The Nebraska football head coach is a social media veteran, but his latest move has Husker fans more than a little confused about the point.
Matt Rhule has confused Nebraska football fans almost since the first day they started noticing what he does on Twitter. However, most of that confusion was more rooted in trying to figure out what he was saying.
Rhule tends to talk in code when he’s addressing a recruit, and it’s become quite the fun game trying to figure out just what the Huskers’ head coach was trying to say. On Friday, however, the confusion over his tweet was more based on what he did than what he was trying to say.
Earlier this week, the Nebraska football team hosted 2026 defensive line prospect Preston “PJ” Carey, and during that visit, he earned himself a Huskers offer. Not long after Carey earned that offer from Nebraska, he took yet another visit, this time to Colorado, and the Buffaloes also gave him an offer.
Where Rhule’s actions had Husker fans scratching their heads is that when Carey announced he’d gotten his 18th offer from the Buffs, the Nebraska football head coach both liked and retweeted him. More than a few fans found it odd that the NU coach seemed to be celebrating that a rival was going after a player he wanted in Lincoln.
This seems like an odd thing for Coach Rhule to retweet. pic.twitter.com/SEx4AwRdIm
— Dave Feit (@FeitCanWrite) April 7, 2023
Some fans thought he was playing “4-D chess.” with the maneuver. Others thought it was a way to taunt Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and how he’s recruiting.
“He liked it too.” one user wrote. “Wonder if he’s showing Husker fans that Colorado is offering players immediately after Nebraska does?”
However, another Twitter user made it clear this isn’t a one-off, it isn’t an accident, and it’s not about taunting an opposing coach. Instead, it’s just about showing that Nebraska football coaches really do care about the kids they’re recruiting.
“He’s done this with other recruits,” they wrote. “I think he’s trying to send the message that he supports the recruit…and that includes getting recognition and offers from other schools. So he prioritizes the recruit’s best interest over that of HCMR or DONU. Classy.”
Nebraska football recruiting twists and turns
Matt Rhule has had no problem keeping Husker fans on their toes. Usually, his Twitter decisions are meant to allow the Nebraska football program to stand out.
To that end, it appears that he has once again met his goal.