This season didn’t end strongly for Matt Rhule’s Nebraska team, but that didn’t stop him from lending a helping hand to another program. While in mid-January, the NCAA officially added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, Rhule’s involvement has been a game-changer, giving them added credibility.

“I have sent here to offer you the first-ever flag football female division Power Five scholarship,” said Rhule while offering a scholarship to Makena Cook, a historic multi-sport high school athlete.

In response, Cook said, “Thank you,” while Rhule replied, “Go Big Reds.”

On Saturday, the video clip was shared on X by OLU Flag Football, and they captioned it perfectly.

“For every girl that was told there was no path —@makena_cook has become the first female athlete to receive a Division 1 Power 4 Flag Football offer! Thank you Coach Rhule for being apart of this historic moment!”

Here, Nebraska is making bold moves in women’s flag football, launching its team in the 2026–27 season with 15 full scholarships. That number grows to 20 in year two and 25 by 2028–29. While the Cornhuskers are positioning themselves as a pioneering Power 4 program, they are advancing long-term Title IX goals.

Now, with Matt Rhule joining Nebraska Flag Football, the message is louder than ever: Nebraska is serious about opportunity and leading the way in college athletics. This matters because the NCAA has officially moved women’s flag football off the experimental list.

Just like that, emerging sport status is the formal pathway for a sport to eventually become an NCAA championship sport. In short, the game now has structure, benchmarks, and national tracking, while for athletes and coaches, it’s one of the biggest NCAA updates of 2026.

In fact, it changes how schools make decisions about adding teams, funding, and scheduling. To cap it off, schools can justify budgets, hire coaches, secure practice space, and run full seasons. Recruiting becomes intentional, with athletes now seeing clear expectations and structured opportunities.

However, before this recognition, women’s flag football had limited opportunities and an uncertain future.

Now, Nebraska’s offer to Makena Cook not only makes her the first female to receive a scholarship offer, but it also gives the Cornhuskers a talented player to build their program around.

She captained the USA Jr. Flag National Team, winning back-to-back gold medals at the Jr. International Cup in 2023 and 2024. In high school, she dominated the field, was named Orange County Player of the Year, and led her team to the inaugural CIF Southern Section Division 1 title, throwing for 6,611 yards as a sophomore.

More importantly, Cook has also committed to play soccer at Georgia, with full support from her coaches to continue flag football and even chase a spot on the Olympic team when the sport debuts at the LA 2028 Games. Now, while Cook gets a chance to showcase her potential with the Cornhuskers in the future, her presence can push Nebraska athletics to a new level.

But that doesn’t erase the challenges for Nebraska. Following a rocky third season, Matt Rhule’s program faced another setback, losing its special teams coordinator after several key departures to the transfer portal.

Matt Rhule’s woes continue after losing star QB

Huskers’ special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler’s exit from Nebraska to join B1G rival USC is now official, ending days of speculation from Huskers fans.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule addressed the chatter multiple times, though he often seemed resigned to the outcome. Here, rather than fighting to keep Ekeler, Rhule highlighted how the program could adjust without him.

Ekeler joined Nebraska last February after a stint at Tennessee and previously under Bo Pelini. In 2025, he made $625,000 and was even a Broyles Award nominee for top assistant coach; the why behind the move remains unclear.

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Nebraska offered Ekeler an extension that would have made him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the country, yet he opted for a lateral conference move to join Lincoln Riley.

Although his return to Lincoln was seen as a long-term commitment, his departure leaves fans frustrated and questioning the future of a unit that thrived under his guidance. Now, with the Huskers losing not just a talented coach but a fan favorite, Rhule faces immediate heat to fill the gap left by Ekeler’s departure.