Say whatever you want Matt Rhule, but he’s doing everything possible to make Nebraska football a powerhouse again and made another move with that in mind on Wednesday night.
General managers are becoming all the rage in college football. Recruiting is still vital but it’s a lot different. There is a lot more roster management and strategic thinking that goes into it.
Bill Belichick is paying former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi 1.5 million dollars to be his general manager for North Carolina. It’s part recruiting, part scouting, and part money management (NIL).
Oklahoma also hired Jim Nagy who has been in charge of scouting for the Senior Bowl to be its GM. Well, Nebraska football made a major move in the general manager market on Wednesday with the addition of Pat Stewart, who comes from the New England Patriots.
Stewart is currently the pro personnel director of the Patriots but will take over as the general manager of the Nebraska football program according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.Â
A major investment by Nebraska football
This is another major investment made by the Nebraska football program. The salary hasn’t been released but you can bet it’s a decent amount to leave the NFL. Having a general manager with experience in pro personnel will be huge for the program going forward.
Scouting and recruiting are becoming more and more like the NFL. You have to invest in certain positions and when you are giving players six or seven figures, you need to be correct on your evaluations as much as possible.
This hire is in addition to getting John Butler from the NFL to run the defense along with former head coach Dana Holgorsen to coordinate the offense.
Rhule also hired Terry Bradden away from the Chiefs, where he served as the assistant D-line coach. Nebraska football also hired others such as Phil Simpson, Jamar Mozee, Daikiel Shorts Jr., and Phil Snow.
Every blue-blood program has a general manager like this and this hire, along with all of the other moves, is a sign that Nebraska is willing to do what it takes to compete with the big boys, regardless of the cost.
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