New DL coach hiring may give Nebraska the boost it needs with elite 2027 DL recruit

While it's still likely that the Nebraska football staff will add one more defensive line coach, who that might be is simply guessing at this point. What is clear is that Matt Rhule needs to get this hire right to keep the Huskers' 2027 recruiting class momentum going.

The importance of the next defensive line coach, assuming it's coming, was underlined earlier this week when Myels Smith put the Huskers in his Final 6. That's despite having a key recruiter on staff.

The Inglewood (Calif.) standout will choose between Texas A&M, Nebraska, Washington, California, Arizona State, and USC when he announces his commitment on Dec. 20. With just a week to go before that announcement, it would certainly behoove NU to get someone in place to help lure Smith into Lincoln.

Nebraska football needs to hire a top notch defensive line coach to get Myels Smith

According to Nebraska recruting insiders, while the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2027 class might list six finalists, the real race is between Texas A&M and the Huskers. All of this points to one particular candidate who could be key in bringing the defender to NU.

While nothing is close to set in stone, Rhule is said to be trying hard to land Elijah Robinson. The veteran coach is currently in the same position, as well as co-defensive coordinator for Syracuse. He got a demotion this winter, and that's led many to believe he wants out of New York.

A few weeks ago, LSU was considered the front runner for his services. However, when Nebraska fired its defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, the Huskers got into the race. Texas A&M had been considered a possible landing spot as well, but like the Tigers, they're now considered to be trailing NU.

If Nebraska is going to bring Robinson on board, it could come soon as they'll want to have him talking to Myels Smith ahead of his December 20 commitment date.