Matt Rhule returned to college football at a tumultuous time. To say everything was upside down would be an understatement. Teams had gone from being put on NCAA probation for buying a player a cheeseburger, to giving them a new car and a million dollars. The unethical methods of recruiting that caused SMU to be given the Death Penalty in 1987 while building the vaunted ‘Pony Express’ is now not only legal but encouraged. Talk about a change of events.
Like a make-believe Dr. Pepper world, when Matt Rhule took the Nebraska job he leaped through a black hole to a new era in college football. Where unheard of portal events like Kurk Cignetti leaving JMU and going to Indiana and taking twenty or so players with him was about to be the new norm. It was the beginning of unimaginable salaries, not just for head coaches but for offensive and defensive coordinators. High school players being represented by agents and realizing you must work with NIL cooperatives like Nebraska’s 1890 to be successful. The start of the twelve-team playoff and lobbying for your team when needed. And not only building a team but retaining your team. It was the beginning of head coaches not just being coaches but being CEO’s.
As much as it pains me to say this, credit Trev Alberts for recognizing Matt Rhule as the right guy for the Nebraska job. Rhule is not only a head coach, but he is also the demanding CEO needed. And while I have great confidence in Rhule, he must be given a learning curve. He isn’t the only one, everyone is learning. Whatever is being done right now by athletic directors, coaches, and teams is a hit or miss proposition.
And for those reasons I’m not surprised by the changes in Rhule’s coaching staff in his first two seasons. Given the situation, it not only should have been expected but looked upon with anticipation.
The Scavenger Hunt Starts
Coming from the NFL, Rhule’s coaching pool may have been limited compared to coming out of college. He also wasn’t allowed to bring a safety net of players along like Cignetti. And I’m sure as the AD, Alberts was clear in letting Rhule know that Husker fans were running thin on patience. So, with recruiting and the portal, he was forced to build a staff at a time when every assistant coach of substance was in the middle of the playoffs or bowl preparations.
Looking back, Rhule must have felt rushed in piecing together a staff. But there were people like Evan Cooper that he knew he wanted. His first move was to call Cooper and say, “let’s go.” The longtime assistant didn’t hesitate and became Rhule’s defensive backs coach and top-notch identifier of talent. It was obvious from the start Cooper was someone Rhule trusted and had great faith in.
Next up was Ed Foley, another old Rhule acquaintance. Rhule promptly put Foley on the road in Nebraska, meeting with every coach and potential player that would listen. Foley’s personality fit the bill of what Rhule was trying to accomplish. And he was well received across the state. Foley would serve as the special team’s coach.
It’s unclear who Rhule’s first choice was for offensive coordinator. And we will never know how much of a role Jake Peetz played in Rhule’s decision to name Satterfield the OC. Peetz was slated to be the quarterback coach for sure, but one wonders if Rhule had intentions of his being more. Satterfield was to be the tight ends coach, but once Peetz said, “no thanks,” Satterfield moved to quarterback coach.
Things got harder after that. It’s believed Rhule considered retaining Mickey Joesph as the wide receivers coach, however, Mickey’s off the field turmoil prevented that from happening. With Satterfield and Cooper on board and Rhule taking pride in developing young coaches, he took a leap and hired the inexperienced 24-year-old Garrett McGuire as wide receiver’s coach. But the development didn’t stop there. Rhule hired Bob Wager, a Texas high school coach with no college experience as the tight ends coach.
With Satterfield’s encouragement, Rhule retained Donovan Raiola as the offensive line coach. A move that had Husker fans doubting Rhule’s choices even more. He then hired UCONN running back coach EJ Barthel. Having not heard of any of these guys, fans noticed the trend, Rhule was hiring old buddies he knew and trusted rather than top notch talent.
With his offensive staff set, he perhaps got the cart ahead of the horse by hiring defensive assistants he was familiar with. He added Rob Dvoracek as the linebackers coach and Terrance Knighton as defensive line coach. Then he turned to his old friend and coordinator Phil Snow to be defensive coordinator. But Snow was ready to retire and Rhule found himself with a defensive staff and no coordinator.
Enter another name from Rhule’s past, Tony White. While White had links to Rhule, he had never coached for him. And while most fans had never heard of him, he was serving as the defensive coordinator at Syracuse. Maybe not a complete unknown. I always felt it had to be very awkward for White to take the defensive coordinator job without having any say on his assistants. However, White did bring with him analyst Jack Potenza, Josh Bringuel, and Kevin McGarry.
Rhule’s staff was set. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Husker fans found the credentials of that first staff less than impressive. The uneasiness was warranted. First Bob Wager got a DUI and resigned before the season even started. Rhule elevated analyst Josh Martin who had coached tight ends at SMU before coming to Nebraska.
As we all know that first season didn’t go as well as hoped, going 5-7 and missing a bowl once again. There was little change in the staff during the offseason, but with the announcement Dylan Raiola was coming to Nebraska, Rhule moved Satterfield back to TE’s and hired Glenn Thomas as the QB coach. Also, with the rule changes and being able to have unlimited coaches on the field, analyst Jack Potenza, Josh Bringuel, Aaron Coeling, Adam DiMichele, Josh Martin, and Ron Brown all became coaches on the field.
Then, before fall camp started Evan Cooper resigned as defensive backs coach. The reason for Cooper’s leaving was never clarified, but it had a far greater effect on Rhule than I believe anyone realized. Still the man in charge, Rhule quickly turned to John Butler, a long time NFL secondary coach. At the time the move was seen as hiring a defensive coordinator in waiting, since many thought Tony white would leave for a head coaching job after year two. As for Bulter, one would like to think Tony White had some input on his hiring, but things never seemed right, as the defense looked out of sync and took a step backwards in year two.
Crises Mode, No Time to Waste
In Rhule’s second season with the team sitting at 5-4 and the offense once again ineffective, Rhule could see the writing on the wall. The Huskers needed one win with three games remaining. Knowing what had happened the previous year, Rhule didn’t hesitate in making changes to his staff during the season. He demoted Satterfield and brought in Dana Holgorsen as his offensive coordinator with three games left. As we now know, Rhule had tried to hire Holgorsen the previous January, but the timing wasn’t right for Holgorsen. Initially fans may have not been overly excited, but Holgorsen was someone they all knew from his Big XII days with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. And besides, with what they had witnessed from Satterfield, something had to change.
But the season had no sooner come to an end when Tony White announced his departure for Florida State as their new DC. For many it was surprising, not that White would leave, but the move was seen as a lateral one. White promptly took defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, outside linebackers coach Jack Potenza, and linebackers coach Josh Bringuel with him.
With Holgorsen in charge of the offense, the improvement was evident. After finishing the season at 6-6 and qualifying for a bowl, Matt Rhule hired Holgorsen to a two-year contract as the offensive coordinator. It was seen as a huge win by Husker fans. Holgorsen’s one request at OC was to hire his own wide receiver coach. Rhule hired Daikiel Shorts Jr. who played for Holgorsen at West Virgina and then coached wide receivers for him at West Virgina and Houston. He served as the WR’s coach at Kentucky this season. With the Shorts hire, Garrett McQuire decided to leave for Texas Tech rather than accept another position on the staff.
With multiple coaching positions open, facing a Pinstripe Bowl game, the transfer portal, and a so-called signing date with recruits, Rhule knew he needed to act quickly. Rhule named John Butler as the new defensive coordinator. He hired Phil Simpson as the outside linebacker’s coach. Then he hired Terry Bradden as the new defensive line coach and is planning on hiring a defensive backs coach. He is also trying to hire Phil Snow as associate head coach. And, one would have to think that somewhere down the line Jamar Mozee finds an on the field position.
John Butler served as Penn State’s defensive coordinator under Bill O’Brien after the Sandusky scandal. He then followed O’Brien to Houston and served as defensive backs coach. Before coming to Nebraska, he was the defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills, whose passing defense was often ranked at the top of the league.
Phil Simpson, who was a recruiter for Nebraska in 2023 is responsible for bringing the ‘Miami Five’ to Nebraska, Jacory Barney Jr., Willis McGahee IV, Vincent Shavers Jr., Larry Tarver Jr., and Amare Sanders. It’s also safe to say Simpson influenced 2025 recruit, Floridian WR Cortez Mills, to flip from Oklahoma to Nebraska.
The 34-yaer old Terry Bradden comes to Nebraska from the Kansas City Chiefs where he was the assistant defensive line coach. He’s held that position for the last four of his seven years with the Chiefs. He also hails from Florida where he was a high school head coach. The anticipation is his Florida background will assist in recruiting.
Phil Snow was Rhule’s defensive coordinator at both Temple and Baylor. He also worked for Rhule at Carolina. But the one thing that always catches my attention is he was the defensive coordinator for Arizona State in 1996. If you remember right the Sun Devils defeated Nebraska 19-0. The loss snapped a 26-game winning streak. It was also the first time in 51-games the Huskers were held scoreless. It’s evident the man can scheme and game plan. Not a bad guy for John Butler to have in his back pocket.
I mentioned Jamar Mozee earlier because he is a great coach and has been instrumental in bringing in the ‘KC Three’. Flipping WR Isaiah Mozee from Oregon, Dawson Merritt from Alabama, and Willams Nwaneri from Missouri.
I don’t believe the changes are over with. Watch for Rhule to name a defensive backs coach before the bowl game. Also, another thing to be aware of is the renewal of EJ Barthel’s and Ed Foley’s contracts. They are up at the end of this month, days after the bowl game. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see Foley reassigned within the staff, as the special teams were dismal this season. As for Barthels, it’s hard to get a read. Holgorsen made some comments early on about running backs not hitting holes, and there were rumors last season Barthels may be moving on. It’s something to watch for as Holgorsen may have someone in mind that he feels fits his offense better.
The big take away in all this is that some fans feel like we are taking a step back and then another one forward. The fans need to remember this team and staff has a record of 11-13 in two seasons. It was time for a shake-up. Stop and think about that Buffalo-Kansas City football game at Arrowhead in January of 2022. Butler and Bradden were on those staffs. These coaches come from winning cultures. They bring something to Nebraska that has been missing. Winning. All the moves we are seeing with coaches and players, it’s been a half step back, two steps forward. I like the direction things are going.
Good things are about to happen.
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