When Mike Ekeler left the Nebraska football team for the USC Trojans, head coach Matt Rhule claimed he wasn't all that worried about it because the staff left behind had studied what Ekeler did when he came to Lincoln. Unfortunately, the departure of Josh Martin means that one of the guys expected to fill the gap is now gone, too.
On Monday night, Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas, announced that Martin was its new head football coach. He replaces former Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten, who took the tight end coaching job with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Rhule, who has talked before about always being supportive of his staff when they want to get a head coaching job, talked up Martin as he left the Nebraska program.
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"Josh Martin is an exceptional leader, coach and mentor who truly cares about young people," Rhule said in a statement. "He doesn’t just demand excellence—he lives it, and it becomes the standard for everyone around him. Liberty Christian School has chosen the right leader and I have no doubt Josh will make the school, program and community better in every way."
Martin initially joined the Huskers as a special teams analyst before getting promoted to an assistant coaching role. Martin also worked on Matt Rhule's staff as tight ends coach.
Martin's departure is immediate, as according to a release from Liberty Christian, the new head coach will meet with players this week and then host a parent meeting as well.
Martin's departure leaves Nick Humphrey - who followed Ekeler from Tennessee last winter - as a special teams assistant. At the same time, former Nebraska kicker Brett Maher is listed as a special teams analyst. Rhule has previously said he won't hire an official Special Teams Coordinator from outside the program to replace Ekeler. It's unknown whether Josh Martin's departure changes that approach.
The plan to move on from Ekeler was already drawing pushback from fans who saw the Huskers' special teams improve greatly in 2025 after being one of the worst in the country in 2023 and 2024. Now that one of the guys trusted with taking over the unit at Nebraska is gone, it's clear there's another reason to worry.