Matt Rhule says facing heat in Carolina primed him for Nebraska football

Since arriving in Lincoln and taking over the Nebraska football team, Matt Rhule has said all the right things. That’s been especially impressive given the fact that every coach who has ever come in here has talked about the pressure cooker that is the Cornhuskers program.

It's clear that Rhule doesn't shy away from the unique pressure in Lincoln, a pressure that isn’t typical in most other college football towns. He attributes his readiness to handle this pressure to the experiences he’s gained throughout his career, experiences that uniquely prepared him for his role at Nebraska. 

Rhule recently sat down for a long conversation with Joel Klatt and talked about a number of subjects. Eventually the topic turned to his struggles with the Carolina Panthers and how the Nebraska football head coach believes it prepared him for his current job, in large part because it put things in perspective and showed him what he really finds important

Matt Rhule says facing heat with Carolina primed him for Nebraska football

“I would not be able to be the head coach of Nebraska had I not gone through that,” Rhule said about his time in the NFL. “Every decision you make is magnified in Nebraska 10 times over. If you’re not really confident in who you are I could see it really affecting you.”

Rhule went on to say that seeing things from the NFL side of things also allowed him to change his approach. He saw how guys get treated in the pros and how they’re considered. And he understands how this generation of college kids, who are far more online than any other, feels it when they are laughed at or ripped on through social media.

“I’ve been a national coach of the year… I’ve been a meme on Sports Center…when I go out there now and the crowd’s cheering, I’ve also had 50,000, 70,000 people in Panthers stadium screaming to fire me. What I learned through all of that, is I just want to make it about my players.”

There’s been a lot of talk around the Nebraska football program that Rhule might not just be right coach to turn the program around, but the right coach for this instance in Huskers history. He continues to say all the right things. Here’s hoping in 2024, he does all the right things as well and Nebraska finally heads back to a bowl.