Just two days after Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave an update on the search for a new special teams coordinator, it appears he has his man.
One of the most interesting twists in the hunt for the replacement for Ed Foley is that Rhule picked a former Husker assistant coach, but it’s not the one most NU fans were pining for. Instead of picking Bill Busch out of coaching retirement, Rhule tapped Tennessee Volunteers special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler.
Ekeler had been mentioned as the possible front runner last month, though zero buzz about him the last few weeks made it seem like perhaps those rumblings were off. Instead, it turns out they were spot on as several reports on Monday morning say the Nebraska football team managed to steal away a coordinator from a team that made the College Football Playoffs this season.
Nebraska football hires a blast from the past in Mike Ekeler
The hiring of Ekeler is a homecoming in several different ways for the newest Husker coach. The new special teams coordinator is originally from David City, Nebraska and actually started his coaching career at Omaha Skutt High School in 1999.
Bo Pelini gave him his first full-time college coaching job when he was hired as outside linebackers coach in 2008 and stayed on staff until 2010.
Since leaving Nebraska, Ekeler has coached at Indiana (Co-DC/LB), USC (LB), Georgia (ILB/DSTC), North Texas (DC/LB), North Carolina (LB), Kansas (STC/ILB), North Texas (STC) and the Vols.
His stint with the SEC power has been the longest of his coaching career starting in 2021 and he’s built quite a reputation as one of the best special teams coordinators in the business. That’s despite an ESPN special teams efficiency ranking the last two years outside of the Top 50. He did have Tennessee as the No. 9 team in the country in special teams efficiency in 2022.
Nebraska football fans shouldn’t let those numbers make them nervous. Mike Ekeler is someone that Tennessee is absolutely sad to see go. But the homecoming and what is expected to be a nice pay bump, was too much to turn down.