Matt Rhule extension with Nebraska is done deal, according to reports

According to a report from Josh Peterson of Husker Max, a contract extension between Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football program has been signed.

Peterson, who is also a local radio host for 1620 in Omaha, first posted on Tuesday night that he was hearing from sources that Troy Dannen was working on a deal to keep Rhule in place as the Nebraska football head coach.

The urgency to get a deal done surely had to do with the interest Penn State was showing in Rhule. It’s been debated whether he was a top candidate or not, but with the arrow pointing up for the program, Nebraska was wise not to take the risk, assuming the report is accurate.

Peterson believed enough in it to write an article for Husker Max (the Nebraska Sports Illustrated site), and it sounds like he’s got multiple sources, so there is zero reason to doubt his reporting.

The timing makes sense. A segment of the Nebraska football fanbase wanted to wait. They argue that Nebraska should at least get through the season. Rhule is 18-15 after all in his third season, without a win over a top-25 team.

That can change on Saturday. Regardless, Rhule is in demand. He’s done a good enough job that Nebraska shouldn’t want to start over. All of the efforts to build the current roster and invest in recruiting would go down the drain.

This is the smart move. It would have been nice to see how the season plays out. But it sounds like there will be more money for assistant coaches and for NIL. We’ll see about all that. Certainly, there is going to be a raise for Matt Rhule, too.

Welcome to big-time college football.

Maybe this won’t work out. But Nebraska is making the right move. The alternative is just too terrible to think about.

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