Just when things were trending upward for Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, rumors began to swirl across the NCAA. After James Franklin was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, several household names in college football emerged as potential candidates.
Rhule—currently guiding the 5-1 Cornhuskers through the Big Ten—is reportedly a frontrunner for the vacant job in State College. However, he made sure to kill the buzz with a concise statement. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola already draws plenty of attention to the program in Lincoln. The team will be better off if its head coach isn’t on the front cover, too.
“I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come,” Rhule commented, via The Athletic‘s Mitch Sherman. “I’m not going to talk about my contract here. I absolutely love it here. I want to continue to take the steps needed to turn this place into a beast.”
All options on the table
While Rhule’s statement is far from what most fans and the brass in Happy Valley would like to hear, the door isn’t completely shut. Still, the Nittany Lions are keeping their options open, with several potential replacements for Franklin surfacing across the NCAA. Currently unemployed or not, Penn State is exploring college football’s coaching carousel—leaving no stone unturned in the process.
Of course, there’s the financial side to the story, but the Nittany Lions don’t seem to worried about that. “If [Rhule] were to resign before Jan. 1, he or his new employer would owe Nebraska $5 million,” as reported by Newsday.com. Though a seemingly low price considering Penn State is already footing a very hefty bill on Franklin’s buyout, it’s still something to keep an eye on.
Might be a matter of time
Rhule made it crystal clear his sight is entirely fixed on leading Nebraska through the 2025 college football season. So far, he’s had much success rebuilding the Huskers’ football program. Coming off a nail-biting 34-31 win on the road against the Maryland Terrapins, Nebraska is entering a short week before facing the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis on Friday, October 17th.
As long as Penn State remains acephalous, without a head coach signed for the long term, Rhule cannot expect the noise around him to be silenced. At the end of the day, he’s made his appreciation for his alma mater clear. Sooner or later, the writing on the wall may become reality, and the story could come full circle for Rhule and the Nittany Lions.