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If not Joseph, I hope it’s Rhule

Clevinger

Assistant Head Coach
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Feb 26, 2007
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Of the realistic options out there not named Joseph, Rhule seems like the best choice. Joseph is either going to earn it or not on the field. Meyer and Fickell don’t seem realistic. As I understand it, Sanders would be too exciting for our fanbase or something and wouldn’t find Lincoln thrilling enough, apparently (I would be happy to have him still). Leipold—despite his dominance in Division III—still has a lot of question marks. Going 5-1 at Kansas at most makes him a poor man’s Scott Frost, who at least finished an entire year undefeated. Leipold also could pull a Riley and treat us like a retirement plan. I want someone with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Rhule played for Penn State, has coached a wide variety of positions as an assistant, and was impressive as hell making Temple (of all places) good. He also resurrected Baylor from the dead after their scandals, proving along the way he can recruit well and rebuild. Aranda in some ways is riding Rhule’s coattails.

I have heard that Rhule didn’t beat ranked teams at Baylor, but he also didn’t wait around long enough to get to that point (3 seasons). He was strong against Oklahoma and Georgia and then left for an NFL mega deal.

After reading about him at length, I would be excited to have him. If we can get him, I hope he arrives a little pissed off and with something to prove from the NFL.
 
Of the realistic options out there not named Joseph, Rhule seems like the best choice. Joseph is either going to earn it or not on the field. Meyer and Fickell don’t seem realistic. As I understand it, Sanders would be too exciting for our fanbase or something and wouldn’t find Lincoln thrilling enough, apparently (I would be happy to have him still). Leipold—despite his dominance in Division III—still has a lot of question marks. Going 5-1 at Kansas at most makes him a poor man’s Scott Frost, who at least finished an entire year undefeated. Leipold also could pull a Riley and treat us like a retirement plan. I want someone with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Rhule played for Penn State, has coached a wide variety of positions as an assistant, and was impressive as hell making Temple (of all places) good. He also resurrected Baylor from the dead after their scandals, proving along the way he can recruit well and rebuild. Aranda in some ways is riding Rhule’s coattails.

I have heard that Rhule didn’t beat ranked teams at Baylor, but he also didn’t wait around long enough to get to that point (3 seasons). He was strong against Oklahoma and Georgia and then left for an NFL mega deal.

After reading about him at length, I would be excited to have him. If we can get him, I hope he arrives a little pissed off and with something to prove from the NFL.
Thats a compelling and very well stated post. And this is coming from someone NOT on the Rhule bandwagon. If he is the guy I really hope he keeps Mickey around grow more impressed with his attitude and approach each week.
 
the staff coaches are able to assemble will be just as important as the head coach. proven recruiters and developers who are held accountable. no more drinkin buds, no more popularity hires. just think of the number of flakes we had over the last 25 years. how many have went on to become successful head coaches? bohl kind of.
 
Of the realistic options out there not named Joseph, Rhule seems like the best choice. Joseph is either going to earn it or not on the field. Meyer and Fickell don’t seem realistic. As I understand it, Sanders would be too exciting for our fanbase or something and wouldn’t find Lincoln thrilling enough, apparently (I would be happy to have him still). Leipold—despite his dominance in Division III—still has a lot of question marks. Going 5-1 at Kansas at most makes him a poor man’s Scott Frost, who at least finished an entire year undefeated. Leipold also could pull a Riley and treat us like a retirement plan. I want someone with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Rhule played for Penn State, has coached a wide variety of positions as an assistant, and was impressive as hell making Temple (of all places) good. He also resurrected Baylor from the dead after their scandals, proving along the way he can recruit well and rebuild. Aranda in some ways is riding Rhule’s coattails.

I have heard that Rhule didn’t beat ranked teams at Baylor, but he also didn’t wait around long enough to get to that point (3 seasons). He was strong against Oklahoma and Georgia and then left for an NFL mega deal.

After reading about him at length, I would be excited to have him. If we can get him, I hope he arrives a little pissed off and with something to prove from the NFL.

Probably the best possible option for any of the open head coaching positions. He mostly has taken jobs on the east coast.
 
I don't see the problem with rhule, just pay him per year what carolina does, and if it don't work out he's back on carolina's payroll..nice and clean...
Nebraska has to be 100 times easier then some obscure nfl team to coach...
 
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You kind of stated my concern, he left Temple (who could blame him), when he had them playing better, then left Baylor after getting them turned around. There are people who enjoy getting programs of any kind turned around and then move to the next challenge. Not saying this is his MO but the data seems to support it.

I submit his assistant coach picks will never be good enough. 😉
 
I would love Rhule but he may want to take some time off
He has 4.5 years left on his contract that pays him almost 9 million per year.
Unless someone offers him more than that he doesn’t gain anything financially until year 5.
He can afford to be very choosy about where he coaches next and probably should be - if he doesn’t win at his next gig his head coaching days might be over.
 
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it's the coaching package not the coach that will turn us around. surround yourself with professionals dedicated to getting their job done and the ceo will look pretty smart. saban does this every year. mickey if he gets the job done relative to what he's been dealt or ruler (a 3yr success) both seem decent hires but we need to know their assistant ideas. how much are we willing to pay top assistants? I'm just not all in on a semi-splash hire. a list of top fbs assistant or top fcs coaches might open a more realistic probability of getting what we want.
 
You kind of stated my concern, he left Temple (who could blame him), when he had them playing better, then left Baylor after getting them turned around. There are people who enjoy getting programs of any kind turned around and then move to the next challenge. Not saying this is his MO but the data seems to support it.

I submit his assistant coach picks will never be good enough. 😉
Yep. Hoping we could catch him at a time that he is tired of moving.
 
I would love Rhule but he may want to take some time off
He has 4.5 years left on his contract that pays him almost 9 million per year.
Unless someone offers him more than that he doesn’t gain anything financially until year 5.
He can afford to be very choosy about where he coaches next and probably should be - if he doesn’t win at his next gig his head coaching days might be over.
Yeah, this concerns me. I doubt he would want to sit out too long, but he could be expensive.

Wouldn’t the Panthers have to pay him the difference of what he is owed beyond what we pay him?
 
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I couldn't care less about the money. It's all conference money, huge media rights deals and rich booster money. So get the right guy and don't even tell me what it costs, I don't care. A winning team benefits Lincoln and the State of Nebraska in many ways.

I like Rhule.
 
This is a really interesting article that was circulating last week. I think his recruiting philosophy matches what TA is looking for. He likes to recruit high ceiling guys who need to be developed, and he's proven he can assemble a staff to develop those players.



Now I'll see if I get smited for posting a 247 article...
 
Would be interesting to get inside the brain of Rhule, LL and others. To truly understand their perception of the Nebraska job. I expect Rhule to have his pick of several P5 schools.
 
Yeah, this concerns me. I doubt he would want to sit out too long, but he could be expensive.

Wouldn’t the Panthers have to pay him the difference of what he is owed beyond what we pay him?
Yes. Assuming he isn’t offered more than about 9 per year the panthers would pay the difference.

he is set to make ~ 9 million in 2023 whether he is working 80-100 hours per week + the recruiting NIL circus or on a year sabbatical.

he doesn’t significantly add wealth until 2027 as the panthers are paying him until 2026. If I were him I would want guaranteed money well beyond 2026 which would mean an 8-10 year contract if he signs a deal to coach in 2023.

agree .. he wouldn’t want to sit out too long in order to keep his name out there
 
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Yes. Assuming he isn’t offered more than about 9 per year the panthers would pay the difference.

he is set to make ~ 9 million in 2023 whether he is working 80-100 hours per week + the recruiting NIL circus or on a year sabbatical.

he doesn’t significantly add wealth until 2027 as the panthers are paying him until 2026. If I were him I would want guaranteed money well beyond 2026 which would mean an 8-10 year contract if he signs a deal to coach in 2023.

agree .. he wouldn’t want to sit out too long in order to keep his name out there
I thought I read that His Carolina contract did not have the partial payment clause. That the reason they fired him now was so he would get one of these college jobs and they wouldn’t have to pay him at all for the remainder of his contract. I could be mistaken, but the speculation was that if they waited until November or December to make the move the odds of those college jobs getting filled and leaving them on the hook for his 2023 and beyond salary
 
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I thought I read that His Carolina contract did not have the partial payment clause. That the reason they fired him now was so he would get one of these college jobs and they wouldn’t have to pay him at all for the remainder of his contract. I could be mistaken, but the speculation was that if they waited until November or December to make the move the odds of those college jobs getting filled and leaving them on the hook for his 2023 and beyond salary
You may very well be correct - I assumed he had the standard contract -
I believe I read that the panthers owe him roughly 42 million more

if the panthers don’t have to pay the difference then that is more reason for him to drag his feet
 
If I'm Matt Ruhle and I want the Nebraska job here's what I would do:

Have Nebraska pay me virtually nothing with the difference between his market worth and the low salary he's taking being added to the NIL pool. No reason for him to let Tepper off the hook via the offset language. Then he gets another 4-5m per year to spend to quickly flip the roster around.
 
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You may very well be correct - I assumed he had the standard contract -
I believe I read that the panthers owe him roughly 42 million more

if the panthers don’t have to pay the difference then that is more reason for him to drag his feet
You were correct. There is/was offset language in the contract.

 
Would be interesting to get inside the brain of Rhule, LL and others. To truly understand their perception of the Nebraska job. I expect Rhule to have his pick of several P5 schools.
Ruhle would seem to be a natural choice for AZ St or Auburn.
 
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you should read how many wins he has against ranked opponents.

then you should read how Art Briles & Dave Aranda accomplished what he never could at the same school
You post reflects that you didn’t read mine.

Rhule left Baylor right as they got good. They went 11-3 in his last/3rd season there.

Briles left that program mired in scandal. Again, you should read about it.

As far as Aranda, I think he’s a great coach and would be happy with him, but I sort of doubt he is going to leave Baylor from what I have read.
 
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the staff coaches are able to assemble will be just as important as the head coach. proven recruiters and developers who are held accountable. no more drinkin buds, no more popularity hires. just think of the number of flakes we had over the last 25 years. how many have went on to become successful head coaches? bohl kind of.
I would say Frank Solich had a successful run at Ohio.
 
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Which is why him jumping in at Baylor—unfamiliar territory—and doing so well recruiting-wise is impressive.
His move from Temple to Baylor was obviously a step up from for his coaching career. I'm sure he doesn't see going from the NFL to Nebraska in the same light.
However, we are the best job for 2023 if he wants to get right back into coaching. If he waits for 2024, he still may not find a better job than ours. I don't see the big-name schools (OU, ND or Miami) that are struggling now pulling the plug on their current HC until 2025 at the earliest.
 
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This is a really interesting article that was circulating last week. I think his recruiting philosophy matches what TA is looking for. He likes to recruit high ceiling guys who need to be developed, and he's proven he can assemble a staff to develop those players.



Now I'll see if I get smited for posting a 247 article...
Very similar to the model physical characteristics my former mentor and I used to identify and recruit athletes.

Absolutely agree the standing broad jump is a key indicator for a potential LB or Lineman, including the seated shot put.

The Bench press was never a factor in any decision.

Barry Sanders was a RB, if I recall he had a 12'+ standing broad jump.
 
I would say Frank Solich had a successful run at Ohio.
Relative success. He won 58% of his games at Ohio and about 62% of his conference games. Won 4 division titles and no conference titles in 16 years. Compared to 75% and 68% at Nebraska. Also had 3 division titles and 1 conference title in 6 years.
 
Relative success. He won 58% of his games at Ohio and about 62% of his conference games. Won 4 division titles and no conference titles in 16 years. Compared to 75% and 68% at Nebraska. Also had 3 division titles and 1 conference title in 6 years.
Successful enough for Ohio to name their field after him.
 
Just not impressed by him or any of the candidates.

We should be expecting our administration to get the absolute best coach possible even if they have a job if we are a so called blue blood.
 
You post reflects that you didn’t read mine.

Rhule left Baylor right as they got good. They went 11-3 in his last/3rd season there.

Briles left that program mired in scandal. Again, you should read about it.

As far as Aranda, I think he’s a great coach and would be happy with him, but I sort of doubt he is going to leave Baylor from what I have read.
I read yours until it got silly.

Baylor won the Big 12 in 2 of the 3 years before Rhule got there, so don’t pretend like he did this with Kansas or Rutgers.

Furthermore, of their last 3 head coaches, he’s the least accomplished.

he’s good at winning most of the games he’s supposed to, but he is prone to 2nd half collapses, and I’m not buying your moral victory argument after Frost.

nobody wants a guy who “can put up a good fight against Ohio State and Michigan” when we can possibly get a guy that will steal the occasional win from them
 
Successful enough for Ohio to name their field after him.
Again relative success. If Solich had started at Ohio, he would not have ever been a candidate for the head job at Nebraska. His record at Ohio was good enough to keep him employed at Ohio. The evidence is the number of P5 jobs he was a candidate for during his time at Ohio..which is zero.
 
I read yours until it got silly.

Baylor won the Big 12 in 2 of the 3 years before Rhule got there, so don’t pretend like he did this with Kansas or Rutgers.

Furthermore, of their last 3 head coaches, he’s the least accomplished.

he’s good at winning most of the games he’s supposed to, but he is prone to 2nd half collapses, and I’m not buying your moral victory argument after Frost.

nobody wants a guy who “can put up a good fight against Ohio State and Michigan” when we can possibly get a guy that will steal the occasional win from them
I didn’t make a moral victory argument.

You are kind of pathetic and your reading comprehension sucks. Baylor was in bad shape after the scandals under Briles. If you don’t understand that, you are an idiot. I can’t help you. Ask your dad to explain it to you.

Him going 11-3 in his third season there after the Briles scandals is impressive. Again, if you don’t understand that, you are an idiot.
 
I didn’t make a moral victory argument.

You are kind of pathetic and your reading comprehension sucks. Baylor was in bad shape after the scandals under Briles. If you don’t understand that, you are an idiot. I can’t help you. Ask your dad to explain it to you.

Him going 11-3 in his third season there after the Briles scandals is impressive. Again, if you don’t understand that, you are an idiot.
nobody wants a guy who “can put up a good fight against Ohio State and Michigan” when we can possibly get a guy that will steal the occasional win from them
You probably don’t understand this either, but quotation marks means you are claiming I directly said what is between them. I didn’t. Don’t be an idiot.

Who in your mind—that is realistic—is better than Rhule? And why?

Be a big boy and form a thought on your own.
 
Just not impressed by him or any of the candidates.

We should be expecting our administration to get the absolute best coach possible even if they have a job if we are a so called blue blood.
Go ahead and get yourself ready for tremendous disappointment. And Blue Blood status means about as much as sell out streak.
 
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No coach will want that Auburn job until Saban retires. Even then, they will always be the little brother in the state. Its a damn good job, but not a great one.
Rest assured, that Auburn job will be filled. If he were offered, you don't think a guy like Hugh Freeze won't take that the second he's offered?

For him and others to move up to a big conference with the reality that everyone knows it's Bama's state.

What if they offered to PJ Fleck? Minnesota's always been in a Viking state, always overshadowed.

All these coaches think they can turn a program around.

Harsin will be canned at some point, and there will be candidates.

Even Urban Meyer (not interested) would be second fiddle to Bama if he took the Auburn job, but Saban would know things would/could be changing in a couple years.

There's so much money involved for a head coach, guys will trade their long term coaching future for a short term financial gain.
 
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the staff coaches are able to assemble will be just as important as the head coach. proven recruiters and developers who are held accountable. no more drinkin buds, no more popularity hires. just think of the number of flakes we had over the last 25 years. how many have went on to become successful head coaches? bohl kind of.
Bohl was a really good coach when he was sober. Smart guy who made some bad choices
 
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