On Saturday morning, the Nebraska football team made the move it had to make. Dana Holgorsen was shown the door after yet another incompetent offensive performance. His firing doesn't show the Huskers are in panic mode. It's the incredible vote of confidence the OC got just five days ago from head coach Matt Rhule that sends those signals.
Nebraska football fires Dana Holgorsen, installs Glenn Thomas
Just ahead of an official statement on Saturday, the program said that quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas, a favorite of both Anthony Colandrea and incoming 2027 quarterback Trae Taylor, will be the interim playcaller. That's noteworthy, if for no other reason, that the Huskers still have the coach on staff who did the job before Holgorsen was hired.
Nebraska likely knows that firing Holgorsen and reinstalling Marcus Satterfield wouldn't have tamped down the anger around the fanbase amid the Huskers' fourth straight loss.
A longtime Rhule aide at both Temple and Baylor, Thomas called plays at Arizona State in 2022 and has been listed as a coordinator at Baylor and UNLV.
What makes the Sunday morning firing of Dana Holgorsen so interesting is that during Rhule's Monday press conference earlier this week, he made it very clear that the OC's job was quite safe. The move upstairs for the Illinois game was said to be the only change Nebraska would make.
After yet another game in which NU threw 40+ times and still couldn't reach 20 points, the Huskers had no way to keep Holgorsen on staff without sparking a full-on fan mutiny. In other words, NU is in full-on panic mode, knowing full well that calls for firings are only getting louder.
The only way this firing will stop the calls for Rhule's head is if Nebraska can somehow win at least two of its final three regular-season games. A win over Rutgers, followed by losses to Ohio State and Iowa, would leave Nebraska 6-6 after a 5-0 start, which won't do it.
In his official statement, Rhule acknowledged things were simply not working for the offense under Holgorsen:
"Like so many of you, I am angry, I am disappointed and I am frustrated with our results this season. As the head coach, I am ultimately responsible for every aspect of our program—including wins and losses—and it is my responsibility to make changes when they are warranted."
“While there are many areas that need improvement, our offensive plan and execution is simply not working. Earlier today, I relieved offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen of his duties. As I have recently shared, Dana has a fantastic offensive mind; he is a strong leader, and he has done great work here at Nebraska. But simply, we need a change. Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas will take over play-calling duties."
One positive of the Matt Rhule era at Nebraska is that he is not afraid to make a change to his staff if he decides it's not working. Dana Holgorsen follows John Butler as fired coordinators in the last 18 months. Rhule also demoted Satterfield from OC to tight ends coach halfway through their second season in Lincoln. The issue, of course, is the number of staff changes he's had to make in just four years at the helm.
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