This past weekend, college football saw a seismic shakeup when Penn State, after twelve years, let go of James Franklin after their recent skid. Immediately, rumors started about who would fit as his replacement, and one of the biggest names is Matt Rhule, the head coach of Nebraska football. He has ties to Penn State, and when asked about the job, he did not exactly say no.
Matt Rhule was asked about the Penn State job due to his ties to the university and State College. He attended State College and played walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions in the 1990s. He also met his wife at Penn State and is close friends with athletic director Pat Kraft. It is also worth noting that Kraft hired Rhule to lead Temple back in 2012. He did not exactly say no to being the next head coach at Penn State.
“This place is elite,” Rhule said at his weekly availability. “And I want to be a great father, and I want to be a great college football coach. And so I won’t talk much about job openings when they come.”
Matt Rhule is a program builder, and that has been the case everywhere he has been at the college level. He dug Temple out of the college football basement and helped Baylor do the same thing and be elite at the Big 12 level.
After a brief stint in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, during which he did not have much success, he's on his way to rebuilding Nebraska. Before the 2024 season, the Cornhuskers went seven straight seasons without a winning record, finishing with a 7-6 record.
“I absolutely love it here,” Rhule said, “and I just want us to continue to take the steps needed to turn this thing into a beast and have players all across the country want to come here with the best facilities. We have elite fans.
“I’m just looking at the future, but again, I love that place (Penn State), I love Pat, I love James Franklin, and I'm sad that came to an end. I wish him the absolute best. But I really am happy here.”
It makes sense for Rhule not to remain silent on the Penn State job. He had to say something because the rumors were going to start regardless. However, the fact that Rhule did not emphatically say no leaves the door open for him to take this job.
