Wrote this on the other board, thought I'd share it here as well. The other board seems more volatile right now, but probably is just a few irrational posters.
Looking at the way Rhule does things and where we currently are, there is going to be a tremendous amount of bitching over the next year.
1. Mickey. Even if he is kept on staff, there will some fans that think he should be the HC, some will even claim the hire was made on rasict reasons. These folks aren't rational so just ignore them.
2. Salary. Rhule got market value, but Nebraska is a pretty fiscally conservative state and some won't like seeing that huge contract. Rhule got a fair deal, all coaches salaries have ballooned over the last 5 years.
3. Assistants. Looking at his past staffs it's quite an eclectic group. Some assistants, frankly didn't look qualified for their positions. Some folks have moved with him over several stops. Good thing is many of his assistants have proven themselves and gone on to bigger and better things. Rhule does seem to have an eye for talent as he has a coaching tree that is impressive for only being a HC for 10 years. There could easily be some head scratchers that Rhule hires, but with rumors of him wanting a high salary pool for assistants there should be some coaches with a proven track record as well
4. Recruiting. Rhule's recruiting, at least in the past, is much more about physical ability then ready made players. These won't be the best for recruiting rankings, or really even for game film/highlights. He likes to develop the players that have the athletic ability to be great players. This style of recruiting and development shows up more on draft day than signing day. There will be some offers out that folks will question, like the Maryland CB.
5. NIL/Transfer Portal. I think Rhule wants to develop players not hire ones from the transfer portal, that's just my guess. I do think he will use it, but not rely on it as much as others. I think he will lean more on young players that can become great vs going to the portal for a good one, especially early in his era.
6. 8 year contract. He isn't on a short contract, Rhule can win 1 game next year and he isn't getting fired. He knows that and will be building the team he wants and won't sacrifice building the program for winning now. His goal is building and developing players for the long haul and not trying to make a bowl game right now.
7. Wins and losses. Rhule's teams have not done well during his first year as HC. There could be some blowouts and bad losses. I do think that he is starting with more to work with than he had at Temple and Baylor, but I wouldn't expect great results in year 1.
There will be a portion of the fanbase that will ***** and whine all year about the hire and some immediate results won't look good. I think we have a fair chance of making a bowl game, the schedule isn't real difficult, but not as easy as this year's. Anywhere from 4 to 8 wins is possible. A lot depends on how fast the players on the current roster can be ingrained into his system.
Rhule is a great hire by Trev. As Sip put in today's column, Rhule hits everything that Trev wanted. I think he was the best possible hire Trev could've made. I don't think we will see the rewards of the hire for a year or two, but I'm very excited to see where we are after the first 2 years. Rhule has a very high ceiling and has potential to have us consistently competing with the very top of the conference in a few years.
