Matt Rhule understands Heinrich Haarberg has goals to play in the NFL. With his elite size and athleticism combination, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.

However, Haarberg has mainly played quarterback in his college career, a path that is not favorable for Haarberg to get into the league. But the head coach revealed during Wednesday’s Earlying Signing Period press conference that Haarberg will “explore” different positions in the year ahead.

The comment came about after a question about Nebraska’s quarterback situation. The Huskers lost Daniel Kaelin to the portal as Nebraska signed 4-star QB TJ Lateef on Wednesday, giving the Huskers just 2 QBs with Dylan Raiola as the starter once Haarberg makes an official switch.

Haarberg admittedly provides some flexibility as an emergency QB either way, but Rhule is serious about his chances to make it at a different position.

“We’ve made a commitment to Heinrich that we would let him explore some other positions,” Rhule claimed. “He really wants to be a pro player with his athleticism. That probably means we would need to look at a 3rd QB (in the portal).”

Haarberg certainly has some options with a 6-foot-5 and 225-pound frame to go with great speed for his size. He even lined up out wide at times this season, so it would seem testing out the tight end position or a hybrid between TE and wide receiver may be an option.

During the 2023 season, Haarberg was the most-used QB for the Huskers but only completed 49% of his passes. However, he did lead Nebraska with 477 yards on the ground and a team-high 5 rushing touchdowns.

This season, Haarberg still saw the field at QB as the primary backup to Raiola, but he also saw time working in a specific offensive package. He finished the season with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with an 8-yard reception in limited action.

It will be interesting to see what the Huskers dial up to try and unlock Haarberg’s full athletic potential moving forward.