After two seasons at Nebraska, QB Dylan Raiola is headed to Oregon, marking the end of one of Matt Rhule’s most high-profile recruiting wins. With the quarterback room turning over, the head coach is now addressing growing speculation about his coaching staff as the Huskers navigate through the offseason. For Matt Rhule, the move was simply the reality of modern college football.

“I think that’s just college sports now, right? I mean, like, it’s not like a Dylan Raiola thing,” Rhule said on the January 15 episode of the Zach Gelb Show on 365 Sports, pointing out that QB transfers have become normal. “He did what a lot of guys do. Like, he changed schools.”

 Bo Nix, he transferred. Jayden Daniels, he transferred… When we took Dylan… I went the young player route. And now, when you look at college sports… It’s probably not the way to do it anymore.”

Raiola leaves Lincoln after flashes of promise but uneven development, posting PFF grades of 72.1 and 62.4 and failing to consistently elevate the program. Oregon, meanwhile, offers a far more quarterback-friendly environment and a clear developmental runway. With Dante Moore returning for 2026, Raiola can redshirt and potentially emerge in 2027 at a CFP-caliber program without carrying the load immediately.

“I love Dylan. I love what he did for the university coming here,” Rhule said. “But that time’s now over… he’s now going to chase a new journey.”

As the QB room turns the page, uncertainty swirls around the future of special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, a situation Rhule admitted he has no clarity on amid the rumors.

“I mean, that’s you know… this time of year is these things happen,” he said, revealing Nebraska made a major push to keep him. “Right in the middle of the season we offered Mike a huge, huge, huge extension… to make him either the first or second highest paid special teams coordinator.”

Still, Rhule admitted the same freedom players have now applies to coaches. “There’s a transfer portal for players…coaches also have that same right,” he said. If Ekeler does move on, Rhule believes Nebraska is positioned to survive it.

That confidence comes from both structure and Ekeler’s lasting imprint. “He taught us a great system of special teams. He taught us a great teaching progression,” Rhule said, noting there are internal options ready to step up. “I do have the guys in the system in place though to just do it from within.”

Ekeler’s resume backs up why Nebraska fought so hard to keep him. He had 27 seasons of coaching, nine as a special teams coordinator, elite units at Tennessee, and a strong legacy from his first stint in Lincoln, coaching the Blackshirts during some of the program’s best defensive years.

“I hope Mike’s back. I loved working with him. Hope he’s a Husker.. brought him here to be here a long time.” Rhule said. But he also accepted the reality of today’s game. “If a guy wants to leave and he can leave.”

While he waits to see how that situation unfolds, he has added another piece on the defensive side of the ball.

Matt Rhule adds coach with NFL experience

Rhule also revealed a new addition to the defensive staff, announcing that former Iowa defensive back Miles Taylor is joining the Huskers as a safeties coach. Taylor, who has prior NFL playing experience, spent this past season with the Los Angeles Chargers as an Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellow.

“We’re announcing Miles Taylor today, coming from the Chargers to work with our secondary, work with our safeties as well,” Rhule said. “So Rob had a great plan, and we’ve hired the coaches to allow him to execute that plan.”

Taylor becomes part of a rebuilt defensive staff that also includes defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, edge coach Roy Manning, and defensive line coach Corey Brown. A four-year letter winner at Iowa, Taylor played in 50 career games and started 32, piling up 169 tackles and earning a reputation as a defensive back. After his playing days, he started coaching, first as a graduate assistant at Iowa, then as a Bill Walsh Defensive Intern with the Baltimore Ravens, before landing college assistant jobs at UT Martin and South Dakota.

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With Taylor added to the mix and the defensive staff largely in place, Nebraska looks closer to settling its coaching picture, even as Mike Ekeler’s future continues to linger.