After attacking the transfer portal and making a statement in recruiting, Matt Rhule is seeing the expectations skyrocket through the roof for his third season in Lincoln.
Sunday afternoon, the Huskers landed Notre Dame guard and two year starter Rocco Splinder from the transfer portal, after all momentum was shifting toward the Virginia Cavaliers.
Monday morning, it was announced that Tennessee special teams coordinator, and former Nebraska assistant Mike Ekeler was leaving the Vols to coach the same position for Nebraska.
A massive hire for Rhule and Nebraska, Ekeler, the David City, Nebraska native, is one of the best special teams coaches in the country, and is a crucial hire for a unit that has struggled for as long as Nebraska’s has.
This Nebraska staff now has multiple proven winners with both college and professional coaching experience, which has led to massive success in the portal, and recruiting.
Helping out quarterback Dylan Raiola was a key priority this season for the Huskers and new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, and they made sure of it.
Wide receivers Dane Key (Kentucky), Hardley Gilmore IV (Kentucky) and Nyziah Hunter (California) are instant impact players that the Huskers and new Wide Receivers coach Daikiel Shorts can use to pair with Jacory Barney Jr., Carter Nelson and many more in that room.
Defensively, new DC John Butler landed many key contributors and instant starters to reload the Huskers defense after being gutted by the portal.
Former five star EDGE Williams Nwaneri (Missouri) was the commitment that started everything for the Huskers.
Linebackers Dasan McCullough (Oklahoma), Marques Watson-Trent (Georgia Southern) and safety Justyn Rhett (Georgia) are a few names to watch to contribute big and early for Butlers defense.
All additions through the portal, Rhule was able to land the #1 ranked transfer class in the Big Ten and #5 ranked nationally, mix that with a top 20 high school recruiting class and Nebraska and this staff have all of a sudden put themselves in a position to win and win now.
As much attention and expectations that we’ve seen Husker teams get in the past, I fully expect the 2025 season to surpass any season in the past decade based off hype alone.
Rhule and the Huskers did everything right in their efforts to adapt to the seemingly constant changing college football world, opening the checkbook in a sense to make sure that Nebraska had the staff and talent.
Schedule wise for the Huskers, there is not a game that I look at until a November road trip to Penn State that I don’t think the Huskers can’t win.
Michigan will be led by a true freshman quarterback, Maryland has been picked apart through the portal, Minnesota has lost their two best defensive coaches in a matter of weeks and the rest of Nebraska’s key major games (Michigan State, Northwestern, USC) are all at home.
Rhule is known for his year three jump, which is why it was key that the Huskers finished 7-6 in 2023, building a culture while developing young talent on the way towards a massive make or break 2025 season.