Matt Rhule wanted to keep the momentum rolling as he entered his third season leading the Nebraska program. And like most coaches, he had already thought through the next step. So when Mike Ekeler, the architect behind Nebraska’s No. 1-ranked special teams unit in points scored, accepted his job at USC, Rhule did not panic. He already had a successor in mind, and it was someone already in the building. But little did Rhule know that instead of him handing a promotion letter, he would be handed a resignation!

The backup plan was always Josh Martin, their assistant special teams coach. Back in January, when Rhule was laying out the contingency plan, he named Josh Martin as one of three internal candidates who could replace Mike Ekeler. But that backup plan is not an option now. On February 3, 2026, Martin would accept the head coaching role at Liberty Christian High School and officially close the door on a smooth in-house promotion.

Now, Rhule also had two other plausible names on that list: Brett Maher, also an assistant special teams coordinator, and Nick Humphrey, the program’s special teams analyst. In short, all three were the top choices, and they weren’t even looking outside.

“If and when Ek leaves and moves on, those three guys will take over in some form,” Rhule said on a January 16th interview. “We won’t change anything, we won’t bring anyone in from the outside. Because the system we have internally is way too good. We’ll just have to do a good job next year of making good decisions…You can’t bring every ball out of the end zone. You can’t try to hit a home run every time. We have to be a little bit more disciplined in some of the things that we do.”

Even then, Martin seemed the sensible choice, because whilst he was never the primary special teams coordinator at Lincoln, he had already done the job before. At SMU, Martin was a ‘proper’ special teams coordinator for two seasons. He played an important role in the Mustangs’ historic 10-win season in 2019. That year, SMU’s coverage players were a crucial factor in the team’s 8–0 momentum, the program’s best since 1982.

Under Martin, kicker Kevin Robledo and punter Jamie Sackville contributed proper, trusted results during Sonny Dykes’ resurgence. Martin also carried more responsibility at SMU, coaching TEs alongside special teams. During that time, he helped nurture Kylen Granson into an NFL draft pick. In 2019, Granson led all FBS tight ends in end-zone reach (9) and yards per catch (17.4).

And as for Martin, he later carried forward the same multi-role during his first season with the Cornhuskers in 2023. After all these facts, it’s easy to see why Martin looked like an obvious replacement for Ekeler. However, this career change looks more logical.

A new start for Josh Martin

Josh Martin is already getting an upgrade by leaving Lincoln. Liberty Christian isn’t an ordinary high school. It’s a powerhouse organization that was previously led by former NFL star Jason Witten. Under Witten, the school won consecutive Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state titles in 2023 and 2024. After five seasons preparing that school, Witten moved on to coach tight ends at Oklahoma.

For Martin, the move brings him back to his roots. Martin is from Dallas. Before coming to Nebraska, he was at Little Elm High School in 2022 as the offensive coordinator and QB coach. Before that, he spent more than a decade in college football, with stops that were largely based in Texas. His job profile includes stints at Texas Tech, his alma mater, Tarleton State, and SMU. Let’s not forget his four-year time at Arizona State.

Experience has never been an obstacle for him. On paper, he looks very much ready to shine at a College level. But at Nebraska, he worked under special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler. At Liberty Christian, he becomes his own boss. That type of satisfaction is exactly what makes the move more logical. Even Matt Rhule raved about Martin as an “exceptional leader” who would make an “immediate impact” on the community.

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