Matt Rhule has brought Nebraska to back-to-back bowl games, which is a significant improvement after the Huskers missed the postseason every year from 2017 to 2023. But as Rhule said himself, he didn’t come here to go 7-6.
He is known for his Year 3 rebuild, but after that didn’t happen in 2025, is this year more of a chance to restore Nebraska’s national relevance?
Matt Rhule Failed In Year 3, But Did He Actually Have a Chance?
Rhule began his head coaching career at Temple, where he went 2-10 in his first season, 6-6 in his second, 10-4 in his third, and 10-3 in his final season. Rhule then took the coaching job at Baylor, where he again started badly, going 1-11. Rhule quickly turned things around, though, with a 7-6 record in 2018 and an 11-3 record in 2019.
Two programs. By Year 3, Rhule had both of them rolling.
After a short stint in the NFL, Rhule took the reins at Nebraska ahead of the 2023 season. The year ended with a 5-7 record that and a four-game losing streak in the November homestretch.
Rhule brought the Huskers to the postseason with a 7-6 record in 2024 and a bowl win over Boston College.
Then came Year 3. Nebraska started 3-0 before being handed their first loss to Michigan, 30-27.
The Huskers won their next two before losing in embarrassing fashion at Minnesota 24-6. The Huskers rebounded to 6-2 before a disastrous loss to USC that would see a season-ending injury to Dylan Raiola. It was clear at that point that the Huskers’ chance at doing anything remarkable in 2025 was gone.
The Huskers beat UCLA the next week but lost three straight &mdash: all blowouts — to end the season 7-6. Nebraska ended Year 3 with an undesired result. But Rhule didn’t really have a chance to turn things around. In 2025, Nebraska struggled in the trenches, especially on the D-line, which lost a lot of talent.
Their star defensive tackles, Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson, both graduated and moved on to the NFL, with Robinson drafted in the fourth round. Meanwhile, the transfer portal drained Nebraska’s defensive line, with Princewill Umanmielen (9 sacks with Ole Miss in 2025), Jimari Butler, and James Williams all transferring elsewhere.
The losses of Umanmielen and Butler hurt most, with Umanmielen a breakout star and Butler a consistent, strong edge rusher for Nebraska from 2022 to 2024. Williams struggled in Florida State last season after registering five sacks with the Huskers in 2024.
Nebraska’s addition of Williams Nwaneri through the portal didn’t change much, as the Huskers’ defensive line was bullied in their 3-3-5 defensive scheme. This allowed Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota, USC, Iowa, and Utah to run all over the Huskers. The D-line was left with inexperienced, undersized linemen.
Then, of course, there was Raiola going down against USC, which felt like it ended Nebraska’s season right there. Raiola also didn’t help Nebraska at times, as he was sacked seven times against Michigan and nine times against Minnesota. Those losses weren’t all his fault, but he looked helpless in the pocket against those teams. His season-ending injury also stemmed, in part, from a lack of pocket awareness (he was tackled from behind).
These issues, combined with an inconsistent offensive line, make it hard to judge his third year in Lincoln against his third year at both Temple and Baylor. But these are excuses for Rhule – something he doesn’t have coming into 2026.
Nebraska Is In a Much Better Position Heading Into 2026
Nebraska isn’t guaranteed to be better in 2026. The defensive line has its questions; the tight end room might be a concern, and the new quarterback Anthony Colandrea isn’t a sure thing.
But this 2026 team has no glaring weakness. In 2025, you couldn’t help but worry about how the D-line would perform with all its issues in the 3-3-5. Such a worry doesn’t exist this season. We could see a major collapse somewhere or a major problem arise, but nothing just stands out as “uh-oh, we’re in trouble” heading into 2026.
The offense has plenty of reasons for optimism with Colandrea, the receiving corps, and the offensive line. Even the RB room, despite its youth and inexperience, looks good. The tight end room, despite having its concerns, has a high ceiling and still has remarkable talent.
The defense looks like it’s in good shape too, as the scheme shifts to 4-2-5 under the new DC Rob Aurich. The defensive line improved through the portal, adding Anthony Jones Jr., Owen Stoudmire, and Jahsear Whittington. It added blue-chip recruit Dylan Berymon, a 6-2, 330-pound lineman who could bring a significant presence up front. It also has significant depth that could help it perform better.
The linebacker position couldn’t be in a much better situation. Especially with its depth and the addition of Owen Chambliss through the portal. The room also added Dexter Foster and will see Vincent Shavers Jr. return.
The secondary might be the best part of the defense, with Andrew Marshall and San Diego State transfer Dwayne McDougle III. Other than the nickel, which will be Donovan Jones, the other positions are still undetermined, but the depth gives Nebraska a reason to be optimistic here too.
Both the offense and the defense have the ammunition to be great in 2026. You can’t say the same about some of the Huskers’ past teams.
Nebraska’s returning talent and transfer portal class are both better than in the past. That alone should give Husker fans a reason to believe more in this team than they did last season. Rhule had some legitimate explanations for some of Nebraska’s struggles in his first three seasons, but he has no excuse to fail in 2026.
Failure would be finishing 7-6 or worse. A success would be beating a ranked opponent, defeating Iowa, and maybe even reaching the College Football Playoff. The CFP seems quite unlikely, but this team’s ceiling is high. At this point, an 8-4 season should be the floor for a team that is finally equipped to do something major in 2026.
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