. 16 and a visit was locked in with Kentucky one day later. The transfer with two years of eligibility committed to Kentucky on Dec. 20.

Were under the table conversations had for Dowdell? Matt Rhule believes so. The rules are that there are no rules in college football roster-building right now.