Everything Matt Rhule said from the podium at Big Ten Media Days

The third and final day of Big Ten Media Days is here, and Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule kicked it all off from the podium. He addressed his 2026 squad and what will be different about the new-look Cornhuskers, among other items.

Here’s a full transcript of everything Matt Rhule said from the podium at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

—

MATT RHULE: Can you imagine being a young kid that grew up loving college football and having a chance to stand up here representing the University of Nebraska. This is absolutely amazing. I’m very grateful today. It’s just an honor.

We have three tremendous players with us today. When I think about the University of Nebraska, the great history, I think of all the great players that came from all across the country to a storied program, it’s cool to think about the three guys with us today.

We have Justin Evans from New Jersey, Luke Lindenmeyer from right there in Nebraska, Andrew Marshall from California. Kind of like this conference, stretching across the entire country, touching homes, people all across this great nation of ours.

To me they are what college football is about. They’re what the University of Nebraska is about. Justin and Luke, they were there before I got there. They’re going into their fifth year.

Luke to me is the definition of grit, a walk-on who will be an All-American candidate this year, one of the best tight ends in the country, should win the Burlsworth award. Married, a spiritual leader on our team, and a great player.

Justin Evans, I think PFF came out, he’s the number one ranked center in the country, has come to Nebraska and just fought and bled.

They kind of exemplify what we’ve tried to do, just get better day by day. They won five regular-season games, the first year they then won six, second year won seven, last year. We’re really proud of them. Proud of their willingness to stay. To them being a Husker is more important than anything.

Andrew is an example of adapting the new world. Went to Idaho, battled, became a great player, had a chance to go in the portal, could have gone anywhere in the country, chose Nebraska, because he loves football.

We have the best facilities, the best fan base, some of the best players in the country.

I’m grateful to have them here. It was a hard decision who to bring. But this is a special group to me, and I can’t wait to take the field with them this fall.

Just like them, that’s kind of what our team is. I stood up here a few years ago saying before we can talk about doing great things, we have to earn back the respect. These guys, they kind of erased the narratives. Nebraska can’t win a close game; they’ve erased that. There’s a ball transfer portal; they erased that. Went to back-to-back bowl games last year.

We know that’s not enough. We didn’t come to Nebraska to go 7-6. We came to compete for this. Being here today with teams who have won the national championship, it’s inspiring, speaks to this conference, speaks to the people that run it, coaches and players that are in it. We understand we have to take a step this year. We’re excited to do that.

I hope you can hear in my voice I believe we will because of the young men in our program and what they’ve done.

Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Rhule.

Q. Since you guys have taken the field the end of the season, great seasons for obviously men’s basketball, baseball, volleyball. What do you guys need to do internally or on the field to find that same level of success?

MATT RHULE: I think that success that Fred has had, that Amy has had, Rhonda has had, so many of our sports have had, it’s just what Nebraska is about. I mean, as I said earlier, we have the best facilities in college sports, a commitment to nutrition unlike any other, commitment to the strength program that goes back to Coach Epley all the way through to now. You’re seeing the things that Troy has implemented since he’s been the athletic director start to take fruit on the field.

I look at Fred with tremendous respect and inspiration. Before he went to the Sweet 16 last year, it wasn’t the year he won it. Didn’t end the way he wanted. Fred just coming back to, his players kept working.

For us, we have to be better in November. We’ve gotten off to good starts. Champions are made in those winning moments in the cold, on the road, late in the season. Those are championship moments. For us, we have to excel in those.

It’s me. It’s our staff. I love our coaches. It’s our players. You have to have players that want to be in those moments, they want the hat on their head when it matters. I think we have those guys.

Some people can snap their fingers and it happens overnight. We’re builders. We’ve had to build. We love doing it. That’s why I talk about these guys. It’s not me who is the builder, it’s Luke, Justin Evans, Cam Lenhardt. All these guys on our team that weathered the storm, stayed throughout. We understand the expectations. That’s why we came to Nebraska.

Q. The Tennessee series getting canceled, there’s been talk about whether the Big Ten should require teams to schedule at least one Power 4 team out of conference. What is your opinion on that?

MATT RHULE: We have Arizona on the schedule. Maybe that’s 28, 29. We have Oklahoma, which is a very important series to Nebraska.

I think that’s a question for really Tony. I think a lot of that — I mean, to me, Commissioner Petitti has led with vision. Anytime you lead with vision and you do things that are bold, everyone is going to take aim at it. But I think if we go into a 24-team Playoff, it makes total sense.

To me it’s never been about what the requirement is, it’s is the requirement the same for everybody else. In the NFL one team doesn’t play more games than the other. We’re in conferences where one plays nine, one plays eight. I think we should make it the same. I think when things are transparent and equal, the best way to settle these things is on the field.

We have great conferences. I don’t think it’s about this conference is better than that one. All these conferences are committed to playing football at the highest levels. I think one of the narratives that’s out there right now, it’s really perpetuated by coaches, is that college football is broken.

College football is as great as it’s ever been. Maybe there’s things that some of us don’t like, but viewership was near an all-time high or an all-time high. Teams that have never been in the mix for national championships now in this news model are in the mix. There’s more access than ever. Football is as great as it’s ever been. We have to make it better. I would be happy to play anybody, just as long as the other teams that are competing for the same trophy are doing the same thing.

Q. You had Raiola leave in the portal, but you land a quarterback out of the portal. Trae Taylor coming in next year. Did Raiola’s transfer catch you by surprise? Talk about the quarterback room now and its future.

MATT RHULE: I think our quarterback room, I don’t know how many teams in the country can say they have three guys in their quarterback room who started an FBS game last year.

Danny Kaelin was a kid that I got to Nebraska, I offered immediately. He came in, transferred to Virginia. I think he had played in one or two starts last year, played really well. Comes back home. Danny is a true Husker. He wants to be at Nebraska.

TJ Lateef is an unbelievable quarterback. Came in as a true freshman. Went on the road, beat UCLA. Went out to Iowa, pulled his hamstring, couldn’t even run, and was out there just playing, giving everything he has. I see him now, he’s bigger, stronger. He’s going to be a force.

Then Anthony. Late in the process in recruiting, things happened in the portal. You asked me a question about surprises. Nothing surprises me. I wake up every day and say, What’s going to happen today? Embrace it.

We lost a quarterback we thought we were going to get. We said who’s available? There were three great quarterbacks out there. We said, Hey, let’s bring them all in on the same day. We have to move.

I learned from a great coach, Steve Addazio, a guy that I love and respect. He was at Florida, talked about Tebow: I don’t care about anything else about a quarterback other than if they have “it.” You can’t tell people what “it” is, but you can feel it. And I say, Guys, we’ll know within the first five minutes of meeting these guys who our quarterback is.

I remember Anthony got out of a car, watching him shake everybody’s hands, the way he carried himself, the way he did things, and I was like, That’s our guy.

He’s a great ying to my yang. I’m old school, be tough, incrementalist, get better day by day. He has some swagger and juice to offset me. I can’t wait to watch him play.

I think if any of those three guys could start at quarterback for us and can win for us. I’m really excited about that room.

Q. Finishing stronger down the stretch, being 2-10 in on-the-road games as Nebraska’s head coach, what kind of changes have you made for your team to prepare down the stretch?

MATT RHULE: I think sometimes we always think we have to change something. To me, you win in November by being the better football team. So two years ago we beat Wisconsin for the first time in 12 years in November to be bowl eligible. On that day we were just the better football team.

To me we look at everything, sports science guys come in, strength coaches come in. Everyone now has Claude so they have 1,000 theories. We’re looking at all this data, how can we do this better. The game comes down to who blocks, who tackles. I think players win games. I think we’re third in the Big Ten as far as experience.

Last year we were one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. Pat Stewart, our GM, Keith Williams, our director of personnel, they’ve done an amazing job of retaining our players. They could have gone other places, but they wanted to stay. We brought a bunch of guys in.

We’ll win in November with our guys up front. We’ll win with a great offensive line. We’ll win with quarterbacks who make plays, receivers who go take that ball. We’ll win with Jacory Barney returning a punt for a touchdown.

I don’t think it’s necessarily something different. It’s just doing what we do better than we did it before. Again, I go back to Luke and Justin. They’re great examples. They were out there as 19-year-old kids starting for me with other 22-year-old men, and they have to go exert their will. We will do everything we can to help them along the way.

Thank you, guys. Be well.