The Matt Rhule era is underway at Nebraska, with hopes and dreams filling the hearts and minds of Cornhusker faithful across the country unlike any time in quite a while. However, there is work to do. There’s a reason Scott Frost was let go, and a reason Mickey Joseph wasn’t given the full-time job.
This is a program that has, to put it lightly, struggled mightily for years. iIt’s been incredibly difficult at times to see light at the end of the tunnel, if it even existed at all.
But let’s move away from the past of Nebraska football and look to the present for answers. Here’s a dive into a couple areas Matt Rhule needs to place major focus into fixing if he’s to turn Nebraska football around.
2. Roster
Out of 58 commits to the Huskers through both high school and the transfer portal in the last two classes, six of them were offensive linemen. Six! Despite offensive line being a huge need over the last two years, just a hair over 10% of Nebraska’s recruiting resources were successfully put towards targeting offensive linemen.
Not just that, but the offensive linemen they did bring in have been, to put it lightly, not very good! This is just an example, but it illustrates the issues Nebraska has had in both talent identification and resource allocation.
That’s something Rhule and his staff will need to fix, and fix quickly. Letting a huge roster weakness go basically unchecked for two years is not something teams that want to compete for championships do. But lucky for Nebraska, this is the era of NIL and the transfer portal!
What that means is these issues can be solved within as little as a single offseason, and I’m sure Rhule and his staff are working hard to make sure it can be done with that haste. So if you’re a Cornhusker fan reading this, have faith in your coaches until they give you a reason not to.
1. Fan enthusiasm
One of the best, most passionate fanbases in all of college football resides in Lincoln, Nebraska. However, they’ve been battered and bruised unlike almost any other blue blood fanbase over the last 25 years.
Sure, they’ve still got the sellout streak, but that’s basically all they have anymore. Even then, Nebraska fans will admit freely that the sellout streak’s legitimacy is questionable at best. This is a fanbase that’s seen their team go from juggernaut to cellar dweller in the span of one generation.
Rhule has the skill and the staff to turn things around, and Nebraska fans certainly deserve it. Luckily, they just so happen to play in the Big Ten division that doesn’t have Ohio State, Penn State or Michigan! That’s a start! If he can put a good roster together, Rhule has a legitimate shot at cruising through arguably the worst Power Five division in its final year of existence, reaching the conference championship in year one.
If he can do that, or come close to it, he’ll get the kind of fan support his players deserve, while also driving up NIL funding. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Nebraska gets support, the fans get good football for the first time in going on 10 years.
It’s a tough road back for Nebraska, but it’s not necessarily a long one—at least if the right moves can be made.
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