If you believed Nebraska football would simply fade into the Big Ten scenery, Matt Rhule has other ideas. Rhule’s not hesitant to rattle the table (and perhaps the old playbook) to make it happen. Put those days behind us when spring football in Lincoln was a vanilla scrimmage and a sea of red in Memorial Stadium. In Rhule tradition, the Cornhuskers’ spring game is now supplanted by “The Husker Games”-imagine a football Hunger Games, minus tributes, plus more 7-on-7 drills, skills competitions, and even a women’s flag football exhibition.

Matt Rhule’s third season is here to remind you: this is a flat-out reality show, and the transfer portal is the wild, wild west. Rhule’s been wrestling with more than X’s and O’s, he’s been keeping a roster herded through the mess of today’s college football, where loyalty is as uncommon as a silent Saturday in Lincoln. Following a small but significant one-game upgrade and eventually ending the bowl drought since 2016, Husker supporters are again pulling out those “This Is Our Year” signs, and anticipation is building faster than a Nebraska dawn. Which reminds us of the new preseason rumors: Matt Rhule has been voted the Big Ten’s fifth-best coach by the USA TODAY Sports team, and actually, that’s not small potatoes in a league in which the coaching staff is as deep as winter’s snow.

Breaking the news is none other than former Nebraska Legend, Adam Carriker. “I just saw a preseason poll that had Matt Ruhle ranked as the fifth-best coach in the Big Ten conference, which, at the end of the season, possibly could happen based on what a lot of people think Nebraska is gonna do this year.” Adam Carriker is among those Nebraska defensive greats who left a serious impact on the Cornhuskers’ front. In his college career, he accumulated 41 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks, which have comfortably placed him in Nebraska’s record books-fifth and sixth all-time, respectively. A monster on the field, Carriker was the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and a two-time Nebraska Defensive MVP, illustrating that he wasn’t merely inflating statistics but taking over games. Off the field, he’s remained attuned to Husker football, even offering analysis of Matt Rhule’s reconstruction.

Adam states, “Up to this point, I thought that was interesting because Matt Ruhle has an overall losing record and his tenure. So far at Nebraska, five and seven, seven to six, his first two years, a losing record in the conference.” Rhule’s time at Nebraska thus far? Let’s just say it’s been a rollercoaster with more dips than thrills. During his first year (2023), Rhule took the Huskers to a 5-7 mark, which, believe it or not, tied for the most Nebraska had in seven years, progress, sort of.

And then in 2024, the squad went to 7-6 and even won a bowl game, the first since 2015, which gave the fans a little hope that Rhule’s magic was starting to work. Rhule’s squads have done woefully against ranked teams, at 2-20 all-time against Top 25 teams and now on a 14-game losing streak against them. Ouch. That’s like arriving at the big dance and being stuck in the corner.

“He was ahead of Kurt Cignetti, who obviously did really good at Indiana last year, beat Nebraska.” Matt Rhule ranked ahead of Curt Cignetti on coaching lists. How? Why? Did the voters skip last October? Maybe, but there’s a method to the madness. Nebraska got steamrolled by Indiana last season. We’re talking a 56-7 beatdown that had Husker fans checking if their TVs were broken or if they’d accidentally tuned into a rerun from the Riley era. Curt Cignetti and his undefeated Hoosiers made Matt Rhule’s defense resemble as if they were trying out for a new “America’s Funniest Home Videos: Football Edition.”

And then there’s Bret Bielema, behind Matt Rhule in those preseason coach rankings. Bielema took the Illini to a 10-win season, a Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina, and a #16 final AP ranking. That’s a good year for Illinois’s nearly a parade-worthy miracle.

Buzz has been generated that Matt Rhule’s Nebraska is going to explode into a big season this year. “I think a lot of people think Nebraska is gonna do some good things this year, and they’re projecting that he will be the fifth-best coach in the Big Ten,” says Adam. Yeah, last year wrapped up with a few peaks and valleys, but the atmosphere in Lincoln has changed.

Rhule’s third season is when his magic typically begins to take effect. Just glance back at his previous stints at Temple and Baylor, where year three was the quantum leap. And Nebraska’s offseason has been strong, with major personnel additions such as Dana Holgorsen staying in place to run the offense and new defensive assistants bringing fresh enthusiasm. Fans are particularly excited about Dylan Raiola, the QB who’s predicted to take it to the next level big time with improved protection and coaching.

The Huskers’ QB Depth Gets Real

If drama, intrigue, and a dose of quarterback soap opera are your thing, Matt Rhule’s QB room in 2025 at Nebraska is where it’s at. Headline being Dylan Raiola, the former five-star signee, who arrived as a true freshman and took over as the starter. With 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, he broke the school’s freshman passing yardage record and completed over 67% of his passes. But the real drama is bubbling just behind him, where the backup battle is as wide open as a Nebraska cornfield in July. Jalyn Gramstad is the guy Rhule keeps praising so much that you’d think he’s about to get his statue outside Memorial Stadium.

“I don’t think there’s a guy in the locker room that wouldn’t follow Jalyn Gramstad into battle,” declared Coach Rhule through On3. Gramstad emerged from the NAIA ranks, spent four years at Northwestern College in Iowa, and was essentially the Tom Brady of the small schools. And then there’s TJ Lateef, the four-star true freshman with a highlight reel that makes you think he’s a video game character. Lateef’s already making waves in practice, flaunting a cannon arm, quick diagnoses, and the type of pocket presence that gets coaches salivating.

So, the marquee performer is Raiola, but Nebraska’s QB room is deep, interesting, and, through plot developments waiting to unfold with Gramstad and Lateef. There’s a sense that Rhule’s master plan is coming together. That’s why the experts are showing him some respect early, because everybody’s thinking, “This is the year the Huskers burst forth.”