USC brought in Mike Ekeler from Nebraska as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach on Feb 17. Days into the job, Ekeler raised eyebrows when asked whether he’d welcome Riley sitting in on special teams meetings. “I hope so. The last place I was at, the head coach never came to one. Before that, he came to all of them. I’d love for that to happen. It just places that importance on teams,” he said. The comment quickly circulated because “the last place” was actually Nebraska under Matt Rhule. And you bet, Rhule didn’t stay silent and came through with a sarcastic jibe.

Matt Rhule reposted a pointed message: “So, a HC trusted him to run his meetings, and offered to pay as much as anyone in the country to keep doing so, but that wasn’t enough…” Ekeler’s history in Lincoln runs deep.

He was there from 2008–2010, part of that 2009 defense that everyone still talks about. Since then he’s coached around LSU, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee and and everywhere he goes, he coaches with fire. So when Rhule hired him before last season, Nebraska fans (including Will Compton) were fired up. “I walked into a loaded gun,” Ekeler said back then. “My job is to make Coach Rhule the best coach in America.”

And it showed up. The result? In 2025, Nebraska was fifteenth nationally in punt return average and sixth in total punt returns. Which is why this whole thing feels complicated. It wasn’t just about money. Ekeler made $625,000 last season which already near the top nationally for his role. Reports said Rhule offered him an extension during the year, something that would’ve bumped him by around $200,000.

But now he’s at USC Trojans football, working under Lincoln Riley and the welcome was loud. “This is an exciting return to USC for Mike and his family,” Riley said in a statement. “Mike’s special teams and linebacker units are elite, and he brings 23 years of Power Four experience on staffs that have produced some of the nation’s finest defenses and special teams. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Los Angeles as part of our program.” USC’s boosters have been opening the vault lately. Could it be a million-dollar deal? Maybe. Or maybe it wasn’t money at all. Maybe he wanted linebackers again.

Sometimes it’s just two intense football guys wired differently. There was even that moment last season when Ekeler going nuts after a special teams spark, trying to celebrate with Rhule. And Rhule was there kind of brushing past it.

Rhule has admitted he’s learned to create a little safety buffer. After Kenneth Williams ripped off that 95-yard kickoff return against Northwestern, Ekeler was there jumping and yelling. While the cameras caught Rhule subtly drifting away when Ekeler came up to him. Later, Rhule said, “He punched me in the one game. He tackled me in another game. I said, ‘Don’t touch me again.’” He even joked that Ekeler almost got them flagged once because his celebration had gone too far. “He’s my boy, but stay over here.”

What makes it complicated is that Rhule never framed it as a problem. He praised Ekeler’s energy saying he loved the passion. “I love the special teams, not just the production,” he said. “Mike has done a great job of getting everyone to know they’re going to affect the game.” But even inside the compliments, you could sense the boundaries. Sometimes they just linger quietly in the background until something bigger shifts.

And when the shift finally came, Rhule didn’t dodge it.

Rhule’s words that defined the Ekeler exit

Matt Rhule has made sure his side of the Mike Ekeler story is out there. On “Sports Nightly,” he flatly said he offered Ekeler a “long-term” extension in the middle of the season. “If he doesn’t want to be here, that is what it is,” Rhule said.

Ekeler wanted to coach linebackers again. He’s a defensive guy at heart. But when Rhule hired Rob Aurich and let him build out his defensive staff, the spots filled up fast. Aurich is coaching backers. Rob Dvoracek is retained. Roy Manning was brought in with DL Corey Brown and Safeties coach Miles Taylor. That 4-2-5 system needs continuity, and Aurich brought in people who know it. Rhule even explained it: “He’s hired a good staff.” So it wasn’t about squeezing Ekeler out. Rhule just gave the new coordinator authority.

What makes it messy is that Ekeler undeniably made an impact. But even there, Rhule didn’t go over the top with praise. He pointed out the late-season decision-making on kickoff returns. “Husker returners can’t try to hit a home run every time,” he said. And then the line that struck. “It’s not about playing special teams for special teams’ sake, it’s about helping the team win,” he said. “If there’s one thing we can do better next year, it’s not for the glory of the special teams or the special teams coach or whatever, it’s for the unit. Not everyone likes that.”

That is definitely pointed. And when you look back at all of it together, the defensive staff puzzle and the subtle critiques, it becomes really hard to picture Ekeler walking back into Memorial Stadium as if nothing happened.