Matt Rhule has made headlines in recent weeks for reconfiguring his approach to roster building and staff deployment amid the rapidly evolving landscape of college football. As the sport undergoes seismic shifts – driven by transfers, expanded postseasons, and skyrocketing finances – speculation has followed on where Nebraska can carve out a niche and how the Huskers can thrive in this new era.
It first begs the question as to how much of what has worked historically at Nebraska can work in 2025.
“There’s a formula that worked at Nebraska for 30 years,” former head coach Scott Frost said upon his hire in 2017. “You’re stupid if you don’t look back and say, ‘What made our [program] the best?’”
The formula Frost referenced is common knowledge among Big Red faithful. For decades, coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne recruited heavily from a 500-mile radius, giving particular focus to their home state, where success rates were high. The strategy combined securing top recruits with identifying lesser-known talent. If a player had a high ceiling, Nebraska’s renowned developmental program—pioneering strength & conditioning, training tables, and cutting-edge supplements like creatine—would bring out their full potential.
Part of that development came from the added practice reps afforded to a roster so big that it could operate with four independent practice stations, doubling the repetitions for its first and second string. Blue chip receivers didn’t want to play in a power run system in flyover country? That’s okay because Nebraska ran the ball and prioritized a system that was difficult for the opposition to prepare for. Come into our house with your prized pass catchers and watch the wind from the south dismantle your game plan in short order.
But how much of that formula is still viable in the 21st century? Frost himself failed to adhere to much of it and was ousted after four-plus years of dysfunction and frustration. Rhule has cited components of it as elements of his plan, but emphasized this offseason that Nebraska must effectively evolve or be left behind.
So many key components of that old formula – the very elements that once set Nebraska apart – have disintegrated. With the implementation of a 105-man roster limit, the advantage in practice reps and unearthing hidden gems are now gone. Everyone invests heavily in strength and conditioning. A monopoly on televised games that brought exposure to national prospects has been gone for decades now. Coaching continuity? Not in this day and age. Nebraska had a well-liked coordinator they paid well depart for the same role in Tallahassee. There are few loyal lieutenants now. And of course, reeling in talent has always been an uphill battle.
So where can Nebraska find an edge now? What does the formula look like in 2025 and how much of it can be drawn from the blueprint that once made Nebraska a powerhouse? Here’s what Matt Rhule and his staff can do to make the Huskers relevant in today’s era of college football.
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different
Rhule and the University took flak last month for cancelling the Tennessee game, a move that was done to shore up revenue dollars for the ever-growing arms race. Rhule defended the move in his March 11 press conference. “If every decision you make is popular, then you’re probably not making the right decisions.”
Nebraska is no stranger to derision. They often endured mockery in the 90’s when they persisted with the option offense, long after schools like Oklahoma abandoned it. Dr. Tom kept with it even through the lean years of the late 80s and early 90s that brought humiliating bowl defeats, the Huskers amassing hardly any points in blowout losses to Miami and Florida State each January.
In turn, Nebraska wasn’t afraid to recruit JUCO players and other academic risks to beat those teams, in spite of pointed criticism from national commentators. Long before that, in the 1960s, Devaney was considered a pioneer for aggressively recruiting African-American athletes at a time when many schools were slow to integrate.
When Solich was fired in favor of Callahan, Nebraska lost much of what made it unique. More importantly, it also lost much of its willingness to be different from everyone else.
Rick Kaczenski, former coach at both Iowa and Nebraska, once confided that Husker coaches often felt hamstrung by who they could recruit, intimating that some prospects were not offered because of the potential for backlash by Nebraska’s fanbase.
“The difference between Iowa and Nebraska is at Nebraska you feel like you have to swing for the fences with every roster acquisition whereas at Iowa, fans are okay with bringing in some small-town development kid,” he told HuskerOnline. This allowed Iowa to recruit lesser-known players with potential that blossomed into standouts.
Grabbing the headlines has too often taken priority. Mike Riley talked openly about finishing in the top 25 of the recruiting rankings – more a play for perception than a true search for talent. He regularly took prospects with lofty prep billing but little substance to their skill set. Nebraska suffered as a result.
Yet when Nebraska leaned into innovation rather than reputation, success followed. Ahead of the move to the Big Ten, Tim Beck installed a no-huddle offense so foreign to the conference it had blue bloods sacrificing their integrity to slow it down. Nebraska regularly finished among the best in conference offensive standings with their novel approach.
The lesson is that Nebraska can’t be afraid to do the things that will give them a leg up, even if it has to take it on the chin from time to time. The right fit, in lieu of the right star count. The right offense, the right schedule, regardless of how it’s received.
Run the Damn Ball
Speaking of being different, Nebraska needs to recommit to the ground game.
Devaney and Osborne were well-known for running the ball, as was Solich. More recently, Bo Pelini demanded a run-first scheme for his offense, sometimes to his assistant coaches’ chagrin. But it worked to the tune of nine or 10 wins each year.
Nebraska used to run out of necessity, both to work around their smaller talent pool and out of consideration for the environs of Memorial Stadium in late fall. Nebraska may mitigate their recruiting footprint with NIL money, but weather patterns haven’t changed much since 1992. In Nebraska, and the Midwest in general, you have to run the football some. Rhule admitted as much upon hire.
Look no further than Madison, Wisconsin, where Husker alum Barry Alvarez built a consistent winner using Nebraska’s old formula. It’s no coincidence that they suffered their first losing season in a quarter century after abandoning their power run scheme for the Air Raid. The Paul Chryst-to-Luke Fickell transition has consequently drawn comparisons to Nebraska’s transition from Solich to Callahan.
With Dana Holgorsen’s hire, Rhule has effectively cast off the offensive approach he praised during his introductory press conference. Rhule wants to score points and he wants to score a lot of them, not get into these 13-10 rock fights with Hawkeyes and Gophers. Dana’s offense will put up yards in bunches, but can it win in the frigid cold of November? The Husker defense put up a legendary effort in Iowa City on a painfully cold evening, allowing a remarkable five first downs all game! But the offense didn’t hold their end of the bargain (ditto about special teams).
Going back to the option or a 4-to-1 run-pass ratio is unnecessary. Rhule just needs to develop a reliable ground game that moves the sticks on third down and ices the game in the 4th quarter.
Get Everyone in Line
Please plug your nose and allow me to borrow a page out of PJ Fleck’s playbook to ask a question: is everyone rowing in the same direction?
Nebraska hasn’t as of late.
They used to. Bob Devaney noted in his memoir that he always got total support from the University. As an example, the Big Eight allowed 45 scholarships per recruiting class in the 60s. Many schools didn’t provide the financial resources to reach that number, but Nebraska did, and Devaney grew enormous rosters to his advantage.
Devaney as Athletic Director and Osborne as coach were simpatico. When building up the Huskers’ training rooms, Boyd Epley often got more than he asked for. “He was tremendous,” Epley said of Dr. Tom. Nebraska built him the world’s largest weight room, 13,000 square feet of barbells, squat racks, and benches under West Stadium. For decades, everyone was aligned in doing what was necessary to keep Nebraska in the upper echelons of the sport.
Since Bill Byrne left as AD in 2002 things haven’t been as harmonious.
Steve Pederson put his own pride before the program in firing Frank Solich, the optics of which were so bad it led to a long and embarrassing replacement search. Pelini and Eichorst never saw eye to eye, to put it delicately. Everyone had a say in Riley’s regime, much to his detriment. Trev Alberts wanted to be frugal with expenses and wasn’t keen on the 1890 collective – they weren’t recognized as the school’s official collective until Troy Dannen came aboard.
To be fair, it’s difficult to get everyone on board at a place like Nebraska, a school that’s steeped in tradition with a deep alumni base that still cares and lets their opinions be known. Everyone has an idea on how to get back to the top. Some want to do what worked in the past. Others want to sever ties with history and move towards something brand new. Balancing respect for the old while innovating anew is a tight rope act Nebraska’s yet to master.
The stars in Nebraska’s back office appear to be aligning now. Athletic Director Troy Dannen is giving Rhule what he needs, including a bigger salary pool for his coaches. Rhule has received support from Osborne to do things his way. And many view Nebraska’s recent moves as an indication they’re starting to serve their own self-interests. But we’ve been fooled before. Whether everyone really is rowing in the same direction this time, only time will tell.
Break the Bank
While college football is becoming more like the NFL, it remains a game of haves and have-nots. Nebraska should know; they reside in the richest conference in football. The sellout streak has surpassed 400 games, and the Peed family has been instrumental in strengthening the1890 Collective.
In other words, Husker coffers are full.
Which is good, because while the state is enjoying a renaissance of high school talent, they still don’t produce it on a level akin to what the Ohio States, Georgias, and USCs enjoy in their backyards. Nebraska can level the playing field with their bank account.
NIL rankings are unscientific and vary by publication, but it’s obvious Rhule got an influx of NIL money at his disposal this offseason. Nebraska made waves by thieving Elijah Pritchett from Alabama, winning the Rocco Spindler sweepstakes, and nabbing 5-star Williams Nwaneri from SEC country. Rhule also took Cal’s best receiver, ditto Kentucky in Dane Key, not to mention Hardley Gilmore, who by all accounts was an even tougher loss than Key, due to his immense potential.
The 1890 Collective was also essential in nabbing high school recruits like Dawson Merritt, Jeremiah Jones, and Kade Pietrzak. Coveted tackle prospect Julian “JuJu” Marks said the quiet part out loud when he admitted that Nebraska offered him more money than the Big XII-chained Kansas Jayhawks did. Ohio State had a much-publicized 20-million-dollar roster and won the title with it – money matters.
While the coaching continuity Nebraska enjoyed during their 40-year dynasty is unrealistic in modern college football, packing their program with the best coaches is not. The problem is, Nebraska has been pinching pennies as of late. When they joined the Big Ten in 2011, Nebraska was top three in coaching salaries. The last several years Nebraska has been paying more in line with Rutgers and Indiana than Ohio State or even Iowa.
However, the recent coaching additions show Nebraska is now ready to pony up, and for good reasons. Hiring Holgorsen saved the 2024 season. Mike Ekeler’s unit may score them another win or two these next seasons. Addison Williams was UCF’s best recruiter. Dakiel Shorts has a track record, something his predecessor did not.
Bottom line: Nebraska must spend like the best if it wants to compete with the best. With a lucrative cable deal, one that not all their opposition share equally in, and a consistently packed Memorial Stadium, there’s no excuse for Nebraska to not throw their weight around and pay top dollar.
Cultivate Toughness & Physicality
Diehard fans know not just about Bob Devaney’s titles but also about how he won them.
In 1969, on the heels of his two worst seasons and the howls of a fan base growing impatient, Devaney introduced strength and conditioning, led by the newly hired Boyd Epley. But while Epley led the team in weight lifting, coaches like Cletus Fischer put the Huskers through brutal conditioning workouts, the likes of which were rare in those days. Most famous among these was a winner-take-all clash over an ax handle, a 30-second drill between two opposing players that resulted in plenty of blood and bruising but also a tougher football team that ran roughshod over their conference.
Chief among the headlines this offseason has been Rhule’s vaunted, if not mysterious mat drills, workouts so grueling they reportedly had Dane Key asking, “what have I gotten myself into?” All indications from guys that have played elsewhere are that winter conditioning at Nebraska is the toughest there is.
Rhule clearly believes in toughness and accountability. In a recent interview with Josh Pate, he spoke about how some players disliked the physical nature of his practices and winter conditioning. Those same players left at the end of the season for more comfortable locales. He also added that new additions like Jaylen George and Marques Watson-Trent are the types of players that relish the strict regimen Rhule adheres to. MJ Sherman was from the same mold, having been exposed to Kirby Smart’s “Bloody Tuesdays” in Athens before coming to Lincoln.
If college football is still a gladiator sport, Nebraska must not only put their team through the rigors, but find guys that love it. It’s the only way to stop paying lip service to the notion of toughness and actually embody it.
Get Some Momentum and Sustain It
An often-overlooked part of Nebraska’s 40-year-run was the momentum they generated and sustained throughout it. When the program started winning under Devaney, the sellout streak began. The increased revenues allowed them to build out Memorial Stadium, which in turn provided more revenue to buy whatever Boyd Epley needed. Winning meant prime TV slots, which meant more exposure to recruits. Once they got going, their success bred more success.
The opposite has also been true.
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of winning is the belief it creates. Former Husker Dwain Carlson (1959 – 1962), who played under both losing coaches (Bill Jennings) and winning ones (Bob Devaney), told the Common Fan Podcast, “When you’re losing you expect to lose. When you’re winning you expect to win. When you’re winning, you find a way to win.”
Nebraska was mired in a long bowl drought partly because there was little to buy into. Instead, they found new and creative and sometimes horrifying ways to lose. If Nebraska can snag a big win they’re not expected to, something that hasn’t happened since Mike Riley’s tenure, then it could open the flood gates to a whole lot more.
Recruit the 500-Mile Radius
In his last 15 years as coach, Tom Osborne recruited more than half of all his players from the 500-mile radius that surrounds Lincoln. A big reason was retention – players from close by were statistically much more likely to complete their degree and earn a letter on the team. In the age of pseudo free agency, Matt Rhule understands the value of this approach. He has emphasized recruiting the surrounding states, and his recent classes reflect that commitment.
One point of intrigue is the importance Rhule and his staff have placed on Missouri, both Kansas City and St. Louis in particular. This is a state Nebraska has been all but shut out of in recent years. That’s changing. There are now seven guys on the roster from the Show-Me-State, all of whom Rhule has added in the last three classes, and this year’s crop of Missouri athletes looks like a who’s who of Nebraska’s top targets for 2026.
Rhule has also set his sights north. While scouting for the Panthers, he noticed that some of the best collegiate linemen were coming from the Dakotas and Iowa. Naturally, it’s why his recruitment of frontline players has centered on those regions, as evidenced by a roster that boasts Kade Pietrzak, Jason Maciejczak, Shawn Hammerbeck, Jake Peters, and Grant Brix. As Nebraska has been bested by Iowa and Wisconsin’s lines in the last decade, this is a good plan.
But Rhule also can’t forget the home state.
Osborne made Nebraskans the bedrock of each recruiting class. Seventy-two percent (72%) of his scholarship signees from the state went on to start for the team. Solich and Devaney made it a focus too.
But somewhere along the way, that focus glazed over. The laundry list of Nebraskans who played in the NFL but not for the home state school stretches to nauseating lengths. It’s a lesson that while the state is producing more FBS football players than at any time in recent memory, the potential has always been there; it just went overlooked, too often by Nebraska’s revolving roster of coaches.
Rhule has changed that. He brought in eight in-state recruits in both the 2023 and 2024 classes, then added six more in 2025. Many of them were under-the-radar prospects whose success has proven his eye for talent. Jaylen Lloyd started as a true freshman receiver in 2023. First year Omaha native Donovan Jones played significant snaps in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College. Rhule has shown a knack for finding talent. His players’ performances at the NFL Combine are indicative of that.
But in-state recruiting will only get trickier from here. The 105-man roster limit shrinks their margin for error. To date, there are only two offers to Nebraska kids in the 2026 class – Jase Reynolds and Isaac Jensen – despite it being fairly deep. Notable players without offers from Big Red include Jett Thomalla, Amarion Jackson, and Darion Jones, all of whom sport tenders from other Big Four schools. Nebraska simply can’t afford to make offers to guys they’re not completely sold on anymore.
Beyond on-field production, the presence of in-state players matters in other crucial ways fans are readily aware of. A few years ago, Tom Osborne recalled a conversation with Doug Colman, a highly touted recruit from New Jersey. Colman told Osborne how Nebraska’s walk-ons pushed him—their relentless work ethic inspiring non-Nebraskans to raise their own standards. Rhule has already pointed to Roman Mangini as a walk-on who does things that right way and leads by example.
Here’s hoping Rhule will stick to the script he’s written thus far and doesn’t stray too far from home.
Be the Premier Development Program in the Country
Regardless of where Nebraska gets their guys from, locally or nationally, prep ranks or transfers, development is still king. In their introductory press conference, both defensive line coach Terry Bradden and secondary coach Addison Williams uttered the ‘D’ word early and often. Former coaches have made superficial statements on development in the past but the progression, and oftentimes regression, of their players said otherwise.
Unlike Coach Prime and others, Rhule still believes in the traditional model of raising kids up in your program from the start. He believes the offensive line, in particular, should be home grown and not fished out of the portal. Going forward, he anticipates taking around 15 high school kids each year, and then supplementing with the transfer portal. Older players will benefit from Nebraska’s tutelage, too. Guys like Hardley Gilmore, Marcos Davilla, and Gabe Moore have just started to scratch the surface of their potential, while older players like Dasan McCullough expressed that they haven’t hit their ceiling yet.
If Nebraska fails to get them there, it won’t have been due to a lack of commitment or resources. The Huskers have completed their migration to the Osborne Legacy Complex, 315,000 square feet of hydraulic plyo ramps, sensory deprivation tanks and personally tailored workout stations that cost 165 million dollars and half a decade to build. It’s a highly curated colossus engineered to maximize Nebraska athletics’ potential through state-of-the-art everything.
But outside the weight room, Nebraska can also conjure up an advantage by developing the best life skills program in college football. All schools will be able to pay their players money. But what schools will teach them how to turn their college gains into sustainable wealth? Several conferences outside of the Big Eight allowed Prop 48 exceptions in the 80s and 90s. But Nebraska got some of the best of them because of their renowned academic support system. Build the reputation and they will come.
Kristin Coggin, Nebraska’s highly regarded Assistant AD for Performance Nutrition, has emphasized the importance of teaching players to take care of themselves post-football. “Not everyone is going to have to work out or run [after college]. But they’re always going to have to eat.” Of course, Rhule and his staff hope Coggin and her elite team of chefs and dietitians will first give the Huskers an advantage on the field. They’ve invested significant resources into the Training Table, believing that Nebraska’s nutrition program is “light years ahead of almost everyone in the nation,” as Troy Dannen recently said.
Rhule has said with conviction that Nebraska is once again at the vanguard of player development. Whether macro-nutrient tracking and state-of-the-art squat racks can truly create a competitive edge remains to be seen. But he’s betting that they’ll help turn those narrow, one-score losses into wins.
Conclusion
It’s a long and demanding list. But that’s college football in the 2020s. Rhule is adapting to the times while holding onto the principles that once made Nebraska a powerhouse, and can make them relevant again.
After all, while the mechanics have evolved, the formula remains unchanged since the days of Pop Warner: find the best players and develop them to their full potential. With Rhule at the helm, Nebraska is well-positioned to do exactly that.
