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Why So Slow?

maly

Graduate Assistant
Dec 10, 2003
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I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
Recruiting wise one of the recruiting site guys said this is how it went at Baylor then about 30 days in to the process their class filled almost over night. Mickey screwed up the WR coach hire for us. I think the DC and WR coach hires are either coming from the NFL or a playoff team.
 
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I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
I told everyone that Rhule was going to take time when he was hired. If you look at how he did things at his previous stops it’s a tear down, build backup methodical approach. Question is in this new era of college football will it be as effective?
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
Way to impatient. Let the man work already.
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
You are being impatient. As far as the assistants go, some fans on here are mad that Rhule is hiring guys he's already worked with. Apparently, they think going completely blind with a new staff and taking a month or longer to fill it out is the way to go. And then there are others who think a week to fill out a staff is taking too long.

As far as recruiting goes, how many players are attracted to a four win team that isn't getting players drafted? Unless you chose to recruit outlaws and nimrods (see Frost, Scott) who have few options on where to go, you're going to have to build relationships and get kids on campus. That takes time.
 
There will always be anxiety when a new coach is hired and he hasn't filled out his complete staff and recruits run and players on the team split.

This thing will get done but maybe not as fast as some would like. I see this whole situation as an opportunity for players to come in and compete for starting jobs and that's what most of them want.

I think you see most kids bail on a program because of relationships with a position coach and not a school and so you'll always see team structure reshaped, it's inevitable.
 
OLB coach may be hired which points to ILB being Silva from Panthers or Schumann from Georgia also as DCs

Knighton and the new RB coach seem to be doing good work early, I think

Big visit weekend ahead it sounds like with new recruits and 2-4 existing getting their allotted second OV
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
I don't know that I'd say "lack of recruiting experience" because several of the newly hired staff have previously served as recruiting coordinators. Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean they're great in home recruiters BUT it does mean they're quite familiar with the recruiting process. And there's an upcoming on campus event for several recruits that's already been arranged.
 
I told everyone that Rhule was going to take time when he was hired. If you look at how he did things at his previous stops it’s a tear down, build backup methodical approach. Question is in this new era of college football will it be as effective?
That's my worry as well. You still have to develop players. Especially on the lines.

But in the long run we have to be effective in the portal.

We brought in great skill talent last portal, we will need to do that again this year if we have any shot to be decent next year.

Also, I just wanna know who the darn Oline coach and D-coordinator are gonna be. That's fueling my impatience.

Im gonna give the guy and his staff a chance, though. I'm not going to revisit this until the day the portal closes.
 
I told everyone that Rhule was going to take time when he was hired. If you look at how he did things at his previous stops it’s a tear down, build backup methodical approach. Question is in this new era of college football will it be as effective?
Of course it will be effective. There really isn't a substitute for outstanding player development.

I think the playoff expansion is only.going to make it more important.
 
OK, I will bite on all of this. I get that things are a mess and it seems guys are bailing left and right. Then there is the bright light of the NIL that can change a roster overnight. So for those telling others to chill and Rhule needs time to work all this out, how do you reconcile the instant ability to build a roster in this modern age of FB recruiting.

Personally, I am patient, I heard that over and over with Frost and where did it get us but now I am having a hard time understanding the logic.
 
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OK, I will bite on all of this. I get that things are a mess and it seems guys are bailing left and right. Then there is the bright light of the NIL that can change a roster overnight. So for those telling others to chill and Rhule needs time to work all this out, how do you reconcile the instant ability to build a roster in this modern age of FB recruiting.

Personally, I am patient, I heard that over and over with Frost and where did it get us but now I am having a hard time understanding the logic.
Yes, the same here! I'm confident that something can happen with the offensive lines, with NIL, & experienced offensive & defensive line coaches! We have some foundations there, now let's build on it in both areas! Mickey really laid a bad impact on our immediate team chemistry & also his coaching & personal life! With new coaches hired by Jan, we have late the late recruiting date & NIL to help! Yes, Scott was 5 yrs of joy, then hope, & despair! Seeing Coach Frost at the Big 10 conference opening ceremony on the podium was bad! Better days ahead & thanks to all with your information on this Husker site!😃😃🏈🏈
 
I agree with the OP that we are off to a slow start.

I thought firing Frost in early September was supposed to get us a head start. I thought Rhule planning for a college HC job since getting fired 2 months ago meant he would hit the ground running. I thought we would get a really good recruit or two right away with the excitement of new man in charge. I thought a $7 mil assistant salary pool would result in some really impressive hires.

I was wrong on all counts.
 
I have the same feelings but we just gotta let this play out a bit. It’s been a week. Painful to watch though!
 
I agree with the OP that we are off to a slow start.

I thought firing Frost in early September was supposed to get us a head start. I thought Rhule planning for a college HC job since getting fired 2 months ago meant he would hit the ground running. I thought we would get a really good recruit or two right away with the excitement of new man in charge. I thought a $7 mil assistant salary pool would result in some really impressive hires.

I was wrong on all counts.
I may be wrong, but I didn't think a coach could reach out potential recruits until he was officially coach?

Also we still have hires left to be made, my GUESS is he has those lined up and aren't being announced for reasons that WE don't know. Could be wrong, wouldn't be the 1st time.

It's been 8 days folks..
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
The first year of recruiting always sucks. I would rather be patient and get some staff who are still coaching right now (ie, from good teams).
 
I may be wrong, but I didn't think a coach could reach out potential recruits until he was officially coach?

Also we still have hires left to be made, my GUESS is he has those lined up and aren't being announced for reasons that WE don't know. Could be wrong, wouldn't be the 1st time.

It's been 8 days folks..
in the 8 days since Rhule was announced as our coach:

best recruiter thrown in the clink & humiliatingly removed from the team
all coaches hired from temple staff (same conference as our old staff)
2 of our opponents announce very high profile head coaches
10 players, including one of our best young contributors on D, hit the portal
half our current commits decommit

yea, I'm sure our DC will come straight from a playoff team or the NFL :rolleyes:

so far Rhule's off to a rough start. it's not all his fault, but it's all his reality.
 
in the 8 days since Rhule was announced as our coach:

best recruiter thrown in the clink & humiliatingly removed from the team - Nothing to do with Rhule
all coaches hired from temple staff (same conference as our old staff) - You and others have bitched and whined about this on multiple threads already not going to get into this
2 of our opponents announce very high profile head coaches - Deion Sanders is a name Hasn't proved he's a high level coach- Time will tell (Jimbo has a bunch of 5 star kids how'd that turn out) Fickell is also TBD (I'm assuming he's #2 you're speaking of)
10 players, including one of our best young contributors on D, hit the portal (Reality is when coaching staff is overturned this happens.. Didn't like 500 kids enter the portal yesterday alone? Including kids that are starting on bowl teams?
half our current commits decommit Again, conversation has been had on multiple threads.. This happens when new coaches come in.. Kids commit to coaches/relationships not schools. Your boy Mickey had hands on a lot of those recruits, turns out not the only thing he's had hands on...

yea, I'm sure our DC will come straight from a playoff team or the NFL :rolleyes: (Speculate all you want but the fact is we don't know who it is)

so far Rhule's off to a rough start. it's not all his fault, but it's all his reality.
 
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@tjlSker90 you should've read all the way to the last line of my post and simply said "I agree"

it's not all his fault, but it's all his reality.
 
I hope this staff gets completely assembled ASAP and we start hearing good news in recruiting and the transfer portal.

With Rhule, we seem to be going for the culture/development route which is all fine and good, but lack of recruiting experience is my biggest concern for this staff.

I just haven't seen much buzz or interest from recruits. It's possible I may be missing much of it because I'm on the free board.

Obviously it's WAY too early to make any judgements but it just seems we're slow getting out of the gates.

Is anyone else getting this feeling or am I just being impatient?
Football-wise, Mickey's actions didn't just affect the WR coach position. It really threw a huge wrench into recruiting and roster management.

How many first-year HC have had good recruiting classes out the gate? I know the portal can help, so I'm not overly concerned right now. This is Rhule's wheelhouse, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
 
Haven't we already concluded that the staff isn't fully assembled because the remaining pieces are still coaching.

That and MJ really threw things off course.

Still coaching where?

If they are still coaching in the NFL, are we really going to wait for them until the NFL season ends in January? That seems like a lot of missed recruiting time, especially with the portal now and early signing day in late December.

If coaching in college, the regular season is over, I don't see why they would stay at their current jobs for meaningless bowl games. Satterfield and Barthel didn't stick around for their bowl games, they came here right away.

Unless they are in the playoff, which seems unlikely a coach in the playoff would leave to come here, but even so would they really wait until after the playoff in January to start working here?
 
Rhule has been here a couple weeks. Really didnt know the Husker program and what it has vs what it needs. He has to meet with players to see who all he expects to be around before he can start filling holes he doesn't have. For some reason I have a calming feeling about this hire. Like its going to be ok a lot sooner than people expect it to be.
 
Still coaching where?

If they are still coaching in the NFL, are we really going to wait for them until the NFL season ends in January? That seems like a lot of missed recruiting time, especially with the portal now.

If coaching in college, the regular season is over, I don't see why they would stay at their current jobs for meaningless bowl games. Satterfield and Barthel didn't stick around for their bowl games, they came here right away.

Unless they are in the playoff, which seems unlikely a coach in the playoff would leave to come here, but even so would they really wait until after the playoff in January to start working here?
I think it's the guy from carolina and he's just waiting for the team to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

I'm also pretty certain that the Mickey situation really kinked the plan as far as the receiver coach and keeping most of the class together.

Either way, I think that you're in for a tough couple years if you haven't realized that Rhule is stripping this program down to the studs and is going to build from there.
 
Still coaching where?

If they are still coaching in the NFL, are we really going to wait for them until the NFL season ends in January? That seems like a lot of missed recruiting time, especially with the portal now and early signing day in late December.

If coaching in college, the regular season is over, I don't see why they would stay at their current jobs for meaningless bowl games. Satterfield and Barthel didn't stick around for their bowl games, they came here right away.

Unless they are in the playoff, which seems unlikely a coach in the playoff would leave to come here, but even so would they really wait until after the playoff in January to start working here?
Georgia’s co-DC could make a lot of sense. We waited for Pelini. I suspect we would wait for that guy.
 
I actually take this as a good sign. I'm happy to see they aren't out chasing stars. They are targeting players that will fit their system. It says to me that Rhule has an identity for this team in mind.

And that would be a huge departure from previous coaches already.
 
Mitch Sherman of The Athletic has a story up today called "Matt Rhule's revealing first week recruiting for Nebraska — from passion to ping-pong."

Some excerpts:
Matt Rhule’s recruiting work in his first week on the job revealed a kind of humility that will assuredly endear him to Nebraskans: his willingness to drop into a brewery toward the end of a long day and a strong set of ping-pong skills.

Between showing up to work at 5 a.m. and monitoring the opening of transfer portal season, the new Nebraska coach got busy close to home last week, connecting with prospects and their families.

Rhule and Satterfield flew 300 miles west to Scottsbluff, near the Wyoming border in the panhandle. Before visiting offensive lineman Brock Knutson, a solid commit in the 2023 class, the coaches stopped at the aptly named Flyover Brewing Company in downtown Scottsbluff.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Rhule and his under-construction Nebraska staff hosted about 20 recruits in Lincoln. The meet-and-greet featured a lunch of pulled pork and ribs alongside competition in cornhole, air hockey, Madden NFL and, yes, ping-pong.

Mason Goldman, a three-star prospect, said he’s unsure if he would play offense or defense at Nebraska. The Huskers, after offering Goldman in October, targeted him on the offensive line. Rhule has yet to hire an offensive line coach, though, and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton hit it off with Goldman on Sunday.

Satterfield visited Goldman and Nebraska walk-on pledge Korver Demma last Thursday at Gretna High. The visit Sunday in Lincoln provided recruits with an opportunity for more than a quick greeting.

Of Rhule, Goldman said, “It’s nice to know that he really has a passion for the recruiting process.”

Wide receiver Isaiah McMorris of Bellevue (Neb.) West, another Sunday visitor to Nebraska, said he likes Rhule “a lot” after his first impression.

“I look for a coach who’s been successful — how he presents himself, if he’s genuine,” said McMorris, a 2024 recruit with offers from Penn State, Texas Tech and K-State in addition to the Huskers. “I don’t want a coach to sugarcoat it.”

Among the other uncommitted visitors Sunday with Nebraska offers: 2023 kicker Tristan Alvano, 2024 athlete Caleb Benning and 2025 linebacker Christian Jones, all of Class A champion Omaha Westside; 2023 wide receiver Malachi Coleman of Lincoln East; 2024 quarterback Danny Kaelin of Bellevue West; 2025 lineman Tyson Terry of Omaha; and 2025 athlete Caden VerMaas of Millard North.

Commits for 2023 in attendance included Noonan, who got a follow-up visit at his school Monday from Rhule, and linemen Sam Sledge of Omaha Creighton Prep and Gunnar Gottula of Lincoln Southeast.

• VerMaas said he noticed a difference immediately in how the new coaches “welcomed” recruits on campus.

“They’re talking to you right away as you get there,” VerMaas said. “Just great people to be around.”

He lost a game of cornhole against Ed Foley, the Huskers’ new special teams coordinator.

According to VerMaas, Foley paid special attention to Alvano. The kicker connected on five field goals in the state championship game — including a 45-yard game winner as time expired — to propel Westside 43-41 against Goldman and Gretna.

“You could definitely tell they liked Tristan a lot,” VerMaas said. “I don’t know how you couldn’t. I was talking with my mom and dad, and I said, ‘This is the No. 1 kicker in the nation, in my opinion.’ I just call him Justin Tucker Jr.”

Nebraska has added at least two staffers aside from the announced on-field coaching hires.

Omar Hales entertained prospects Sunday in Lincoln and appears set to fill a role in the recruiting or personnel departments. He’s been active already in extending scholarship offers.

Adam DiMichele has been at work, too, in recruiting for the Huskers. He played at Temple and has coached at the school since 2014.
 
I think it's the guy from carolina and he's just waiting for the team to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

I'm also pretty certain that the Mickey situation really kinked the plan as far as the receiver coach and keeping most of the class together.

Either way, I think that you're in for a tough couple years if you haven't realized that Rhule is stripping this program down to the studs and is going to build from there.
Agreed. I think that Rhule is doing a rebuild. We're just going to have to be patient.
 
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