CFB coaching carousel

[Pam Cummings 9579]

11 hours ago, hookemATL said:

Freeze is creepy and slimy and will continue to be so at AU. He is also dumb as fuck, since he decided to do all his hooker calls on a fucking university issued cell phone. 
 

in summary he is a water headed moron that can put together a pretty solid offensive game plan. If he doesn’t right the ship quickly, he will get the Jeremy Pruitt treatment and be shown the door. That is if he doesn’t get busted cornholing the Dean’s daughter on the 50 yd line of Jordan Hare. Either way I am here for the entertainment that will result from this hire. 

I hate when my butt accidentally keeps dialing the same hooker from my company issued cell phone over an extended period of time. Classic relatable predicament.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Pam Cummings

[utexas8 1433]

[BigHornedLurker 1894]

Have to say I'll laugh tears of schadenfreude if right as Fickell moves over to Wisconsin , Hartline takes the Cincinnati gig right before Ryan Day bolts for the NFL leaving OSU holding their dicks at the end for their tantrum over losing to Meatchicken again 

Fate can't be that cruel can it ? Hot damn that meltdown would be glorious 

Edited December 1, 2022 by BigHornedLurker

[South Austin 52144]

tOSU would welcome back Urban and his finger in a heartbeat.

[ClubWhatever 12087]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

tOSU would welcome back Urban and his finger in a heartbeat.

Well, what's more important than winning football games?

[LTtxfan 48970]

Stanford Candidates... here's a few

• Mike Elko, Duke
• Chris Petersen
• Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
• Troy Taylor, Sacramento State
• Brent Brennan, San Jose State
• Sherrone Moore, Michigan OC
• Bronco Mendenhall
• Greg Roman, Baltimore Ravens OC
• Mike Bloomgren, Rice   😋
• Derek Mason, okie lite   😋

[Post Oak 20184]

Honest question. Is the Stanford job (with the realignment scenarios) better than Duke or Wake?

[texifornia 56518]

7 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Honest question. Is the Stanford job (with the realignment scenarios) better than Duke or Wake?

You'll get paid a LOT more, and your high school recruiting should be better because you have the national name brand to help overcome the difficult admissions process.

BUT the no-transfer policy is a dagger in the NIL era. Makes it an absolutely brutal job, and crucial you recruit your own roster year over year since you can't replace them.

[BigHornedLurker 1894]

Bronco would be a dream hire there, he always put together fundamentally sound teams. 

I know virginia was super sad he left so abruptly 

[Francisco 2.0 32333]

https://theathletic.com/3954590/2022/12/01/nebraska-matt-rhule-coaching-search/

 

Quote

 Damn.

That’s all Matt Rhule could think.

During a clandestine trip to see the University of Nebraska on the last weekend in October as the Huskers played Illinois, he and his wife, Julie, thought they had found a fit. Now, weeks later, the deal appeared dead, struck down by complications involving the length of the contract and Rhule’s giant buyout with the Carolina Panthers, the NFL organization that fired him four games into his third season as coach.

 

Quote

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, the Panthers and Rhule’s agent, Trace Armstrong, were at an impasse.

“Pardon my language,” Rhule said, “but damn, like that was the right place for me, and it just kinda didn’t work out.”

Alberts, though, didn’t give up. He remembered a conversation from the first hours of the coaching search, when chancellor Ronnie Green offered his advice.

 

Quote

“Go underground,” Green told Alberts. “Go totally underground with this.”

So Alberts did.

He kept a tight lid on the 76-day search featuring the likes of Kansas’ Lance Leipold and a dozen other coaches, including a late-hour addition in Luke Fickell.

 

Spoiler

But Alberts most wanted Rhule. Alberts knew it would be difficult. He heard from colleagues, the media, anyone in the football community with a voice that Rhule likely wouldn’t coach in 2023. The 52-year-old AD, hired at Nebraska in July 2021, saw Rhule as a challenge. Alberts worked hard in October and early November to convince Rhule that Nebraska was the right place for him at the right time.

And just as the Huskers’ season under interim coach Mickey Joseph turned sharply in the wrong direction, Matt and Julie Rhule flew in for a secret visit in the light of day to gauge the fit.

It was Oct. 29, Day 48 since Alberts fired Scott Frost.

“We drove around,” Rhule said, “and we said this is a place that is committed to greatness.”

Rhule, 47, wore a hat and sunglasses to avoid notice. “I can’t believe no one found out,” he said.

The Rhules left Lincoln on the Sunday after the Huskers’ 26-9 loss at Memorial Stadium. They vacationed in Ireland and felt optimistic about negotiations with Nebraska upon their return home to North Carolina. Talks soon fell apart, though, the contractual hurdles too great.

“It just wasn’t going to be able to happen,” Rhule said.

Damn.

Until Alberts dug even deeper.

Five years ago, Nebraska had made a perfect hire on paper – Frost, the former golden boy quarterback who understood the job, understood the state and loved the school. He won a national championship for Tom Osborne. He won big at UCF.

“I truly believe that we have hired the premier young coach in the country and that exciting times lie ahead,” former AD Bill Moos said in introducing Frost.

And he bombed in spectacular fashion with the Huskers, finishing 16-31 as Nebraska posted its sixth consecutive losing season in 2022, adding to its worst stretch of football in six decades.

Alberts’ task this time around? Hire the right coach or fall farther back, perhaps hopelessly behind, as the Big Ten accelerates toward a future flush with opportunity.

Before Rhule’s time with the Panthers, he built college programs at Temple and Baylor into contenders and impressed Alberts with his grinding spirit, attention to detail, passion to win and emphasis on integrity and culture.

One problem: Rhule wasn’t available when Alberts started his search.

And when Kansas beat Iowa State on Oct. 1 to improve to 5-0, Leipold’s stock skyrocketed. The same day, Illinois throttled Wisconsin 34-10, leading to the surprising firing of Paul Chryst a day later.

The race was officially underway. Reports surfaced that Nebraska and Wisconsin might engage in a bidding war over Leipold, who had ties to both Big Ten schools.

But seven weeks remained until the end of the regular season, and early interest from Nebraska in Leipold was tepid.

“Just because a coach started 4-0,” Alberts said, “doesn’t mean that coach is going to go undefeated.” To his point, Kansas finished 6-6.

The Huskers, meanwhile, rebounded from a blowout loss against Oklahoma to beat Indiana 35-21 in Joseph’s second game and six days later rallied to win at Rutgers.

Alberts had spent much of the first month of his search in information-gathering mode. He talked with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, to whom Alberts had a connection because his daughter, Ashtynne, played volleyball at the ACC school.

An arranged conversation with Alabama coach Nick Saban did not happen, Alberts said. He also did not seek guidance from Urban Meyer, as many speculated, or pursue him as a candidate. He said he did not talk to the former Ohio State coach about the Nebraska job when Meyer visited Lincoln with Fox Sports in September, days after Frost’s firing.

“We never talked,” Alberts said.

He didn’t talk with Deion Sanders, whose six hours as a rumored candidate on Nov. 11 led the Jackson State coach to squash the reports in a speech to his team and caught the interest of Desmond Howard on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Dave Aranda at Baylor and former TCU coach Gary Patterson, now at Texas as the special assistant to the head coach, expressed interest. So did Army coach Jeff Monken. Kansas State coach Chris Klieman was long believed to be on Alberts’ list.

The second-year AD “interacted” with 13 candidates, he said at the news conference Monday to introduce Rhule.

“His detail was impeccable,” said Doug Ewald, Nebraska’s chief financial officer and executive associate AD. “If there was a nugget to take, Trev was going to be there to get it.”

His focus sharpened as warmth of late summer gave way to cold nights.

After a 1-4 start this year with the Panthers, Rhule was fired on Oct. 10. He went 11-27 in two-plus seasons, joining the long list of coaches unable to duplicate college success in the NFL. He came home to see tears in the eyes of his 9-year-old daughter, Vivienne. It hit Rhule hard.

A search firm contacted Rhule that same day. The coach who loves to preach a “what’s next” mentality had a lot to consider.

He knew he’d miss his whistle, his people, his purpose. But Rhule didn’t have to jump right into another job. Not with four years and $40 million left on his Panthers contract. He could take a year off in 2023 and still make $8.5 million.

At this time last year, Rhule was getting calls from LSU, Florida and Oklahoma. He could afford to be selective and wait for big-time Power 5 jobs to open.

Nebraska administrators didn’t want to wait. Alberts inquired about Rhule in the days after he hit the job market.

“Early on in the process,” said Green, the chancellor, “the name (Alberts) was mentioning to me most routinely, amongst the list of the people out there, was Matt Rhule.”

During his first Zoom meeting with Rhule, a former Penn State linebacker, Alberts, who won the Butkus Award at Nebraska in 1993, was blown away.

“I was interested in him because I respected what he did at Temple,” Alberts said. “He beat Penn State at Temple. And he just started saying all this stuff. And I’m like, ‘Did he watch my (news conference) or is he that good?’”

They spoke the same language on the topic of rebuilding a program and a winning culture. The Rhule blueprint at Temple and Baylor aligned with all that Alberts envisions for Nebraska. This was the kind of authentic, detailed and process-oriented leader he desired.

When the Rhules sneaked into Lincoln in late October, Angela Alberts, the AD’s wife, drove the 60 miles to collect them at the Omaha airport. They arrived amid the relative peace of a game day afternoon. 

Matt Rhule looked at his wife and could see in her eyes on that warm weekend, he said, that she wanted their family to make this move.

It made sense, Matt Rhule said. And it made sense to Alberts.

“It’s just like recruiting,” Alberts said. “It was no different for them. If we get people here, they’re blown away.”

The Rhules toured Lincoln and drove past Memorial Stadium. They did not dare go inside. At Alberts’ home, University of Nebraska system president Ted Carter visited.

“It was really more of a reunion,” Carter said.

Carter and Rhule reminisced about the 2016 American Athletic Conference championship game, when Rhule’s Temple team beat Navy. Carter, at the time, served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

He first met Rhule, Carter said, at an AAC retreat.

“At the end of the day,” Carter said, “relationships matter.”

On the visit, Matt and Julie pictured raising their three children in Lincoln. They recognized that perhaps they’d found the right match.

Carter agreed, a sentiment shared by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Belichick is an old friend of the vice admiral and held two joint practice sessions with Rhule’s Panthers in August.

Carter and Belichick talked this week about Rhule.

“He’s been out here to Nebraska,” Carter said of the six-time Super Bowl champion. “He considers Nebraska to be the mecca of football. And he’s a big fan of Matt Rhule.”

Still, as the calendar flipped to November, doubts remained about the Rhule-Nebraska match.

Chatter around the search reached a fever pitch on Nov. 3. The morning and early afternoon brought several hours of speculation about a meeting with Alberts and a group of Nebraska regents over a possible impending contract offer to a candidate.

Local hysteria followed. Talk radio caught fire. Several media reports addressed the bizarre nature of that Thursday.

There was nothing to it, Carter said this week.

“I’m not surprised,” Alberts said of the rumors. “It’s hard. People can say stuff on social media, and it sounds really legit.”

Ewald, the Nebraska CFO, responded two nights earlier to a rumor with little traction that Aranda was in line at Nebraska.

“Completely wrong!” Ewald tweeted.

Then Nebraska’s third consecutive loss — on Nov. 5 against Minnesota — unofficially sunk Joseph’s candidacy.

On Nov. 18, the Friday before Wisconsin played in Lincoln, Joseph, 54, presented to Alberts his plan to fix the Huskers. It had evolved over Joseph’s 11 weeks in charge.

But Nebraska was deep into its pursuit of more experienced coaches.

Joseph’s contract stipulated a return to his previous position as an assistant coach at the conclusion of Alberts’ search, allowing for the new head coach to decide Joseph’s status. His future at the school is in question after his arrest Wednesday on suspicion of felony strangulation and third-degree domestic assault after a disturbance at his home. He was booked into jail and placed on administrative leave by Nebraska.

Negotiations with Rhule and the Panthers had grown “long and arduous,” Alberts said. Talks broke down and restarted. Complications arose as Nebraska engaged with Armstrong, Rhule’s agent, and with the Panthers organization. All salary Nebraska paid to Rhule through 2026 would offset what Carolina still owed, so the terms of the deal had to satisfy all three parties.

Rhule was impressed by his talks with Alberts and Carter, but he still had a few reasons to be reluctant. He’d never coached in the Midwest. He didn’t know anyone in Lincoln. Was he really the right fit for the job? Could he get talented players to Nebraska? Was the school willing to make a long-term commitment to him?

Most of all, he wondered whether a deal that was acceptable for all sides was too complicated. But by mid-November, he was starting to hope it would work out.

As the back-and-forth talks continued, Rhule stayed busy. He lined up appearances on NFL Network and ESPN to see how he might fare if he went the TV route. The family planned a trip to their vacation home in Cape May, N.J.

But he kept doing his homework on Nebraska. He studied games and recruiting film, called coaching peers and even searched for videos with his 18-year-old son, Bryant, to learn all they could about the Huskers.

“I’m telling you, if you check my son’s YouTube history, we’ve watched everything,” Rhule said. “I could see my son getting excited.”

Talks with Leipold intensified when the Rhule deal appeared to be off. Leipold had a unique relationship to the job. He’d worked as a recruiting staffer for the Frank Solich-coached Huskers from 2001 to 2003. He invested a decade of his career in building the Nebraska-Omaha football program, which Alberts shuttered as AD at the school in 2011.

If Leipold received an offer, it would be a difficult decision. But by two days before Thanksgiving, he no longer heard from Nebraska.

Kansas AD Travis Goff had offered Leipold a contract extension in early October as “College GameDay” readied to appear in Lawrence before the Jayhawks hosted TCU. When the lines of communication remained open, Leipold was willing to wait on the Huskers.

No longer. Kansas upped the offer, doubling his salary to $5 million. Leipold agreed to stay.

Despite the snagged negotiations, again, all roads led Alberts back to Rhule.

The moment that he believed the deal was dead revealed Rhule’s true feelings about the opportunity.

“These job things happen so fast,” he said. “You talk to them, they offer you the job, you move on. I had a moment where I didn’t think it was gonna work out. And I sat there and I was really disappointed. So when they called back and said, ‘Hey, what if let’s try something else,’ I knew then that this was where I was supposed to be.”

If Oct. 29 played out as the day in the Nebraska coaching search when the table was set, dinner was served on Nov. 22.

Alberts presented a new offer to Rhule’s agent. But this time, Rhule wasn’t the only heavy hitter in the ballpark.

Hello, Luke Fickell.

In his sixth season at Cincinnati, Fickell was ready to talk about an exit. One year after leading the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff and seven months before their planned jump to the Big 12, his interest illustrated the power shift in college football that continues to favor the SEC and the Big Ten.

“There’s no doubt about it, let’s be honest,” Alberts said, “there’s a Power 2 right now.”

With an ace up his sleeve and the clock ticking, Alberts returned to negotiations with Armstrong over Rhule.

“He and I kept going through it,” Alberts said. “I’d give here, he’d give there. And gosh, how long were we doing this? Every day.”

Did Alberts present a deadline for Rhule to accept or lose the offer?

“I hadn’t done that yet,” he said, “but I was close.”

The call from Armstrong to Alberts came on Thanksgiving, around 11 a.m. Alberts was home in Lincoln. He delayed his travel to Iowa City for the season finale until Friday to spend time with his family on the holiday. And possibly, to strike a deal on Rhule.

After more haggling with Armstrong, Alberts said, Rhule’s agent “got to where I was comfortable.”

“We’re good,” Alberts said.

“What did you say?” responded Armstrong.

“I think we got a deal.”

The contract will pay Rhule $74 million over eight years.

“I just believed in my heart that we had the right person,” Alberts said. “There are great coaches out there. And of those coaches that I talked to, all of them could have done a great job. But sometimes, you’re looking for the right fit.

“Who is the best person given our current realities?”

Alberts said he believes that Nebraska sits in a vulnerable state as a football program and an athletic department.

Rhule’s salary jumps from $5.5 million over the next 13 months to $12.5 million in 2030. It includes a $7 million pool for 10 assistant coaches and a buyout for Rhule, if fired without cause, that would pay him 90 percent of his remaining salary. The structure suggests that the Panthers owe 30 percent ($12 million) of what’s left on his NFL contract.

Until the final hours, Rhule remained unsure it would work. As the three parties finalized contract details, rumors flew ahead of the Huskers’ 3 p.m. kickoff Friday in Iowa City that Rhule had turned it down.

Even after Alberts and Armstrong privately agreed, the names of Fickell, Klieman, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, NC State’s Dave Doeren and former BYU and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall generated speculation among industry insiders.

Nebraska made its announcement on Saturday morning.

“This was hard. It was really hard. It was a hard process,” Alberts said. “But I think Matt was determined to find a way and I was determined to find a way.”

A day later, Wisconsin hired Fickell, announced at seven years for more than $50 million.

When the call came that Alberts and Armstrong struck a deal, Julie Rhule teared up.

“My wife, all along, just kept saying this is the right fit,” Rhule said. “She said, ‘Matt, I know you. This is the kind of program that you’re supposed to be coaching.’”

 

[ultimaton 2966]

33 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Rhule, 47, wore a hat and sunglasses to avoid notice. “I can’t believe no one found out,” he said.

 

 

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

 

 

[Teryor 4422]

https://footballscoop.com/news/sources-wofford-removing-interim-tag-naming-shawn-watson-next-head-coach

Speaking of old friends, had to double check to make sure it was the same Shawn Watson

[texifornia 56518]

6 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

 

Well it's a good thing South Florida is a famously hard place to acquire cocaine.

[BigHornedLurker 1894]

7 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

 

I thought he could shoot much higher. doubling down on super awkward to interview, and a lot of back channel negative feedback here he needs to rehabilitate 

I'd have shot for becoming Bama's next OC myself assuming BoB moves on 

[Laxtonto 11932]

Guess Prime is going to Col and took Hermans spot?

[utexas8 1433]

[Post Oak 20184]

Probably a good spot for Herman and a good hire for FAU

[4th&Five 41460]

Ha...Todd Orlando was their interim.

[Auto Driller 2504]

3 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Ha...Todd Orlando was their interim.

Once you’re in the coaching “fraternity” is seems almost impossible to stop getting a job.

[Chewbacca 7730]

On 11/30/2022 at 12:01 PM, Trojan Man said:

Colorado's problem (or rather one of their problems) is their location was awesome when they were recruiting against Iowa State and Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, but ho-hum now that they are recruiting against UCLA and Washington and Arizona State.  They also don't have the niche of being the only mountain school in the Pac 12 for kids who might be interested in that like they did in the Big 12 since Utah provides another mountain option plus a competent football program.

CU's problem is largely administration driven.  That's a big part of why Tucker bolted.  The administration did not come through with promises made to him.  But with a new President brought on a little more than a year ago, it sounds like he's working to change those things.  But the fact remains that CU will never be competitive again unless the administration gets firmly behind supporting the program.  Time will tell if Saliman (new President) can pull that off.  At least he seems to understand the value to the school of having a good football team.  The old administration clearly did not.  And both football and academic rankings suffered.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Chewbacca

[Longboard Horn 40142]

It’s official 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[Fondren & Main 6669]

1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

Ha...Todd Orlando was their interim.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

Wow Texas State set to hire GJ Kinne in a surprise 

[Gil Bang 25898]

29 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Wow Texas State set to hire GJ Kinne in a surprise 

Not Tulsa?  

[closetohumping 17400]

4 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://theathletic.com/3954590/2022/12/01/nebraska-matt-rhule-coaching-search/

 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

But Alberts most wanted Rhule. Alberts knew it would be difficult. He heard from colleagues, the media, anyone in the football community with a voice that Rhule likely wouldn’t coach in 2023. The 52-year-old AD, hired at Nebraska in July 2021, saw Rhule as a challenge. Alberts worked hard in October and early November to convince Rhule that Nebraska was the right place for him at the right time.

And just as the Huskers’ season under interim coach Mickey Joseph turned sharply in the wrong direction, Matt and Julie Rhule flew in for a secret visit in the light of day to gauge the fit.

It was Oct. 29, Day 48 since Alberts fired Scott Frost.

“We drove around,” Rhule said, “and we said this is a place that is committed to greatness.”

Rhule, 47, wore a hat and sunglasses to avoid notice. “I can’t believe no one found out,” he said.

The Rhules left Lincoln on the Sunday after the Huskers’ 26-9 loss at Memorial Stadium. They vacationed in Ireland and felt optimistic about negotiations with Nebraska upon their return home to North Carolina. Talks soon fell apart, though, the contractual hurdles too great.

“It just wasn’t going to be able to happen,” Rhule said.

Damn.

Until Alberts dug even deeper.

Five years ago, Nebraska had made a perfect hire on paper – Frost, the former golden boy quarterback who understood the job, understood the state and loved the school. He won a national championship for Tom Osborne. He won big at UCF.

“I truly believe that we have hired the premier young coach in the country and that exciting times lie ahead,” former AD Bill Moos said in introducing Frost.

And he bombed in spectacular fashion with the Huskers, finishing 16-31 as Nebraska posted its sixth consecutive losing season in 2022, adding to its worst stretch of football in six decades.

Alberts’ task this time around? Hire the right coach or fall farther back, perhaps hopelessly behind, as the Big Ten accelerates toward a future flush with opportunity.

Before Rhule’s time with the Panthers, he built college programs at Temple and Baylor into contenders and impressed Alberts with his grinding spirit, attention to detail, passion to win and emphasis on integrity and culture.

One problem: Rhule wasn’t available when Alberts started his search.

And when Kansas beat Iowa State on Oct. 1 to improve to 5-0, Leipold’s stock skyrocketed. The same day, Illinois throttled Wisconsin 34-10, leading to the surprising firing of Paul Chryst a day later.

The race was officially underway. Reports surfaced that Nebraska and Wisconsin might engage in a bidding war over Leipold, who had ties to both Big Ten schools.

But seven weeks remained until the end of the regular season, and early interest from Nebraska in Leipold was tepid.

“Just because a coach started 4-0,” Alberts said, “doesn’t mean that coach is going to go undefeated.” To his point, Kansas finished 6-6.

The Huskers, meanwhile, rebounded from a blowout loss against Oklahoma to beat Indiana 35-21 in Joseph’s second game and six days later rallied to win at Rutgers.

Alberts had spent much of the first month of his search in information-gathering mode. He talked with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, to whom Alberts had a connection because his daughter, Ashtynne, played volleyball at the ACC school.

An arranged conversation with Alabama coach Nick Saban did not happen, Alberts said. He also did not seek guidance from Urban Meyer, as many speculated, or pursue him as a candidate. He said he did not talk to the former Ohio State coach about the Nebraska job when Meyer visited Lincoln with Fox Sports in September, days after Frost’s firing.

“We never talked,” Alberts said.

He didn’t talk with Deion Sanders, whose six hours as a rumored candidate on Nov. 11 led the Jackson State coach to squash the reports in a speech to his team and caught the interest of Desmond Howard on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Dave Aranda at Baylor and former TCU coach Gary Patterson, now at Texas as the special assistant to the head coach, expressed interest. So did Army coach Jeff Monken. Kansas State coach Chris Klieman was long believed to be on Alberts’ list.

The second-year AD “interacted” with 13 candidates, he said at the news conference Monday to introduce Rhule.

“His detail was impeccable,” said Doug Ewald, Nebraska’s chief financial officer and executive associate AD. “If there was a nugget to take, Trev was going to be there to get it.”

His focus sharpened as warmth of late summer gave way to cold nights.

After a 1-4 start this year with the Panthers, Rhule was fired on Oct. 10. He went 11-27 in two-plus seasons, joining the long list of coaches unable to duplicate college success in the NFL. He came home to see tears in the eyes of his 9-year-old daughter, Vivienne. It hit Rhule hard.

A search firm contacted Rhule that same day. The coach who loves to preach a “what’s next” mentality had a lot to consider.

He knew he’d miss his whistle, his people, his purpose. But Rhule didn’t have to jump right into another job. Not with four years and $40 million left on his Panthers contract. He could take a year off in 2023 and still make $8.5 million.

At this time last year, Rhule was getting calls from LSU, Florida and Oklahoma. He could afford to be selective and wait for big-time Power 5 jobs to open.

Nebraska administrators didn’t want to wait. Alberts inquired about Rhule in the days after he hit the job market.

“Early on in the process,” said Green, the chancellor, “the name (Alberts) was mentioning to me most routinely, amongst the list of the people out there, was Matt Rhule.”

During his first Zoom meeting with Rhule, a former Penn State linebacker, Alberts, who won the Butkus Award at Nebraska in 1993, was blown away.

“I was interested in him because I respected what he did at Temple,” Alberts said. “He beat Penn State at Temple. And he just started saying all this stuff. And I’m like, ‘Did he watch my (news conference) or is he that good?’”

They spoke the same language on the topic of rebuilding a program and a winning culture. The Rhule blueprint at Temple and Baylor aligned with all that Alberts envisions for Nebraska. This was the kind of authentic, detailed and process-oriented leader he desired.

When the Rhules sneaked into Lincoln in late October, Angela Alberts, the AD’s wife, drove the 60 miles to collect them at the Omaha airport. They arrived amid the relative peace of a game day afternoon. 

Matt Rhule looked at his wife and could see in her eyes on that warm weekend, he said, that she wanted their family to make this move.

It made sense, Matt Rhule said. And it made sense to Alberts.

“It’s just like recruiting,” Alberts said. “It was no different for them. If we get people here, they’re blown away.”

The Rhules toured Lincoln and drove past Memorial Stadium. They did not dare go inside. At Alberts’ home, University of Nebraska system president Ted Carter visited.

“It was really more of a reunion,” Carter said.

Carter and Rhule reminisced about the 2016 American Athletic Conference championship game, when Rhule’s Temple team beat Navy. Carter, at the time, served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

He first met Rhule, Carter said, at an AAC retreat.

“At the end of the day,” Carter said, “relationships matter.”

On the visit, Matt and Julie pictured raising their three children in Lincoln. They recognized that perhaps they’d found the right match.

Carter agreed, a sentiment shared by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Belichick is an old friend of the vice admiral and held two joint practice sessions with Rhule’s Panthers in August.

Carter and Belichick talked this week about Rhule.

“He’s been out here to Nebraska,” Carter said of the six-time Super Bowl champion. “He considers Nebraska to be the mecca of football. And he’s a big fan of Matt Rhule.”

Still, as the calendar flipped to November, doubts remained about the Rhule-Nebraska match.

Chatter around the search reached a fever pitch on Nov. 3. The morning and early afternoon brought several hours of speculation about a meeting with Alberts and a group of Nebraska regents over a possible impending contract offer to a candidate.

Local hysteria followed. Talk radio caught fire. Several media reports addressed the bizarre nature of that Thursday.

There was nothing to it, Carter said this week.

“I’m not surprised,” Alberts said of the rumors. “It’s hard. People can say stuff on social media, and it sounds really legit.”

Ewald, the Nebraska CFO, responded two nights earlier to a rumor with little traction that Aranda was in line at Nebraska.

“Completely wrong!” Ewald tweeted.

Then Nebraska’s third consecutive loss — on Nov. 5 against Minnesota — unofficially sunk Joseph’s candidacy.

On Nov. 18, the Friday before Wisconsin played in Lincoln, Joseph, 54, presented to Alberts his plan to fix the Huskers. It had evolved over Joseph’s 11 weeks in charge.

But Nebraska was deep into its pursuit of more experienced coaches.

Joseph’s contract stipulated a return to his previous position as an assistant coach at the conclusion of Alberts’ search, allowing for the new head coach to decide Joseph’s status. His future at the school is in question after his arrest Wednesday on suspicion of felony strangulation and third-degree domestic assault after a disturbance at his home. He was booked into jail and placed on administrative leave by Nebraska.

Negotiations with Rhule and the Panthers had grown “long and arduous,” Alberts said. Talks broke down and restarted. Complications arose as Nebraska engaged with Armstrong, Rhule’s agent, and with the Panthers organization. All salary Nebraska paid to Rhule through 2026 would offset what Carolina still owed, so the terms of the deal had to satisfy all three parties.

Rhule was impressed by his talks with Alberts and Carter, but he still had a few reasons to be reluctant. He’d never coached in the Midwest. He didn’t know anyone in Lincoln. Was he really the right fit for the job? Could he get talented players to Nebraska? Was the school willing to make a long-term commitment to him?

Most of all, he wondered whether a deal that was acceptable for all sides was too complicated. But by mid-November, he was starting to hope it would work out.

As the back-and-forth talks continued, Rhule stayed busy. He lined up appearances on NFL Network and ESPN to see how he might fare if he went the TV route. The family planned a trip to their vacation home in Cape May, N.J.

But he kept doing his homework on Nebraska. He studied games and recruiting film, called coaching peers and even searched for videos with his 18-year-old son, Bryant, to learn all they could about the Huskers.

“I’m telling you, if you check my son’s YouTube history, we’ve watched everything,” Rhule said. “I could see my son getting excited.”

Talks with Leipold intensified when the Rhule deal appeared to be off. Leipold had a unique relationship to the job. He’d worked as a recruiting staffer for the Frank Solich-coached Huskers from 2001 to 2003. He invested a decade of his career in building the Nebraska-Omaha football program, which Alberts shuttered as AD at the school in 2011.

If Leipold received an offer, it would be a difficult decision. But by two days before Thanksgiving, he no longer heard from Nebraska.

Kansas AD Travis Goff had offered Leipold a contract extension in early October as “College GameDay” readied to appear in Lawrence before the Jayhawks hosted TCU. When the lines of communication remained open, Leipold was willing to wait on the Huskers.

No longer. Kansas upped the offer, doubling his salary to $5 million. Leipold agreed to stay.

Despite the snagged negotiations, again, all roads led Alberts back to Rhule.

The moment that he believed the deal was dead revealed Rhule’s true feelings about the opportunity.

“These job things happen so fast,” he said. “You talk to them, they offer you the job, you move on. I had a moment where I didn’t think it was gonna work out. And I sat there and I was really disappointed. So when they called back and said, ‘Hey, what if let’s try something else,’ I knew then that this was where I was supposed to be.”

If Oct. 29 played out as the day in the Nebraska coaching search when the table was set, dinner was served on Nov. 22.

Alberts presented a new offer to Rhule’s agent. But this time, Rhule wasn’t the only heavy hitter in the ballpark.

Hello, Luke Fickell.

In his sixth season at Cincinnati, Fickell was ready to talk about an exit. One year after leading the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff and seven months before their planned jump to the Big 12, his interest illustrated the power shift in college football that continues to favor the SEC and the Big Ten.

“There’s no doubt about it, let’s be honest,” Alberts said, “there’s a Power 2 right now.”

With an ace up his sleeve and the clock ticking, Alberts returned to negotiations with Armstrong over Rhule.

“He and I kept going through it,” Alberts said. “I’d give here, he’d give there. And gosh, how long were we doing this? Every day.”

Did Alberts present a deadline for Rhule to accept or lose the offer?

“I hadn’t done that yet,” he said, “but I was close.”

The call from Armstrong to Alberts came on Thanksgiving, around 11 a.m. Alberts was home in Lincoln. He delayed his travel to Iowa City for the season finale until Friday to spend time with his family on the holiday. And possibly, to strike a deal on Rhule.

After more haggling with Armstrong, Alberts said, Rhule’s agent “got to where I was comfortable.”

“We’re good,” Alberts said.

“What did you say?” responded Armstrong.

“I think we got a deal.”

The contract will pay Rhule $74 million over eight years.

“I just believed in my heart that we had the right person,” Alberts said. “There are great coaches out there. And of those coaches that I talked to, all of them could have done a great job. But sometimes, you’re looking for the right fit.

“Who is the best person given our current realities?”

Alberts said he believes that Nebraska sits in a vulnerable state as a football program and an athletic department.

Rhule’s salary jumps from $5.5 million over the next 13 months to $12.5 million in 2030. It includes a $7 million pool for 10 assistant coaches and a buyout for Rhule, if fired without cause, that would pay him 90 percent of his remaining salary. The structure suggests that the Panthers owe 30 percent ($12 million) of what’s left on his NFL contract.

Until the final hours, Rhule remained unsure it would work. As the three parties finalized contract details, rumors flew ahead of the Huskers’ 3 p.m. kickoff Friday in Iowa City that Rhule had turned it down.

Even after Alberts and Armstrong privately agreed, the names of Fickell, Klieman, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, NC State’s Dave Doeren and former BYU and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall generated speculation among industry insiders.

Nebraska made its announcement on Saturday morning.

“This was hard. It was really hard. It was a hard process,” Alberts said. “But I think Matt was determined to find a way and I was determined to find a way.”

A day later, Wisconsin hired Fickell, announced at seven years for more than $50 million.

When the call came that Alberts and Armstrong struck a deal, Julie Rhule teared up.

“My wife, all along, just kept saying this is the right fit,” Rhule said. “She said, ‘Matt, I know you. This is the kind of program that you’re supposed to be coaching.’”

 

Nauseating article.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

30 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Not Tulsa?  

Nope. Sounds like this came together last minute. Sounded like Eric Morris was going to be the guy m. 

[dilloncp98 79]

SIAP: Seeing that Rashad Samples may return to the college ranks. He’d be a good recruiting replacement if we lose Marion to Tulsa.

[Francisco 2.0 32333]

 

 

[tonedeaf 56]

25 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

 

I'll say it for him.  Fuck baylor. 

[VirginiaLonghorn 4750]

Late .. never mind 

Edited December 2, 2022 by VirginiaLonghorn

[redswingline 1057]

3 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

 At least he seems to understand the value to the school of having a good football team.  The old administration clearly did not.  and academic rankings suffered.

[jeevsie 3720]

NervousHerman.gif

[RandomIdoit 655]

3 minutes ago, jeevsie said:

NervousHerman.gif

[GreenspointTexas 9566]

Wait a minute wait a minute

 

 

didnt Eric Morris basically make GJ Kinne at Incarnate Word?

[BigHornedLurker 1894]

17 minutes ago, tonedeaf said:

I'll say it for him.  Fuck baylor. 

Aranda keeping a short leash on coaches

[Francisco 2.0 32333]

9 minutes ago, BigHornedLurker said:

Aranda keeping a short leash on coaches

And Roberts was Aranda's mentor at one time.

 

 

[Storm the Field 5273]

18 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Wow Texas State set to hire GJ Kinne in a surprise 

TXST has put ourselves in such a hole that "young upcoming coach getting his first real shot to put out the dumpster fire" is pretty much our only option at this point. We would need to significantly improve just to reach "failed big name coach landing spot" level.

By far the worst football program in the country for a major state university with nearly 40K students. Decades of apathy by all parties involved (Administration, Athletic Dept., Students and Alumni).

I genuinely hope that Kinne gets poached after 2 years or so, b/c that means he has had some level of success and hopefully leaves the program better off than he found it.

 

[redswingline 1057]

16 hours ago, BigHornedLurker said:

Aranda keeping a short leash on coaches

Not sure what results he expects. small schools like that can't just reload.

They have to play the 3-4 year game of developing guys and hoping everything comes together for an +8 win season once ever 4-6 years.

Edited December 2, 2022 by redswingline

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

25 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

TXST has put ourselves in such a hole that "young upcoming coach getting his first real shot to put out the dumpster fire" is pretty much our only option at this point. We would need to significantly improve just to reach "failed big name coach landing spot" level.

By far the worst football program in the country for a major state university with nearly 40K students. Decades of apathy by all parties involved (Administration, Athletic Dept., Students and Alumni).

I genuinely hope that Kinne gets poached after 2 years or so, b/c that means he has had some level of success and hopefully leaves the program better off than he found it.

 

What’s crazy is Morris is who loaded up Incarnate and built what GJ took over. 

[redswingline 1057]

18 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Nauseating article.

I don't even have to read it to know what it says. It's the same shit for nearly all high profile coaches

The sides were working on a deal, but didn't know if it was going to happen.

Then something just told Rhule that was the right place for him (probably the millions he would get paid) and now he is coach. 

 

[redswingline 1057]

On 12/1/2022 at 9:19 AM, Post Oak said:

Honest question. Is the Stanford job (with the realignment scenarios) better than Duke or Wake?

What is better? If more pay is the criteria, then yes its much better.

If factoring in the near impossible task of meeting the schools admissions standards while recruiting competent players, not its not better at all.

I remember shaw said there are about 75 players a year that he can recruit nationally. That is factoring in their ability to get into the school and being good enough to step onto a P5 field.

[Sbbruin 21733]

21 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

CU's problem is largely administration driven.  That's a big part of why Tucker bolted.  The administration did not come through with promises made to him.  But with a new President brought on a little more than a year ago, it sounds like he's working to change those things.  But the fact remains that CU will never be competitive again unless the administration gets firmly behind supporting the program.  Time will tell if Saliman (new President) can pull that off.  At least he seems to understand the value to the school of having a good football team.  The old administration clearly did not.  And both football and academic rankings suffered.

Word is Prime to CU is going to be announced this weekend.

[StrippersAndNobelPrizes 831]

1 hour ago, Storm the Field said:

TXST has put ourselves in such a hole that "young upcoming coach getting his first real shot to put out the dumpster fire" is pretty much our only option at this point. We would need to significantly improve just to reach "failed big name coach landing spot" level.

By far the worst football program in the country for a major state university with nearly 40K students. Decades of apathy by all parties involved (Administration, Athletic Dept., Students and Alumni).

I genuinely hope that Kinne gets poached after 2 years or so, b/c that means he has had some level of success and hopefully leaves the program better off than he found it.

 

This is so true! Apathy and incompetence for years. I emailed the new AD asking if we could buy the new blackout football jersey or the baseball jersey. Of course the answer was none of that is for sale - only the football jersey from years ago. So literally no attempt to market the brand or sell kits. He also copied the baseball coach on the email (supposedly it was his email) to see if they would get me a free jersey (his idea not mine) and said he would stop by my seats and say hi. Of course never heard back again on any of this. Felt like talking to a bad politician. And attending the games in person are depressing they are so sparsely attended and have so little life - for a university that large, too.

So is Coach Prime out of the running for Texas State???? Now that would light a fire under their lazy asses!

[BigHornedLurker 1894]

5 minutes ago, StrippersAndNobelPrizes said:

This is so true! Apathy and incompetence for years. I emailed the new AD asking if we could buy the new blackout football jersey or the baseball jersey. Of course the answer was none of that is for sale - only the football jersey from years ago. So literally no attempt to market the brand or sell kits. He also copied the baseball coach on the email (supposedly it was his email) to see if they would get me a free jersey (his idea not mine) and said he would stop by my seats and say hi. Of course never heard back again on any of this. Felt like talking to a bad politician. And attending the games in person are depressing they are so sparsely attended and have so little life - for a university that large, too.

So is Coach Prime out of the running for Texas State???? Now that would light a fire under their lazy asses!

Word is its prime time in Colorado 

[Chewbacca 7730]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

Word is Prime to CU is going to be announced this weekend.

That's the word, but I'm not going to believe it until it happens.

[Beau Vine 54001]

52 minutes ago, StrippersAndNobelPrizes said:

This is so true! Apathy and incompetence for years. I emailed the new AD asking if we could buy the new blackout football jersey or the baseball jersey. Of course the answer was none of that is for sale - only the football jersey from years ago. So literally no attempt to market the brand or sell kits. He also copied the baseball coach on the email (supposedly it was his email) to see if they would get me a free jersey (his idea not mine) and said he would stop by my seats and say hi. Of course never heard back again on any of this. Felt like talking to a bad politician. And attending the games in person are depressing they are so sparsely attended and have so little life - for a university that large, too.

 

The day Larry resigned, I grudgingly got online and made a donation to the Bobcat Club.   That was April, 2021.  My membership presumably expired in 4/2022, and I have not received a phone call, email, letter, anything, asking why I haven't donated again. 

[66BUFF 2554]

21 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Nauseating article.

This part made me spit my drink

Carter and Belichick talked this week about Rhule.

“He’s been out here to Nebraska,” Carter said of the six-time Super Bowl champion. “He considers Nebraska to be the mecca of football. And he’s a big fan of Matt Rhule.”

[closetohumping 17400]

3 minutes ago, 66BUFF said:

This part made me spit my drink

Carter and Belichick talked this week about Rhule.

“He’s been out here to Nebraska,” Carter said of the six-time Super Bowl champion. “He considers Nebraska to be the mecca of football. And he’s a big fan of Matt Rhule.”

Cringe.  I know they got a story to tell but I’m not sure how much of that is believable.  I’m not a Matt ruhle guy suffice to say

[Herpa Derpa 6112]

1 hour ago, StrippersAndNobelPrizes said:

This is so true! Apathy and incompetence for years. I emailed the new AD asking if we could buy the new blackout football jersey or the baseball jersey. Of course the answer was none of that is for sale - only the football jersey from years ago. So literally no attempt to market the brand or sell kits. He also copied the baseball coach on the email (supposedly it was his email) to see if they would get me a free jersey (his idea not mine) and said he would stop by my seats and say hi. Of course never heard back again on any of this. Felt like talking to a bad politician. And attending the games in person are depressing they are so sparsely attended and have so little life - for a university that large, too.

So is Coach Prime out of the running for Texas State???? Now that would light a fire under their lazy asses!

They promoted in-house so no surprise they serve the same old shit sandwich. Can only surmise that Trauth abhors anything more than mediocrity (at best). Just a shameful squandering of opportunity. There's absolutely no reason Texas State can't be on the same level as the mid-tier Florida schools like UCF, SFU, FAU. The talent bed is there, the student population is there, the brand is should be there. The inability to attract a coach of any measure is truly mind boggling.