College football is set for one of its craziest coaching carousels ever, with the Penn State, LSU and Florida jobs already open and more likely on the way. But one man who is now likely off the boards for those openings is Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule.
Nebraska signed Rhule to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, which includes a $15 million buyout for any prospective teams that would want to steal him away from Lincoln. The restructured contract does not change Rhule's salary, which is $8.5 million for 2025 but will steadily increase until it reaches $12.5 million in 2030. His new 2031 and 2032 contract years also feature a salary of $12.5 million.
“Matt Rhule has been building something special at Nebraska — a program rooted in toughness, accountability, and a culture of doing things the right way,” University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold said in a statement. “I’m grateful that his leadership will continue, and I’m confident the momentum he’s generating will carry our program — and the pride of Husker Nation — to even greater heights.”
Rhule took over a Husker program that had gone 7-17 over the previous two seasons in 2023 and has slowly worked it back to a fringe second-tier Big Ten team. Nebraska went 5-7 in 2023, 7-6 in 2024 and is off to a 6-2 start in 2025, most recently beating Northwestern 28-21. Of course, a 24-6 loss to Minnesota in the game before wasn't the team's finest moment.
Rhule holds a 65-58 career record across 10 total seasons at Temple, Baylor and Nebraska.
A former Penn State football player, Rhule had been viewed as a top candidate to be Penn State’s next head coach – especially since his former athletic director at Temple, Pat Kraft, is now Penn State’s athletic director. By signing an extension with Nebraska, however, Rhule signaled that Lincoln is where he wants to be.
“The University of Nebraska, the city of Lincoln and the state of Nebraska are special. It is a place our family is proud to call home,” Rhule said. “We have outstanding leadership from Dr. Gold and Troy Dannen, and I appreciate the support and confidence they have shown in our staff. Our focus remains on building Nebraska Football into a perennial championship contender.”
