As Matt Rhule enters his third year at the helm of the Nebraska football program, it’s that time again to see just how national analysts see him, compared to other coaches around the country. As it turns out, the Huskers head coach is rated fairly well, even if he might not be as high on the list as some people would like to see.
Tom Fornelli put together a list of the top head coaches in the country, from No. 1 to No. 136 and where Rhule finds himself on the list means that he’s among the best, but not exactly in an elite status that Cornhusker fans want from their head coach.
Being announced in the batch of rankings that were No. 26 to No. 68, Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football program just made Fornelli’s list, with the coach coming in at No. 32 overall.
Rhule and the Huskers are looking for a breakout 2025 campaign after finishing last season 7-6. They won the Pinstripe Bowl, which was an achievement for the program, as they had not won a bowl game since 2016.
Despite obvious improvements over his first season where he went 5-7, Fornelli explained why he put Rhule so low on the list:
“Rhule's Nebraska was able to cross a bowl game off the to-do list last year, but he still fell three spots in our rankings. After all, there's a difference between 6-6 bowl eligibility and 8-4, so you'll have to forgive some of our voters if they weren't overly impressed with Rhule's sophomore season in Lincoln.”
Last year, Fornelli actually had the Nebraska football head coach ranked at No. 29, so this is indeed a drop. It appears Fornelli himself wasn’t all that impressed with the head coach’s sophomore season.