Nebraska

Matt Rhule loves Penn State. That doesn’t mean PSU should hire him

Published

5 months ago

October 14, 2025

Press Room

Matt Rhule loves Penn State. That doesn’t mean PSU should hire him

Penn State needs its very own Curt Cignetti.
Matt Rhule’s best attribute is that he’s a program builder. You could say the same of James Franklin.
Penn State needs a closer, not a builder.

Matt Rhule has a big ol’ crush on Penn State.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Nebraska’s coach gush with affection for his alma mater.

“I love Penn State,” Rhule said, as his face lit up, during his weekly news conference one day after James Franklin’s firing. “Met my wife there. It’s my alma mater. Fan since I was born. I think I probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I love Pat Kraft,” the Penn State athletic director.

That, folks, sounds like a man waiting on a job offer. A man experiencing a bout of infatuation — and not for the Huskers.

I half expected Rhule to rip off his Nebraska hoodie, reveal a mountain lion’s head on his undershirt, and start swaying and singing “For the Glory.”

Oh, sure, Rhule also said he loves Nebraska and he wants to “turn this thing into a beast,” but how much are we to believe that pledge while Rhule is rubbernecking Penn State?

This whole situation smells a little too obvious. Rhule played at Penn State as a walk-on under Joe Paterno, then started his career as a volunteer coach there. Kraft previously was Rhule’s boss when he coached Temple. They’re pals.

Rhule also hinted Nebraska’s not bankrolling his roster to the extent he’d like.

It’s clear why Rhule would flirt with well-heeled Penn State, but why should Penn State settle for the easy choice? Hiring Rhule would amount to hiring a Franklin 2.0. This one just smiles more.

Matt Rhule credentials are a lot like that of James Franklin

By every indicator, Rhule’s a solid coach. He’s a program builder. He’s steady. He worked wonders at Baylor and Temple, just as Franklin did at Vanderbilt. He leaves programs better than he found them.

Each of those descriptors applies to Franklin, too.

By firing Franklin, Penn State signaled it desires to be elite, not solid.

By every indicator, Rhule’s not elite. Like Franklin, he loses the big games. He lost to Michigan a few weeks ago. He’s 8-13 against Big Ten competition in 2½ seasons at Nebraska.

It should be said he’s got Nebraska trending up, with a 5-1 record. Year 3 consistently marks a crescendo for Rhule’s tenures, and this one is no exception.

Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola is flourishing. Might Raiola follow Rhule to Penn State, if his coach left?

If Penn State hired Rhule, nobody could say it hired a bad coach. I would say Penn State spent tens of millions of dollars and triggered the second-largest buyout in college football history, just to replace Franklin with a more charismatic Franklin.

Rhule’s chops for program building cannot be questioned, but Penn State doesn’t need a rebuild. It needs a closer, a cut-throat like the one Big Ten rival Indiana cooked up.

Will Penn State go for obvious hire or challenge its imagination?

Rhule is the unimaginative, tug-on-the-heart strings choice. That’s worked elsewhere. Mario Cristobal, a Miami native who played for the Hurricanes, has “The U” humming.

Kirby Smart, Jim Harbaugh, Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier won national championships coaching their alma maters. Ohio native Urban Meyer did his thing at Ohio State. Bear Bryant suited Alabama beautifully.

There are just as many examples of the obvious choice going splat. Including the guy Rhule replaced at Nebraska. Scott Frost seemed like a slam dunk. He stunk.

So did Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, his alma mater. So did Kliff Kingsbury in his Texas Tech homecoming.

Mike Shula flopped coaching his alma mater. Alabama replaced Shula with a West Virginia native who played at Kent State. Nick Saban went on to become the GOAT. Alabama built him a statue.

None of the four coaches in last season’s CFP semifinals was at his alma mater. Of that quartet, only Franklin was a native of the state where he coached. A lot of good that Pennsylvania upbringing did Franklin against UCLA and Northwestern.

You think Indiana cares Curt Cignetti is from Pittsburgh, played at West Virginia and came to Indiana by way of James Madison? Indiana wouldn’t trade its Yinzer for any born and bred Hoosier.

Think Oregon minds Dan Lanning, he of the defending Big Ten champion Ducks, is from Missouri and ascended as Smart’s defensive coordinator, three time zones away from Oregon? Nope.

Plundering a coach from a big-brand program isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, either. Texas A&M tried that with Jimbo Fisher. LSU is attempting that with Brian Kelly. Southern California is trying it with Lincoln Riley. None of those guys made the playoff after changing jobs.

Hiring Rhule would be the easy move, the obvious hire, a choice who ensures a high floor. He’d charm the skeptics at his introductory news conference, and he’d love Penn State, and, at first, Penn State would love him back.

And when Rhule proves he’s the second coming of Franklin, Penn State would wonder why it spent all that money to hire the coach it just fired.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

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Nebraska

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.

According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.

“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”

The senior ended his career as the 39th four-time state champion in Nebraska history, winning three at Wilber-Clatonia before joining the Jr. Jays.

Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.

“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.

“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.

Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.

“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.

Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.

“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”

The sophomore won his first state title after finishing as a runner-up at 126 pounds as a freshman.

Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.

“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”

The junior finished the season as a back-to-back state champion after winning a gold medal at 175 pounds as a sophomore.

Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.

“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.

Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.

“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.

“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.

Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.

ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year

“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”

Matt Williams(NE Chamber)

Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.

The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.

His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.

“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”

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Nebraska

Maryland men’s basketball silenced late by No. 12 Nebraska, 74-61

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Maryland men’s basketball silenced late by No. 12 Nebraska, 74-61

Maryland men’s basketball has found itself in plenty of close games over the past few weeks. Four of its last five were decided by seven points or less, and the Terps won three of them.

Head coach Buzz Williams had ostensibly found a winning recipe in crunch time. That is, until Wednesday’s clash with No. 12 Nebraska.

Down by five with just over six minutes to play, the key ingredients for a comeback were nowhere to be found. Andre Mills, who had been superb over Maryland’s past few matches, turned the ball over to star forward Pryce Sandfort on an errant pass. Just seconds later, Sandfort splashed a 3-pointer, and Pinnacle Bank Arena went wild.

That sequence was the cap of a 9-0 run and the middle of an 0-of-4 shooting stretch for Maryland. What was largely a competitive contest soon became lopsided, and the Terps fell, 74-61.

Williams used his coach’s challenge just a minute and a half into Wednesday’s contest. The reversed call didn’t result in points right away — the Terps turned it over the very next possession — but it undoubtedly sent a crystal clear, no-nonsense message to the sideline.

And Maryland’s defense was ready for the rowdy away game occasion. The Terps notched just five points in the opening five minutes — two coming on a thunderous Solomon Washington slam — but didn’t allow Nebraska on the scoresheet. In fact, Maryland turned the Cornhuskers over twice in that span, and Guillermo Del Pino rejected a Jamarques Lawrence layup.

Nebraska started the game 0-of-6 from the field before finding the net. Sandfort channeled his shooting prowess, sinking a 3-pointer to give the Cornhuskers their first advantage of the match six-and-a-half minutes in.

Forward Braden Frager was the true catalyst for Nebraska’s sudden surge, logging seven of the team’s first 10 points and operating well in transition. His quick-hit offense didn’t allow Maryland to set up its effective half-court defense.

The Terps’ offense remained relatively cold as the midway point of the half approached. They embarked on a 1-of-8 shooting stretch, with Nebraska consistently switching on Maryland’s perimeter looks and forcing Washington into some perimeter shots.

Interestingly enough, it was Washington and his frontcourt counterpart — Elijah Saunders — that offered the team a surge from beyond the arc. The two combined for four of the squad’s first five 3-pointers — two of Saunders’ makes came in the last five minutes of the half to keep Maryland within striking distance.

The Cornhuskers took a six point advantage into the halftime locker room, up 33-27.

Rienk Mast finally got into a bit of rhythm to open the second half, burying a 3-pointer in an attempt to keep the Terps at bay. But Maryland’s offense wasn’t rattled. It didn’t revert to the same isolation playbook that it has sometimes found itself running; it instead was gritty on the glass and earned multiple second-chance opportunities.

Nebraska was being worn down on defense, and its crowd was becoming less intense. Maryland just needed to establish some prolonged momentum.

But the game remained deadlocked for the ensuing minutes. Andre Mills began to display some of the athletic lane-driving traits he’s exhibited over the past 10 contests. But he also drilled a pair of long-range jumpers, quickly becoming the team’s leading second-half scorer.

As the clock ticked below 10 minutes left with the game decided by just a matter of points, the Terps’ offense hit a stagnant stretch. Coit took four consecutive shots — and made only one — while the team’s ball movement came to a screeching halt.

After Nebraska’s 9-0 run, things didn’t realign on the attack for Maryland. Coit continued to struggle, going 2-of-6 from three in the second half. Mills also missed back-to-back looks, and from there, the result was all but decided.

1. Elijah Saunders’ big day. With Mills struggling in the first half Wednesday, Saunders picked up some of the slack. The 40% 3-point shooter made half of his looks, resulting in a season-high five 3-pointers against the Cornhuskers. That comes just one game after he set his previous season-high of four 3-pointers against Washington.

2. Paint production erased. Maryland’s frontcourt did some damage Wednesday night, but much of it came from deep. The Terps finished with just 14 points in the paint compared to Nebraska’s 26. Despite both teams grabbing seven offensive rebounds, Maryland didn’t make much of the second chance opportunities in the restricted area.

3. More Del Pino minutes. After playing 27 minutes and securing the win with an alley-oop lob against Washington, Del Pino was on the court for 15 minutes Wednesday. Though he finished without any points, he seems to have earned Williams’ trust and continues to operate the floor well from a distribution perspective.

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