When Matt Rhule signed his extension with the Nebraska football program, one of the most highly publicized parts of it was that he wasn't receiving much of a raise in his salary. However, during the Huskers' head coach's Monday press conference, he might have inadvertently confirmed that he got a raise where it really counts, in the amount of money that's going to be invested in going out and paying for the best roster money can buy.
"In the previous couple years, I had to make a lot of hard decisions because we didn't have the money everyone else had," the Nebraska coach said. "We had good money. I mean, I will forever remember this: 7-3 is not where we want to be, but it's a pretty better place than where we've been. And I will always thank the Peeds first and foremost because they stood in the gap and made this thing possible."
Matt Rhule all but confirms Nebraska football getting more NIL and rev share investment
For those not in the know, the Peeds are an alumni family that has donated quite a bit of money to the university and the football program in particular. They're considered to be the biggest bankrollers of the Huskers' homegrown NIL efforts, the 1890 collective.
"But now with rev share and all the different things, like, you know, before you had to make a decision like, okay, we lost some outstanding defensive linemen in the portal last year, but we went out and got one area," Rhule continued. "We went out and got some of these guys. So you're able to replace that. And I think we did well in the portal last year. I think we won the portal last year."
"We can now go get anybody we want. At the same time, we also have the ability to keep our guys now, right? Like, you know, guys don't have to be embarrassed about, 'Hey coach, you know, I think I do, you know, these people are offering me this.' So we can offer the, I think we can now be the best of the best."
The timing of this comment indicates that Matt Rhule's new deal with Nebraska now includes a healthier investment in NIL and revenue sharing. That was one of the things he mentioned when talking about wanting to stay in Lincoln but wanting to see some things get better if he did. He didn't outright confirm that it was part of his contract, but he did it with a wink and a smile.