Ad Disclosure
Matt Rhule opens up about Nebraska rebuild: ‘I’m so confident in what I believe in’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Matt Rhule understands what’s in front of him as he tries to get Nebraska back to national prominence.
“I’m so confident in what I believe in,” Rhule said in an interview with ESPN. “I’ve seen it work, I’ve seen it not work. I’ve seen the highs, the lows. If I learned one thing in Carolina it was do what you think is right and don’t ever acquiesce to something that you don’t think is right.”
The former Temple, Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach has tailored his recruiting approach and outreach to the people of Nebraska, where small towns and Midwestern hospitality are synonymous.
“Everywhere we go we try to go, we sit down somewhere and we have lunch and have dinner and meet all the people in the towns,” Rhule said. “Because when you go across Nebraska, it really hits you, these people are counting on us, counting on us to win and bring the program back to the level that’s been.”
Fans and media might immediately recall Rhule’s struggles in Carolina, but it doesn’t take long to remember how he excelled on the college level.
“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Rhule said. “I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me. I watched what my kids had to go through in Carolina, and we’re not going to let ’em go through that here.”
Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.