Matt Rhule shuts down Penn State speculation, calls Nebraska a ‘destination job’

Brian Schaible

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Matt Rhule shuts down Penn State speculation, calls Nebraska a ‘destination job’ image

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule addressed swirling rumors linking him to Penn State, his alma mater, just days after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Rhule balanced honesty about the speculation with a strong defense of his current program.

“With my team, it’s just unbridled honesty,” Rhule said. “Tell them the truth. Tell them exactly the truth and don’t BS them because they’ll know.”

When asked about the reports tying him to the Penn State opening, Rhule acknowledged the attention but made clear he’s not entertaining other jobs during the season “This is part of it. It’s better than when I was in Carolina and they were chanting to fire me, right? So it’s better than being on every hot seat list,” he said. “Having other schools maybe be interested in you is pretty cool. But I don’t do that during the season. I don’t mess around with that. I don’t play that.”

Rhule then reaffirmed his commitment to Nebraska and the foundation he’s building in Lincoln. “This is not a jumping-off job. This is a destination job,” Rhule said. “This is one of the greatest places in the world. This is a town of 300,000 people…I can do whatever I want here. I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Think about how good we’ll be next year. Now, I’m not thinking about next year, but where we are right now…we’re learning, learning, learning. Think about where we’re going to go with Dylan and all these guys.”

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Still, Rhule showed respect toward his alma mater and Penn State’s leadership.

“When it’s your alma mater, you have to show it love and respect,” Rhule said. “I love Pat Kraft. They’ll find the right coach for them, whoever that is.”

For Rhule, the message was clear: Nebraska isn’t a stepping stone, it’s the destination.

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Brian Schaible

Brian Schaible is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience covering college and professional sports. Brian holds a master’s degree in journalism/public relations from Kent State University.