LINCOLN, Neb. — Matt Rhule is in his element as a recruiter.
He unveiled the results Wednesday of his first class at Nebraska, nearing four weeks after his hire as coach. The group, likely still unfinished, ranks No. 28 nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, and fifth in the Big Ten. Of the 21 signees out of high school and junior college, 13 were added since Dec. 6 — or are back after a decommitment in the case of Lincoln East wide receiver Malachi Coleman.
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Coleman, a four-star prospect, reaffirmed his pledge Wednesday. He visited Colorado last weekend.
At the opening of the early signing period, Rhule and his staff also added linebacker Eric Fields of Ardmore, Okla., and defensive lineman Vincent Caroll-Jackson, a former Syracuse pledge from Harrisburg, Pa. And the Huskers snagged signatures Wednesday from two transfers: ex-Baylor wide receiver Joshua Fleeks and former Texas A&M defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy.
It upped their in-progress total from the portal to six.
In all, that’s 27 newcomers for 2023 signed and sealed. The number could balloon by another 10 or more ahead of preseason camp in seven months.
It's a great day to be a Husker & an even greater day to become one.
Now let's get to work.#RENEW23 pic.twitter.com/sggxWveGmk
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 21, 2022
“People believe in what can happen here,” Rhule at the start of a 35-minute interview session.
• In planning for this December recruiting binge, Rhule said he expected a healthy level of interest from prospects. He underestimated.
The response to Nebraska’s recruiting efforts, Rhule said, was “overwhelming.” It started at home. The Huskers signed eight recruits from Nebraska high schools.
Linemen Gunnar Gottula of Lincoln Southeast, Brock Knutson of Scottsbluff, Sam Sledge of Omaha Creighton Prep and Maverick Noonan of Elkhorn South remained solid in commitments delivered before Rhule’s arrival.
The new coach added Coleman, who backed off his pledge on Dec. 1, the Omaha Westside duo of wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd and kicker Tristan Alvano, plus Gretna lineman Mason Goldman.
Straight outta Gretna! OL or DL just put him in the trenches and let him work! https://t.co/md4KugKz48
— Matt Rhule (@CoachMattRhule) December 21, 2022
“The key to long-term success is for every fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grader in the state of Nebraska to grow up dreaming of playing out here,” Rhule said. “They have to see other kids just like them do that.”
• Rhule said he began his evaluation of in-state recruits before he accepted the job. After his introduction, he spent a week meeting with the Nebraskans and their families.
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“We saw good football,” Rhule said. “The coaches were great. The people were great. But the biggest thing that hit me was how much those guys want to play for the University of Nebraska. And they want to be a part of a championship team here.”
In their first conversation, Knutson said to Rhule, “I’m a Husker; I don’t care who the head coach is.”
No need existed, Rhule said, to stroke the ego of Nebraska’s new coach.
“This is how we’ll build,” Rhule said, “with big, physical, tough guys from this region. How much those guys loved Nebraska, how much it meant to them, to see that helmet, to come on these visits, it really struck me.
“It really gave you a sense of purpose like, ‘You know what? This is important.’”
• He made a point, too, to recognize the recruits in Nebraska who did not sign with the Huskers.
“There’s some that we really liked,” Rhule said. “I wish them all the best.”
Nebraska lost a commitment from tight end Ben Brahmer of Pierce to Iowa State and failed to flip Lincoln High receiver Beni Ngoyi from the Cyclones. Rhule and his staff also arrived too late to impact the decisions of Gretna QB Zane Flores, who signed Wednesday with Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma-bound linebacker Kade McIntyre of Fremont Bergan.
• Nebraska’s offensive line struggled in 2022. The Huskers rushed for 3.52 yards per attempt, down from 4.41 in 2021, and surrendered 33 sacks in 12 games.
Rhule, though, has watched the film, and he said he’s “not bought into the narrative I hear that the offensive line is the problem.”
“We’re going to have a good offensive line next year,” he said.
The Huskers can quickly improve up front with a commitment to a style of offensive play, Rhule said. “We have to have an identity on offense.”
Nebraska continues to seek reinforcements in the transfer portal. Signees Sledge, Knutson and Gottula are set to play O-line. Goldman and Jason Maciejzcak of Pierre, S.D., could land on offense or defense.
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Nine scholarship offensive linemen are set to return, including guard Nouredin Nouili, suspended in 2022, and tackle Teddy Prochazka, who missed the majority of a second consecutive season with injury.
“I’m going to fight for those guys,” Rhule said. “I like those guys.”
• He also likes Donovan Raiola, Nebraska’s second-year offensive line coach and the only member of the former coaching staff retained. Raiola, 40, comes from the same school of offensive line teaching that produced Rhule.
Raiola learned from Harry Hiestand while at Notre Dame and with the Chicago Bears. And Rhule learned O-line play, while coaching with the New York Giants in 2012, from Pat Flaherty — Hiestand’s brother-in-law.
Rhule said he talked to several candidates to coach the Nebraska offensive line. Raiola earned high marks for the consensus rave reviews offered by his players, Rhule said. And Raiola, the uncle of top 2024 QB prospect Dylan Raiola, a valued Nebraska target, continued to show up to work every day as Rhule worked through the staff decisions.
“I kinda liked his vibe, and I liked his energy,” Rhule said. “But most importantly to me, he had been trained in the same system that I’m trained in. And I want us to play that way. It was just a natural fit.”
• Raiola, the former Wisconsin center, is a no-nonsense coach. He was reserved in his rare public comments and offered only a limited glimpse at his personality.
Rhule said he wants his coaches to be themselves. He’s hiring a young staff. Only special teams coordinator Ed Foley is older than Rhule, 47. Running backs coach E.J. Barthel, secondary coach Evan Cooper and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton are under 40.
“We’re relevant in terms of what’s new and what’s not,” Rhule said. “They’ve seen firsthand how the way we do things affects lives, hopefully, and now they’re going to pour into other people’s lives.”
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There will be no “celebrity coaches” on Rhule’s staff, he said. “We’re all going to have one purpose. There’s a vision. There’s a brand of football that we play. And they all believe it.”
• Regarding that brand, Rhule said, it’s dictated by personnel. Rhule hired Tony White from Syracuse as defensive coordinator. White is a proficient teacher and student of the 3-3-5 defensive system. But the Huskers won’t necessarily run that scheme, according to the head coach.
“We try to take the best players possible,” Rhule said.
Cooper, the chief talent evaluator among the Nebraska on-field assistants, pushes Rhule to think creatively in recruiting. Cooper, in fact, urged Rhule to offer Lloyd, the Omaha track star, Texas speedster Brice Turner and Fields, the under-recruited Oklahoma linebacker.
“I want kids who want to come here to get an education, win at football and have a chance to play in the National Football League,” Rhule said, “people that want to come here and impact the community and make the University of Nebraska campus a better place because of their presence.”
Rhule labels himself as a developmental coach.
“That just means I want to help guys get better,” he said. “And so to do that, you have to have players who want that — who want to wake up every day and work and grind. If we have the core of our team that’s like that, we’ll be hard to beat.”
(Photo of Matt Rhule: Steven Branscombe / USA Today)
