After nine long and drawn out weeks, Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts finally announced the decision many Husker fans had been waiting for since the start of the head coaching search. Matt Rhule, the former Carolina Panthers head coach, has inked in his eight year deal that could net him over $70 million, the highest in the University’s history. 

Many people asked themselves what Rhule would bring to the table that Frank Solich, Bill Challahan, Bo Pelini, Mike Riley and Scott Frost couldn’t. The best answer is rather simple, he can bring the table and set up a full meal for the entire team. Each coach before him has their own specialty. Solich and Frost were known for their offenses. Challahan and Pelini were defensive schemers, and Riley was just average all round. 

But Rhule is different. He has experience coaching every single position group, including being the offensive line coach for the Super Bowl winning 2012 New York Giants, something Nebraska could definitely need as they ranked near the bottom in most statistical categories.

While Rhules experience may go a long way, the connections he’s made throughout his years coaching may be the best part of the hire for the Cornhuskers. His assistant coach spending pool of $7 million can set the Huskers up for success, and with the way he builds teams up, it is a perfect situation.

In his first year at Temple, he went 2-10, a small dip in the teams 4-7 record from the year before. But the strides continued as he took them to 6-6, however without a bowl game. Then, he helped send the Owls as high as 20 on the AP Poll, and a 10-4 record with a bowl game appearance. His final year was much of the same, 10-4 with a bowl loss. His successes at Temple were noted, and it included producing linebacker Hasson Reddick, who now is one of the most feared edge rushers in the National Football League.

He then moved to the Baylor Bears, who have had similar off the field drama as Nebraska, along with their coach getting fired due to scandal. The year prior, the Bears went 7-6 with their interim head coach, but a huge drop off the first year with Rhule, going 1-11. But once again they bounced back and went 7-6, including a bowl win. In his final year with the Bears, Rhule was near unstoppable, going 13-3, two of which were to eventual College Football Playoff contestants, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the first one out Georgia Bulldogs.

While many of Rhules recruits are still finding their place in college or the NFL, his recruiting classes, turning many 3-Star recruits into some of the best players in college football, like Jalen Pitre, Denzel Mims and JT Woods as some notable names.

The final big difference to note is the press conference of Frost and Rhule. Looking back, Frost was completely unqualified, and more often than not, trying to crack a joke and keeping his responses to a minimum. Rhule took over 20 minutes to make an opening statement, saying why he took the job, what led to his fondness for Nebraska and much more, and taking his time to thoroughly answer the questions.

That professionalism is what could be key for Rhule, and why he could someday “Rhule” over all of college football.