Is Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule already under pressure?
Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule is entering his first season at the helm of the Huskers, but there are some who think he’s already seeing pressure.
Matt Rhule hasn’t been in Lincoln for a year yet. He’s got what seems to be a pretty big job ahead of him in rebuilding the program. Most people would assume that means that his first year at the helm of the Huskers is relatively stress free.
Of course, everyone knows that in the hectic world of college football, there’s no such thing as “stress free.” Certainly, there’s quite a bit of stress and pressure around the Nebraska football program. It’s become a bit of a pressure cooker.
So is Rhule actually under more pressure heading the Nebraska football program than anyone realizes? Brad Crawford of 247Sports certainly believes there may be more pressure than people realize for Rhule.
"It might be difficult to gather takeaways from Matt Rhule’s first season at Nebraska, but after the Huskers put together a “sneaky good” recruiting class in a short amount of time, the positive spin emanating from Lincoln right now is warranted. That noticeable momentum fizzles if Nebraska goes 5-7 and the turnaround for Rhule is more difficult than it appears. He’s not putting a timeframe on when the Huskers will be a national force under his watch, but he does expect it will happen. This program faces pressure on the low end of the spectrum, but it’s there in the Big Ten after a regime change."
Nebraska football always offers pressure
To be clear, Matt Rhule is not on the hot seat. The team could go 0-12 and as long as Rhule kept his nose clean and didn’t do something foolish, there’s no chance he’d be fired.
His massive contract ensures that. But just because he doesn’t get fired doesn’t mean there isn’t pressure. A bad start to his career in Lincoln will get people very, very nervous.
It’s not unfair to say that Rhule is already under pressure. The good news is that he’s not a stupid man. He took over the Nebraska football team, knowing where the program is and where fans desperately want it to go.