Husker Big Red Daily: Matt Rhule’s revelations at Big Ten Media Days, Mekhi Nelson clarity, more

Welcome to Husker Big Red Daily, your daily stop for the latest Nebraska football news, recruiting buzz, transfer portal updates, and Huskers headlines. Here’s a quick look at the latest storylines surrounding Nebraska athletics.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule took his turn at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, following a second consecutive 7-6 season.

Rhule addressed that quickly. He said that they, being the coaches and players, didn’t come to Nebraska to be 7-6. He said the Huskers have to be better, which starts with winning more games in November.

Nebraska football has a 2-10 record in November under Rhule, with a win over Wisconsin in 2024, as well as the road win over UCLA in 2025. Outside of that, November has been a month Husker fans want to forget. Rhule is 0-3 against Iowa.

It was refreshing to hear that it needs to change. He understands what the expectations are. However, his answer for how to fix it was the right one, too. There isn’t a magic wand that makes you better in November.

The best football teams usually win most games, but they tend to win even more late in the year, with great play in the trenches and great play from the quarterback. Nebraska didn’t get either of those things the past two Novembers.

Yet, the offensive line should be the best of the Rhule era. Anthony Colandrea, who was compared to a squirrel by Luke Lindenmeyer, should also be a major upgrade at quarterback, particularly with his running ability.

The defense has a new defensive coordinator, one known for first-year turnarounds, and is one of the most experienced defenses in the country.

Nebraska fans don’t want to hear, but Rhule has this program moving in the right direction. Progress has been slower than we all wanted. Yet, the head coach seems confident in his team. It felt like his message hit the right note.

Now, it’s time for the team to prove him right.

Mekhi Nelson update

The biggest piece of news that came out on Thursday is that Mekhi Nelson won’t face any sort of program discipline for his arrest. Troy Dannen said the athletic department cleared Nelson, but Rhule could still have issued a suspension or other discipline.

Rhule confirmed that Nelson won’t be under any restriction. He was my projection to be the Huskers’ starting running back. He’s the most complete of the bunch and feels like RB1 to me.

More Nebraska football nuggets from Big Ten Media Days

Rhule talked about how Colandrea was the yin to his yang. The head coach seems to really like his quarterback room. Nebraska has three players who have started games at the FBS level.

Luke Lindenmeyer talked up Colandrea, but also said Carter Nelson has looked really good since getting healthy, and said that freshman Luke Sorsensen has surpassed him physically.

Many Husker fans are down on Rhule and this team. The schedule is difficult. Rhule said Nebraska football used it as a recruiting tool. He’s saying all the right things and appeared to do all the right things this offseason.

What will that mean in terms of wins?

That’s one question that couldn’t be answered at Big Ten Media Days.

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