There is a running theme connected to Matt Rhule. The theme … year three. Every Husker fan and college football expert are banking on Rhule to take Nebraska to the next level in 2025. Why? Because after stops at Temple and Baylor he’s known as a rebuilder of programs and so far, there’s no reason not to believe he’ll do it at Nebraska too.
Going into Rhule’s third year as head man anyone who has been paying an iota of attention knows Nebraska has improved. The coaching staff is significantly better, and the talent level is far superior to what we saw under previous coaches. Plus, the culture and attitude is starting to resemble something Husker fans witnessed prior to 2000.
But even with all that, there are three things that must happen this season. There must be defensive line development, OC Dana Holgorsen must have a player-focused strategy, and Mike Ekler’s special teams must become assets rather than liabilities. For the Huskers to have the kind of season they want they’ll need to be great in two of the three phases of the game and at least solid in the third.
Defensive Line Development
Fans dreaded Tony White leaving even before it became a reality. And when he took Terrance Knighton with him to Florida State Husker fans started screaming “the sky is falling.” But Matt Rhule put the kibosh on Chicken Little by revamping his defensive staff. He promoted John Butler, retained Rob Dvoracek and brought in Phil Snow, Terry Bradden, Phil Simpson, and Addison Williams. The move should give this side of the ball much better cohesion and a balance that has been missing. Under the watchful eye of Phil Snow this year all three levels of the defense should work as one.
New D-line coach Terry Bradden has spent significant time under Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo. He’s been part of Super Bowl winning teams and has worked with some of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. He demands attention to detail and brings next level coaching and enthusiasm to the room and that’s a must if he is to have this young defensive line ready for the 2025 season.
The addition of Phil Simpson, who was a defensive lineman under Rhule at Temple was also an important move. He’ll coach the ‘Jack’ position, which is considered an outside linebacker, but that position will look different under Butler than it did under White. The Jacks will be an integral part to the defensive line’s success.
The D-line must be stout enough to stuff a power running game and agile enough to put pressure on the quarterback. Doing that will be difficult, seldom does a defensive line excel at both. The big question this season will be, do the Huskers have the size to hold up against B1G offensive lines.
Some of the big horses on the inside that will have to answer that question are Riley Van Poppel, 6’5” 290lbs, Elijah Jeudy, 6’3” 295lb, David Hoffken, 6’7” 275lbs, Mason Goldman, 6’5” 2675lbs, Gabe Moore, 6’4” 290lbs, and Sua Lefotu, 6’3” 295lbs.
Guys on the edge who are more agile and play with a little more speed are Cam Lenhardt, 6’3” 260lbs, Keona Davis, 6’5” 255lbs, Williams Nwaneri, 6’5” 255lbs, and Jaylen George, 6’2” 265lbs,
Two freshmen who could contribute and fans should watch for are Malcolm Simpson, 6’3” 255lbs and Kade Pietrzak, 6’4” 250lbs. Tyson Terry, 6’2”, 280lbs may be limited while recovering from ACL surgery. Don’t look for any of the three to be starters, but they’ll get enough reps in their limited four games to contribute.
From the Jack position three names who will be heavily involved in setting the tone for pressuring the QB and filling holes in the run game are Desan McCullough, 6’5” 255lbs, Willis McGahee, 6’1” 235lbs, and Jordan Ochau, 6’4” 250lbs. They each bring their own talent to the position and will test offensive tackles with their speed.
When it comes to athleticism, this defensive line group has the potential to be elite as Blackshirts. The problem is, of the fifteen names I’ve mentioned, 2 are freshmen, 3 are redshirt freshman, 6 are sophomores, 2 are juniors, and 2 seniors. Overall, it’s a young inexperienced group which means a lack of returning production.
Rhule has stated that part of his success at Temple and Baylor was getting to the quarterback. His double-digit winning teams were in the 40-sack range in those seasons.
In comparison, over the last two season Nebraska logged 32 sacks in 2023 and 30 in 2024. Only four players returned who contributed to those numbers. Cam Lenhardt, Riley Van Poppel, Willis McGahee, and Mason Goldman. Together they logged 6-sacks in the last two seasons. DC John Butler and his staff will have to work to make this group successful.
The first game of the season against Cincinnati will be a good early test and allow coaches to shuffle players to the best position. After that, players will be able to get their feet under them with games against Akron and Houston Christian before playing Michigan at home. Michigan over the last couple of seasons has relied on the power running game often using two tight ends. Husker fans and coaches will have a good idea what this Nebraska defensive line is after playing the Wolverines.
Rhule often talks about developing players, well he’s been given the opportunity because the word for this group is development, development, development.
In 3 Things that must Happen in Matt Rhule’s Year 3: Part 2, I’ll discuss Dana Holgorsen and his player-focused strategies.
For more on Husker football go to Off The Cob