Nebraska Football: What Does Bob Elliott's Hiring Mean?

With the hiring of Bob Elliott as Nebraska football’s ninth coach, the staff is full. That is unless a tenth is approved by the NCAA in April, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Now that Elliott is officially a Cornhusker, what does this hire mean for the future of Nebraska football?

Well, I can tell you what it doesn’t mean. Former Husker Daniel Bullocks was interviewed for the job and, I for one am glad that he didn’t get it.

Yes, Bullocks played for Nebraska and yes, he played in the NFL for four years with the Detroit Lions. He even has some coaching experience with Northern Iowa, Eastern Michigan and most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars, all working with defensive backs.

Simply because someone played at Nebraska and in the NFL does not give them a shot at coaching the Cornhuskers by birthright.

There’s a difference in hiring Bullocks and hiring a former Husker in, let’s say, John Parrella.

Did Parrella have a long history of coaching before his current role as Nebraska’s defensive line coach? No. However, he had a 12-year NFL career. Think about that. He managed to play more than a decade at football’s highest level. That speaks to his ability to adapt to the changes of the game and take instruction, no?

It doesn’t hurt the argument that he put together a rushing defense ranked No. 43 in the country in his first year. While that may seem so-so, it was supposed to be an absolute quagmire considering the talent lost. Not bad for a first crack.

There’s Bullocks with his few years of coaching and then there’s Elliott with his 38 years, time spent with new Nebraska defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, his recruiting ability and connections, the familiarity he has with the Husker program having worked at Kansas State…well, I could go on.

Nebraska Football: What Does Bob Elliott’s Hiring Mean?

By Brandon Cavanaugh | Feb 13, 2017

With the hiring of Bob Elliott as Nebraska football’s ninth coach, the staff is full. That is unless a tenth is approved by the NCAA in April, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.