Nebraska had to make a move and give head coach Matt Rhule a new contract or risk losing more than their coach.

Rhule reportedly signed a three-year contract extension that will keep the coach in Lincoln beyond 2030. An official announcement is expected Thursday.

If the Huskers wanted Rhule to run the program, this is what they had to do. The Huskers are getting more than the ol’ ball coach. They have essentially made the right move to keep their roster intact. Because if Rhule went to Penn State, no one knows what would have happened to the Huskers’ roster.

Or star sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Or his brother Dayton, a 2026 Nebraska commit.

Rhule was a natural fit for Penn State. He is an alum and former walk-on linebacker. No wonder he was rumored to be the top candidate to replace James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12.

Nebraska had to take this scenario to heart: No Rhule, no star sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola. That could have happened. And, then what? In the new world of college football, players change programs all the time.

Like it or not, in the modern world of big-time college football, this is the price of doing business. And the price has increased over the years and it has nothing to do with inflation.

Now, the price contains quite a few zeros in the paycheck.

Nebraska did right by Rhule but it also did right by its program. With the lack of clarity from Rhule, and the lack of public comment from NU on the Penn State head-coaching opening, the speculation machine kept churning. But, as expected, plenty was going on behind the scenes.

We were less than three weeks into the Penn State job search, which was early in the process with the season still in progress. But it felt like an eternity. And with each passing day, it felt noticeably longer.

What Rhule didn’t say these past few weeks spoke volumes. He didn’t come out and shriek: No, I’m not a candidate at Penn State! I want to remain at Nebraska, 100 percent! He did say on  “The Pat McAfee Show” that Nebraska isn’t a “jumping-off job.”

Ultimately, Nebraska couldn’t afford to lose Dylan Raiola and his brother, and it couldn’t afford to lose the many quality players on the roster.

Nebraska has a wealth of enviable talent on the roster — along both lines, the receiving corps, the players that comprise the No. 2-ranked pass defense in the nation, special-teams players. And the talented linebackers. With so much player movement already in the sport, other teams likely were working on a wish list of Huskers.

That’s what Nebraska paid for by giving Rhule a new contract. That’s the price of doing business.

Five-star Dylan Raiola had a complicated recruitment. He first committed to Ohio State in May, 2022, changed his mind and committed to Georgia, his home-state school, in May, 2023. In December, 2023, Raiola signed with Nebraska. Dylan has started every Huskers’ game since he’s been in Lincoln.

The Rhule-to-Penn-State scenario set up like a table full of dominoes.

If Rhule wound up at Penn State, no one knows who would have followed him. Some of the current players? The Raiolas? Even though their father is a former Huskers All-America center? And their uncle is the current offensive line coach at Nebraska?

What about the recruits?

Current recruits really would have been up in the air had Rhule left. Rhule was the head coach when they were recruited. Opponents would have tried to exploit the Huskers’ coaching situation.

Reportedly, teams already are trying to poach LSU players and recruits after the recent Brian Kelly firing. All schools with coaching turnover face the same dilemma.

Dylan Raiola has established himself as a franchise quarterback — still with room to improve and grow — with at least one more full season to play at Nebraska and maybe two more. With Dylan running the show, the Huskers are 6-2, with an enormous game Saturday against 23rd-ranked USC.

What would have happened to Donovan Raiola, Dylan and Dayton’s uncle, who is in his fourth season in Lincoln? Would Rhule brought along Donovan Raiola and all or some of his Nebraska coaching staff to Penn State?

This potentially would have been a messy situation for the Dylan to navigate. Follow Rhule to Penn State? Especially if his uncle went, too? Would Dylan remain at Nebraska if his uncle stayed at Nebraska? Would a new Nebraska coach  have retained his uncle? What would that have meant to Dayton Raiola’s commitment and recruitment?

These were more than casual questions on a rainy day, or more than fodder for sports-talk radio. You better believe these were questions that were kicked around the Nebraska athletics offices.

When Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was mentioned as a possible Franklin successor, the Hoosiers took less than a week to lock him up with an eight-year, $11.6 million deal.

The new deal brought clarity to Cignetti and his family, the Hoosiers’ players, recruits and fans. In Cignetti’s two years at Indiana, the Hoosiers have become a powerhouse. IU stepped up and paid handsomely for that glory.

So, the Huskers stepped up, too. It was the right move and if they wanted to retain Rhule, their only move. Nebraska couldn’t continue the uncertainty with the current roster or the recruits.

With Rhule in the fold, the Huskers remain intact. He has established his program in Lincoln.

The Penn State scenario was too costly for Nebraska to consider.

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