‘Go totally underground with this’: Unraveling Nebraska’s 76-day coaching search

LINCOLN, Neb. — Rattling.

That’s all Matt Rhule might suppose.

Throughout a clandestine journey to see the College of Nebraska on the final weekend in October because the Huskers performed Illinois, he and his spouse, Julie, thought they’d discovered a match. Now, weeks later, the deal appeared useless, struck down by issues involving the size of the contract and Rhule’s big buyout with the Carolina Panthers, the NFL group that fired him 4 video games into his third season as coach.

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, the Panthers and Rhule’s agent, Hint Armstrong, had been at an deadlock.

“Pardon my language,” Rhule mentioned, “however rattling, like that was the suitable place for me, and it simply kinda didn’t work out.”

Alberts, although, didn’t hand over. He remembered a dialog from the primary hours of the teaching search, when chancellor Ronnie Inexperienced supplied his recommendation.

“Go underground,” Inexperienced instructed Alberts. “Go completely underground with this.”

So Alberts did.

He stored a decent lid on the 76-day search that includes the likes of Kansas’ Lance Leipold and a dozen different coaches, together with a late-hour addition in Luke Fickell.

However Alberts most wished Rhule. Alberts knew it could be troublesome. He heard from colleagues, the media, anybody within the soccer neighborhood with a voice that Rhule probably wouldn’t coach in 2023. The 52-year-old AD, employed at Nebraska in July 2021, noticed Rhule as a problem. Alberts labored arduous in October and early November to persuade Rhule that Nebraska was the suitable place for him on the proper time.

And simply because the Huskers’ season beneath interim coach Mickey Joseph turned sharply within the mistaken path, Matt and Julie Rhule flew in for a secret go to within the gentle of day to gauge the match.

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

“We drove round,” Rhule mentioned, “and we mentioned this can be a place that’s dedicated to greatness.”

Rhule, 47, wore a hat and sun shades to keep away from discover. “I can’t consider nobody came upon,” he mentioned.

The Rhules left Lincoln on the Sunday after the Huskers’ 26-9 loss at Memorial Stadium. They vacationed in Eire and felt optimistic about negotiations with Nebraska upon their return dwelling to North Carolina. Talks quickly fell aside, although, the contractual hurdles too nice.

“It simply wasn’t going to have the ability to occur,” Rhule mentioned.

Rattling.

Till Alberts dug even deeper.

5 years in the past, Nebraska had made an ideal rent on paper – Frost, the previous golden boy quarterback who understood the job, understood the state and beloved the college. He received a nationwide championship for Tom Osborne. He received large at UCF.

“I really consider that we have now employed the premier younger coach within the nation and that thrilling instances lie forward,” former AD Invoice Moos mentioned in introducing Frost.

And he bombed in spectacular vogue with the Huskers, ending 16-31 as Nebraska posted its sixth consecutive dropping season in 2022, including to its worst stretch of soccer in six many years.

Alberts’ process this time round? Rent the suitable coach or fall farther again, maybe hopelessly behind, because the Large Ten accelerates towards a future flush with alternative.

Earlier than Rhule’s time with the Panthers, he constructed faculty applications at Temple and Baylor into contenders and impressed Alberts together with his grinding spirit, consideration to element, ardour to win and emphasis on integrity and tradition.

One downside: Rhule wasn’t out there when Alberts began his search.

And when Kansas beat Iowa State on Oct. 1 to enhance to 5-0, Leipold’s inventory skyrocketed. The identical day, Illinois throttled Wisconsin 34-10, resulting in the shocking firing of Paul Chryst a day later.

The race was formally underway. Reviews surfaced that Nebraska and Wisconsin would possibly have interaction in a bidding struggle over Leipold, who had ties to each Large Ten faculties.

However seven weeks remained till the top of the common season, and early curiosity from Nebraska in Leipold was tepid.

“Simply because a coach began 4-0,” Alberts mentioned, “doesn’t imply that coach goes to go undefeated.” To his level, Kansas completed 6-6.

The Huskers, in the meantime, rebounded from a blowout loss in opposition to Oklahoma to beat Indiana 35-21 in Joseph’s second recreation and 6 days later rallied to win at Rutgers.

Alberts had spent a lot of the primary month of his search in information-gathering mode. He talked with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, to whom Alberts had a connection as a result of his daughter, Ashtynne, performed volleyball on the ACC faculty.

An organized dialog with Alabama coach Nick Saban didn’t occur, Alberts mentioned. He additionally didn’t search steering from City Meyer, as many speculated, or pursue him as a candidate. He mentioned he didn’t discuss to the previous Ohio State coach in regards to the Nebraska job when Meyer visited Lincoln with Fox Sports activities in September, days after Frost’s firing.

“We by no means talked,” Alberts mentioned.

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

Dave Aranda at Baylor and former TCU coach Gary Patterson, now at Texas because the particular assistant to the pinnacle coach, expressed curiosity. So did Military coach Jeff Monken. Kansas State coach Chris Klieman was lengthy believed to be on Alberts’ checklist.

The second-year AD “interacted” with 13 candidates, he mentioned on the information convention Monday to introduce Rhule.

“His element was impeccable,” mentioned Doug Ewald, Nebraska’s chief monetary officer and government affiliate AD. “If there was a nugget to take, Trev was going to be there to get it.”

His focus sharpened as heat of late summer time gave approach to chilly nights.

After a 1-4 begin this 12 months with the Panthers, Rhule was fired on Oct. 10. He went 11-27 in two-plus seasons, becoming a member of the lengthy checklist of coaches unable to duplicate faculty success within the NFL. He got here dwelling to see tears within the eyes of his 9-year-old daughter, Vivienne. It hit Rhule arduous.

A search agency contacted Rhule that very same day. The coach who loves to evangelise a “what’s subsequent” mentality had lots to think about.

He knew he’d miss his whistle, his folks, his goal. However Rhule didn’t have to leap proper into one other job. Not with 4 years and $40 million left on his Panthers contract. He might take a 12 months off in 2023 and nonetheless make $8.5 million.

Presently final 12 months, Rhule was getting calls from LSU, Florida and Oklahoma. He might afford to be selective and await big-time Energy 5 jobs to open.

Nebraska directors didn’t wish to wait. Alberts inquired about Rhule within the days after he hit the job market.

“Early on within the course of,” mentioned Inexperienced, the chancellor, “the title (Alberts) was mentioning to me most routinely, amongst the checklist of the folks on the market, was Matt Rhule.”

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

“I used to be thinking about him as a result of I revered what he did at Temple,” Alberts mentioned. “He beat Penn State at Temple. And he simply began saying all these things. And I’m like, ‘Did he watch my (information convention) or is he that good?’”

They spoke the identical language on the subject of rebuilding a program and a profitable tradition. The Rhule blueprint at Temple and Baylor aligned with all that Alberts envisions for Nebraska. This was the sort of genuine, detailed and process-oriented chief he desired.

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

Matt Rhule checked out his spouse and will see in her eyes on that heat weekend, he mentioned, that she wished their household to make this transfer.

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

“It’s identical to recruiting,” Alberts mentioned. “It was no totally different for them. If we get folks right here, they’re blown away.”

The Rhules toured Lincoln and drove previous Memorial Stadium. They didn’t dare go inside. At Alberts’ dwelling, College of Nebraska system president Ted Carter visited.

“It was actually extra of a reunion,” Carter mentioned.

Carter and Rhule reminisced in regards to the 2016 American Athletic Convention championship recreation, when Rhule’s Temple staff beat Navy. Carter, on the time, served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

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

“On the finish of the day,” Carter mentioned, “relationships matter.”

On the go to, Matt and Julie pictured elevating their three kids in Lincoln. They acknowledged that maybe they’d discovered the suitable match.

Carter agreed, a sentiment shared by New England Patriots coach Invoice Belichick. Belichick is an previous buddy of the vice admiral and held two joint follow periods with Rhule’s Panthers in August.

Carter and Belichick talked this week about Rhule.

“He’s been out right here to Nebraska,” Carter mentioned of the six-time Tremendous Bowl champion. “He considers Nebraska to be the mecca of soccer. And he’s an enormous fan of Matt Rhule.”

Nonetheless, because the calendar flipped to November, doubts remained in regards to the Rhule-Nebraska match.

Chatter across the search reached a fever pitch on Nov. 3. The morning and early afternoon introduced a number of hours of hypothesis a couple of assembly with Alberts and a bunch of Nebraska regents over a attainable impending contract supply to a candidate.

Native hysteria adopted. Discuss radio caught hearth. A number of media reviews addressed the weird nature of that Thursday.

There was nothing to it, Carter mentioned this week.

“I’m not stunned,” Alberts mentioned of the rumors. “It’s arduous. Individuals can say stuff on social media, and it sounds actually legit.”

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

“Utterly mistaken!” Ewald tweeted.

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

On Nov. 18, the Friday earlier than Wisconsin performed in Lincoln, Joseph, 54, introduced to Alberts his plan to repair the Huskers. It had developed over Joseph’s 11 weeks in cost.

However Nebraska was deep into its pursuit of extra skilled coaches.

Joseph’s contract stipulated a return to his earlier place as an assistant coach on the conclusion of Alberts’ search, permitting for the brand new head coach to determine Joseph’s standing. His future on the faculty is in query after his arrest Wednesday on suspicion of felony strangulation and third-degree home assault after a disturbance at his dwelling. He was booked into jail and positioned on administrative go away by Nebraska.

Negotiations with Rhule and the Panthers had grown “lengthy and arduous,” Alberts mentioned. Talks broke down and restarted. Issues arose as Nebraska engaged with Armstrong, Rhule’s agent, and with the Panthers group. All wage Nebraska paid to Rhule by way of 2026 would offset what Carolina nonetheless owed, so the phrases of the deal needed to fulfill all three events.

Rhule was impressed by his talks with Alberts and Carter, however he nonetheless had a number of causes to be reluctant. He’d by no means coached within the Midwest. He didn’t know anybody in Lincoln. Was he actually the suitable match for the job? Might he get gifted gamers to Nebraska? Was the college keen to make a long-term dedication to him?

Most of all, he puzzled whether or not a deal that was acceptable for all sides was too difficult. However by mid-November, he was beginning to hope it could work out.

Because the back-and-forth talks continued, Rhule stayed busy. He lined up appearances on NFL Community and ESPN to see how he would possibly fare if he went the TV route. The household deliberate a visit to their trip dwelling in Cape Could, N.J.

However he stored doing his homework on Nebraska. He studied video games and recruiting movie, referred to as teaching friends and even looked for movies together with his 18-year-old son, Bryant, to study all they might in regards to the Huskers.

“I’m telling you, in the event you test my son’s YouTube historical past, we’ve watched every part,” Rhule mentioned. “I might see my son getting excited.”

Talks with Leipold intensified when the Rhule deal seemed to be off. Leipold had a novel relationship to the job. He’d labored as a recruiting staffer for the Frank Solich-coached Huskers from 2001 to 2003. He invested a decade of his profession in constructing the Nebraska-Omaha soccer program, which Alberts shuttered as AD on the faculty in 2011.

If Leipold acquired a suggestion, it could be a troublesome choice. However by two days earlier than Thanksgiving, he now not heard from Nebraska.

Kansas AD Travis Goff had supplied Leipold a contract extension in early October as “Faculty GameDay” readied to seem in Lawrence earlier than the Jayhawks hosted TCU. When the traces of communication remained open, Leipold was keen to attend on the Huskers.

Now not. Kansas upped the supply, doubling his wage to $5 million. Leipold agreed to remain.

Regardless of the snagged negotiations, once more, all roads led Alberts again to Rhule.

The second that he believed the deal was useless revealed Rhule’s true emotions in regards to the alternative.

“These job issues occur so quick,” he mentioned. “You discuss to them, they give you the job, you progress on. I had a second the place I didn’t suppose it was gonna work out. And I sat there and I used to be actually dissatisfied. So after they referred to as again and mentioned, ‘Hey, what if let’s attempt one thing else,’ I knew then that this was the place I used to be alleged to be.”

If Oct. 29 performed out because the day within the Nebraska teaching search when the desk was set, dinner was served on Nov. 22.

Alberts introduced a brand new supply to Rhule’s agent. However this time, Rhule wasn’t the one heavy hitter within the ballpark.

Howdy, Luke Fickell.

In his sixth season at Cincinnati, Fickell was prepared to speak about an exit. One 12 months after main the Bearcats to the Faculty Soccer Playoff and 7 months earlier than their deliberate leap to the Large 12, his curiosity illustrated the ability shift in faculty soccer that continues to favor the SEC and the Large Ten.

“There’s little doubt about it, let’s be sincere,” Alberts mentioned, “there’s a Energy 2 proper now.”

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

“He and I stored going by way of it,” Alberts mentioned. “I’d give right here, he’d give there. And gosh, how lengthy had been we doing this? Daily.”

Did Alberts current a deadline for Rhule to just accept or lose the supply?

“I hadn’t completed that but,” he mentioned, “however I used to be shut.”

The decision from Armstrong to Alberts got here on Thanksgiving, round 11 a.m. Alberts was dwelling in Lincoln. He delayed his journey to Iowa Metropolis for the season finale till Friday with a view to spend time together with his household on the vacation. And probably, to strike a deal on Rhule.

After extra haggling with Armstrong, Alberts mentioned, Rhule’s agent “obtained to the place I used to be comfy.”

“We’re good,” Alberts mentioned.

“What did you say?” responded Armstrong.

“I feel we obtained a deal.”

The contract pays Rhule $74 million over eight years.

“I simply believed in my coronary heart that we had the suitable particular person,” Alberts mentioned. “There are nice coaches on the market. And of these coaches that I talked to, all of them might have completed a terrific job. However generally, you’re on the lookout for the suitable match.

“Who’s the very best particular person given our present realities?”

Alberts mentioned he believes that Nebraska sits in a weak state as a soccer program and an athletic division.

Rhule’s wage jumps from $5.5 million over the following 13 months to $12.5 million in 2030. It features a $7 million pool for 10 assistant coaches and a buyout for Rhule, if fired with out trigger, that might pay him 90 % of his remaining wage. The construction means that the Panthers owe 30 % ($12 million) of what’s left on his NFL contract.

Till the ultimate hours, Rhule remained not sure it could work. Because the three events finalized contract particulars, rumors flew forward of the Huskers’ 3 p.m. kickoff Friday in Iowa Metropolis 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 hypothesis amongst trade insiders.

Nebraska made its announcement on Saturday morning.

“This was arduous. It was actually arduous. It was a tough course of,” Alberts mentioned. “However I feel Matt was decided to discover a method and I used to be decided to discover a method.”

A day later, Wisconsin employed Fickell, introduced at seven years for greater than $50 million.

When the decision got here that Alberts and Armstrong struck a deal, Julie Rhule teared up.

“My spouse, all alongside, simply stored saying that is the suitable match,” Rhule mentioned. “She mentioned, ‘Matt, I do know you. That is the sort of program that you simply’re alleged to be teaching.’”

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Mike Ehrmann / Getty; Elsa / AP; Rebecca S. Gratz / Getty Photos)