A defensive line coach to know for Nebraska football

Now that we know that Elijah Robinson isn’t coming to Nebraska football to be the defensive line coach, it’s worth asking who Matt Rhule will hire for that job?

Some big names have been thrown out there by Nebraska football fans on social media and the message boards, but it doesn’t feel like they are realistic.

Rhule could make another hire like Rob Aurich, who didn’t really have a connection to Nebraska. Rhule knew about him from coaching circles. Andrew Marshall had also played for him, but Rhule doesn’t always hire someone he worked with before.

Rhule needs to make a solid D-line hire

It feels like Rhule is looking for someone he can trust. It would be nice to get a proven defensive line coach, which is why Robinson would have been a great fit.

However, there is another assistant coach who coached the defensive line under Rhule at Baylor and the Carolina Panthers, Frank Okam.

Okam was a standout for Texas as a player. He spent two seasons on Rhule’s staff at Baylor. The Bears had 46 sacks in his final season there, as well as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Toledo also averaged 36 sacks in two seasons with him as the D-lin e coach from 2023-24.

Okam has been the defensive line coach for the Panthers and the Raiders. He’s currently the assistant D-line coach for the Houston Texans, and coached on the staff of Vince Kehres as the defensive line coach prior to that.

There doesn’t seem to be a ton of urgency on the Nebraska side of things, maybe because Rhule has already zeroed in on a target and is just waiting for the NFL season to end.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.