With Nebraska’s season finale on Friday, the decision on who will be the permanent head coach moving forward is coming into focus. Now, the Huskers have reportedly found the key candidate for the opening.

According to Chris Low with ESPN, Nebraska has “zeroed in on” Matt Rhule, the former head coach at Temple and Baylor who was most recently the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL. Rhule was fired midseason by the Panthers.

Low went on to report that the two sides hope to finalize something in the next few days, so Nebraska could have a head coach before Thanksgiving weekend is over.

While Rhule’s time with the Panthers was disappointing, he is a proven builder of programs at the college ranks. Dennis Dodd previously reported Rhule had turned down the vacancy but later reports disputed Rhule had given an official answer on the job.

If Rhule does land the permanent gig, it will be interesting to see what happens to interim head coach Mickey Joseph. While the team hasn’t been blowing doors off under Joseph, he has kept the team fighting hard and working hard on the recruiting trail this season.