Amie Just – Oct 31, 2025 – Lincoln Journal Star

Home is where the heart is.

Your hometown doesn’t always have to be home. A place you never knew existed could eventually become your new favorite place to hang your hat.

Matt Rhule, in the earliest days of his tenure, once spoke the latter.

Sure, he knew of Nebraska.

Some of his earliest childhood heartbreak came on the day when his beloved Penn State Nittany Lions lost to Nebraska, 44-6, in the 1983 Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey. One of his collegiate moments of heartbreak came 11 years later when he and the 12-0 Nittany Lions lost out on the 1994 national championship after Nebraska beat Miami in the Orange Bowl.

But did he know what it was like? Did he know it was more than cornfields?

He wanted to see it for himself and, shortly thereafter, became Nebraska’s 31st coach in program history after signing his 8-year, $74 million, 90% guaranteed contract in November 2022.

On Thursday, Rhule signed a two-year extension that now runs through 2032.

“This is our home,” Rhule said Thursday. “We love living here. I just can’t say that enough. At the end of the day, football is football. I’m gonna get up and I’m gonna get in my car at whatever time, come in and work and then drive home. My kids are gonna go to school. They’re gonna be in the community. My wife’s gonna run her business. My wife’s gonna be out in the community.

“… People have just absolutely welcomed us and embraced us. My goal is to win enough games here that someday I can retire here and people are nice to me at the gas station. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Why now?

Rhule is in the midst of his third season with his team sitting at 6-2. His initial contract was already set to run through the 2030 season. So why now, in October?

Athletic director Troy Dannen wanted to be proactive.

This had been in the works for months, as Rhule and Dannen first had abstract conversations over the summer. Dannen then, in approximately the third week of the season, took more concrete details to Rhule’s agent. From there, the back-and-forth of negotiating details and ironing out language began, before Rhule signed the extension paperwork via DocuSign on Thursday morning.

The third week of the season was, notably, before Penn State — Rhule’s alma mater — fired James Franklin. And Franklin is one of 12 FBS coaches already out of a job before the calendar turns to November.

“The market is weird this year, right?” Dannen said Thursday. “There are so many positions that have opened midseason, so I would say the last couple of weeks, because of all the jobs opening, it started moving faster and it culminated this morning.”

While Rhule had been a top-billed name on various hot boards for the opening at his alma mater, Penn State had not called to inquire, Dannen said in a follow-up interview with the Journal Star. Though, other programs — programs plural — had reached out, Dannen said.

“There were a lot of reasons to get it done,” Dannen added, noting how more than 50 recruits will be on hand for the USC game.

The terms of the extension are, admittedly, unique.

It is an extension in the purest sense of the word. Extend means to lengthen, right? And that’s effectively what Nebraska did. The stair-stepping base salaries remain unchanged from the original contract. He didn’t receive a raise in compensation to his base salary.

But Rhule’s bank account can be padded a little more. His teams have to earn it, though.

Instead of one-time six-figure bonuses for various College Football Playoff showings as were outlined in his original contract, now Rhule is in line to receive a $1 million base salary increase for every time the Huskers make the College Football Playoff.

How does that work?

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that Nebraska makes this year’s College Football Playoff. (Still technically possible if the Huskers win out, but unlikely.) Then, that would mean Rhule’s base salary for the 2026 season would bump up to $9.5 million instead of $8.5 million. And, his base salaries for the remainder of his contract would also increase by $1 million. But if Nebraska made the CFP next season, too, that would increase his base salary moving forward by $2 million.

This — barring an unexpected firing without cause that triggers a massive $70-plus million buyout — seems to be a win on all sides.

It gives Nebraska stability without having to fork over more base salary cash. It gives stability to Nebraska fans — fans who have been told to be patient for decades. It gives the Rhule family stability, so their children can remain in one place for more than a three-year stint. When you’re on your fourth job in ten years, the thought of moving once again? No, thank you.

“Nebraska football needs stability,” Rhule said. “They need investment. And they’ve been doing it nonstop, so I’m grateful.”

But it also dangles the carrot.

You want more money, Matt? Win. Make the College Football Playoff. The money is there to be earned.

“I always believe champions behave like champions before they’re champions,” Rhule said Thursday. “They have a winning standard of performance. That’s Bill Wish.

“… I think we’re poised to go compete at the highest levels. The thing is, the mark is going to keep changing. Rules are going to change. Everything’s gonna change. It’s my belief in Troy. It’s my belief in his vision and Haven’s vision and all the people that I work with, no matter what, as the mark moves, we’ll keep being the ones trying to chase it — not waiting to see how everybody else chases it.”

Before we all start talking about College Football Playoff this and College Football Playoff that, the Huskers need to focus on winning the game in front of them.

No. 23 USC on Nov. 1.

Nebraska has an atrocious record against ranked opponents as of late, having not won against a Top 25 team since taking down No. 22 Oregon in 2016.

Nebraska, also lately, hasn’t had much success in the month of November. Since Rhule arrived, the Huskers are 1-7 in the final month of the regular season.

“‘You need to learn how to win in November,’” Rhule said of his message to the team. “‘It doesn’t matter what happens in September. It doesn’t even matter what happens in October. You need to learn how to win in November.’

“… I do think there’s something to telling the guys, ‘Hey, you work all year long to get yourself in position to be relevant in November. I think the biggest thing, though, is depending on how our mindset is. ‘You can be the team that showed up at Minnesota or you could be the team that showed up here.’ We can’t control — if USC is just way, way better than us, then so be it. But let’s just worry about ourselves. Let’s just prepare for ourselves. And I think we have a pretty good team when we do that.”

Now that Rhule’s digital ink has dried, that’s one less distraction for Nebraska to worry about this week.

But make no mistake, there’s plenty to be caught up in this weekend.

It’s No. 23 USC. At night. On NBC.

In the inaugural blackout game.

Yes, Nebraska has been calling for fans to wear all black since Adidas unveiled the Huskers’ black alternates earlier this year. And the athletic department is fully on board.

Every graphic released this week has been in black and white. The red flags at Memorial Stadium have been swapped out for black ones. The Block N on Nebraska’s website has been switched from red to black.

And, most notably, the end zones and the midfield Block N have been painted black.

If all breaks right, Memorial Stadium could be rocking like it was for the Colorado game a year ago. If so, what a sight that would be to behold.

What a week it would be for Rhule and the Huskers to secure a drought-ending victory.