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MATT RUHL/ NEBRASKA FOOTBALL COACH

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rhule at 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNebraska
ConferenceBig Ten
Record24–22
Annual salary$9.25 million[1]
Biographical details
BornJanuary 31, 1975 (age 51)
New York City, U.S.
Playing career
1994–1997Penn State
PositionLinebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1998Penn State (volunteer asst.)
1998Albright (LB)
1999–2000Buffalo (DL)
2001UCLA (DL)
2002Western Carolina (LB/ST)
2003–2005Western Carolina (AHC/LB/ST)
2006Temple (DL)
2007Temple (QB)
2008–2010Temple (OC/QB)
2011Temple (OC/TE)
2012New York Giants (asst. OL)
2013–2016Temple
2017–2019Baylor
2020–2022Carolina Panthers
2023–presentNebraska
Head coaching record
Overall71–65 (college)
11–27 (NFL)
Bowls2–3
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 AAC (2016)2 AAC East (2015, 2016)
Awards
Sporting News Coach of the Year (2019)Big 12 Coach of the Year (2019)

Matthew Kenneth Rhule (born January 31, 1975) is an American college football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the head football coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a position he has held since 2023. He was also the head football coach for Temple University from 2013 to 2016, Baylor University from 2017 to 2019, and the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Rhule played linebacker at Penn State from 1994 to 1997.

Rhule was born and raised in New York City before moving to State College, Pennsylvania for high school, where he later joined Penn State’s football team as a walk-on under Joe Paterno. After a four-year playing career for the Nittany Lions, Rhule began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater. Over the following decade he served as an assistant at several schools, and in 2008 Rhule became the offensive coordinator at Temple. After a brief stint as an assistant for the NFL’s New York Giants, Rhule returned to Temple as the program’s head coach in 2013. During his four-year tenure, he led the Owls to their only two ten-win seasons since 1979. Rhule was hired as Baylor’s head coach following Temple’s victory in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship Game. After finishing 8–17 across Rhule’s first two seasons, the Bears improved to 11–3 in 2019.

Rhule returned to the NFL in 2020 as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers missed the playoffs in each of Rhule’s first two seasons and he was fired after a 1–4 start to 2022, departing Carolina with a combined record of 11–27. The following month, Rhule agreed to an eight-year contract to become Nebraska’s head coach.[2]

Early years

Rhule was born in New York City on January 31, 1975, to parents Dennis and Gloria. When he was a teenager, Rhule’s family moved to State College, Pennsylvania, where he played linebacker at State College Area High School before walking on at Penn State under head coach Joe Paterno. He played for the Nittany Lions for four years and became a three-time Penn State Scholar-Athlete and a 1997 Academic All-Big Ten honoree.[3]

Rhule earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State in 1997 and a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University at Buffalo in 2003.[4]

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Following the end of his playing career, Rhule was hired as the linebackers coach at Albright College. After one year at Albright, Rhule served as a position coach at Buffalo, UCLA, and Western Carolina before being hired at Temple as a defensive line coach in 2006 under Al Golden. Rhule became the Owls’ quarterbacks coach the following year, his first offensive coaching role, and was named offensive coordinator in 2008.[3] When Golden left for Miami in 2010, Rhule interviewed for Temple’s vacant head coaching job, which was instead given to Steve Addazio.[5]

After six years as an assistant at Temple, Rhule joined Tom Coughlin‘s New York Giants staff as an assistant offensive line coach, a season after the Giants won their fourth Super Bowl.[3]

Temple

When Addazio departed for Boston College following the 2012 season, several veteran Owls players voiced their support for Rhule to return.[5] Rhule, an area native who had referred to Temple as a “dream job,” was formally hired as the school’s twenty-sixth head coach on December 17, 2012.[5][6]

Temple began Rhule’s first season 0–6, which included a loss to Idaho that would be the Vandals’ only win of the season. His first victory as a head coach, a 33–14 defeat of Army on October 19, was followed by four more losses, and the Owls finished 2–10. Temple improved to 6–6 the following year, ending the season with a 10–3 victory over Tulane to achieve bowl eligibility, though the Owls were not invited to a bowl game.[7]

Temple opened Rhule’s third season with a 27–10 win over his alma mater Penn State, the Owls’ first win over the Nittany Lions since 1941. Led by eventual Chuck Bednarik Award winner Tyler Matakevich and third-year starting quarterback P. J. Walker (who would later serve as a backup for the Carolina Panthers under Rhule), Temple started a season 7–0 for the first time in school history. Though Temple lost four of its final seven games, including the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship game, the program’s ten wins were its most since 1979.[8] Rhule was reportedly a target of Missouri and Syracuse during the 2015 season;[9][10] a four-year contract extension he had signed in July was re-negotiated to keep him at Temple.

The Owls returned to the conference championship game in 2016, where they defeated Navy 34–10 to win the program’s second conference championship. Rhule accepted the head coaching job at Baylor prior to the 2016 Military Bowl; special teams coordinator Ed Foley served as interim head coach in Temple’s upset loss to Wake Forest.

Rhule at Big 12 Media Days in 2017

Baylor

When Rhule was introduced as Baylor’s head coach on December 7, 2016, the program was in a state of significant transition.[11] Longtime head coach Art Briles and his entire staff were fired or resigned as a result of the school’s sexual assault scandal.[12] Briles’s immediate successor was veteran Jim Grobe, who took over in an interim capacity in 2016, leading Baylor to a 7–6 record and a seventh consecutive bowl appearance. Though generally well-received,[13] Rhule’s hire was considered something of a surprise, as athletic director Mack Rhoades had stressed the importance of Baylor’s head coach having Texas connections; Rhule had never lived or coached in the state.[14]

Baylor finished 1–11 in Rhule’s first season, the program’s worst record since 1969. The Bears improved to 6–6 the following year and were invited to the 2018 Texas Bowl, defeating Vanderbilt 45–38 in Rhule’s first bowl win as a head coach.[15] Shortly after the beginning of the 2019 season, Rhule signed a four-year contract extension which tied him to the school through 2027.[16]

Baylor began the 2019 season 9–0, winning five games decided by eight points or less and reaching a No. 12 national ranking. After a loss to Oklahoma, the Bears won their final two games to finish the regular season 11–1, ranked seventh nationally. Rhule was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.[17] After Baylor dropped each of its postseason games (a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game and a meeting with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl), Rhule was named head coach of the Carolina Panthers.[18][19]

Carolina Panthers

Rhule with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in 2020

On January 7, 2020, Rhule signed a seven-year, $62-million contract to become the fifth head coach of the Carolina Panthers, replacing longtime coach Ron Rivera.[20] Panthers owner David Tepper, overseeing his first head coaching hire, referred to Rhule as a “program builder” who “can build an organization for the next thirty or forty years.”[21] After the 2020 NFL preseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carolina lost Rhule’s NFL head coaching debut to the Las Vegas Raiders 34–30;[22] he earned his first win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.[23] A five-game midseason losing streak knocked the Panthers out of playoff contention, and they finished 5–11.

Prior to his second season in Carolina, Rhule, who had final say over the Panthers’ roster decisions,[24] traded incumbent starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and acquired Sam Darnold, the third overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Despite a 3–0 start to the season, Darnold ultimately failed to improve on his underwhelming tenure with the New York Jets.[24] Carolina finished 29th in the league in points scored and lost their final seven games to finish 5–12, missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

Midway through the 2022 season, Tepper fired Rhule after a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers dropped Carolina to 1–4.[25] Rhule, who was in the third year of a seven-year contract, received $40 million as part of his buyout.[26]

Nebraska

Rhule talks to press after his first game as head coach of Nebraska.

On November 26, 2022, Rhule signed an eight-year, $74-million contract to become the 31st head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[27] Rhule finished his first season as head coach of Nebraska with a 5–7 record, tying his predecessor’s highest win total in just his first year.[28] Rhule’s Huskers finished the year with a conference record of 3–6, tied for last in the Big Ten West division after losing the final four games of the season.[29] In 2024, Nebraska finished with a 7–6 record, recording their first winning season since 2016 and winning the Pinstripe Bowl over Boston College, the Huskers first bowl win since 2015.[30][31] At the end of the 2024 season, Rhule was 2–22 against top 25 teams in his career. His last win against a top 25 team came in 2016 while he was at Temple.[32]

On October 30, 2025, Rhule agreed to a two-year contract extension with Nebraska, extending his deal through the 2032 season.[33] The extension was due to the AD being concerned about the opening at Penn St, and ultimately proved to be unnecessary as the team lost 5 of its final 7 games to finish the regular season 7-5.[34] The season ended with a 44–22 blowout loss to #15 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, following blowout losses to Penn State (10-37) and Iowa (16-40) to end the regular season.[35]

Nebraska started the 2026 season 5-0 with wins over Ohio, Bowling Green, FCS North Dakota, Michigan State, and Maryland. Rhule’s Nebraska followed that with 3 straight one score losses to Indiana, Oregon, and Washington, blowing fourth quarter leads in all three games. They held all three teams to 6 points or less through three quarters, which dating back to 2001 teams that had done that were 4,514 and 282 (94% win percentage).

Head coaching record

College

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffsCoaches#AP°
Temple Owls (American Athletic Conference) (2013–2016)
2013Temple2–101–7T–9th
2014Temple6–64–46th
2015Temple10–47–11st (East)L Boca Raton
2016Temple10–37–11st (East)Military*
Temple:28–2319–13* Departed Temple for Baylor before bowl game
Baylor Bears (Big 12 Conference) (2017–2019)
2017Baylor1–111–89th
2018Baylor7–64–5T–5thW Texas
2019Baylor11–38–12ndL Sugar†1213
Baylor:19–2013–14
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Ten Conference) (2023–present)
2023Nebraska5–73–64th (West)
2024Nebraska7–63–6T–12thW Pinstripe
2025Nebraska7–64–5T–10thL Las Vegas
2026Nebraska5–32–3
Nebraska:24–2212–20
Total:71–65
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
†Indicates CFP / New Years’ Six bowl.#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.°Rankings from final AP Poll.

NFL

TeamYearRecordWin %FinishPostseason
CAR20205–11.3133rd (NFC South)—
CAR20215–12.2944th (NFC South)—
CAR20221–4.200Fired
Total11–27.289

Personal life

Rhule and his wife Julie have three children: Bryant, Vivienne, and Leona.[36] In October 2026, Rhule made a cameo appearance as himself in the season 1 finale of Lanterns to recruit a fictional character from the town of Rushville, Nebraska to the University of Nebraska program.[37]

References

  1. Hegarty, Aaron (November 28, 2022). “8 years, $74 million: See Matt Rhule’s contract offer”. KMTV 3 News Now. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. Olson, Eric (November 26, 2022). “Nebraska signs Matt Rhule to 8-year deal as football coach”. ABC News. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  3. “Matt Rhule – Football Coach”. Temple Owls Athletics. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. Narducci, Marc (December 6, 2016). “How Matt Rhule has risen up the ranks of college football coaches”. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  5. Pompey, Keith (December 5, 2012). “Some Temple players support hiring Matt Rhule to replace Steve Addazio”. Inquirer.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  6. “Less than a month after losing Addazio to BC, Temple hires Rhule away from champion Giants”. The Washington Post. Associated Press. December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.[dead link]
  7. Mitchell, John (December 7, 2014). “No bowl game for Temple”. Inquirer.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. “UH will host Temple on Saturday for AAC championship game”. November 29, 2015.
  9. “Archives – Philly.com”. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.
  10. “Report: Matt Rhule No Longer a Candidate for Missouri Job”. NBC10 Philadelphia. December 1, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  11. Schlabach, Mark (December 6, 2016). “Rhule leaves Temple to become Baylor coach”. ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  12. Connelly, Bill (August 4, 2017). “Matt Rhule gets a mulligan year at Baylor in 2017, but might not need it”. SBNation.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  13. Grosbard, Adam (December 6, 2016). “National reaction: Matt Rhule a good hire who can change Baylor culture, but can he recruit Texas?”. DallasNews.com. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  14. Jeyarajah, Shehan (October 3, 2019). “‘They are the standard’: How Baylor coach Matt Rhule won over Texas high school football coaches”. Texas Football. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  15. “Brewer helps Baylor beat Vanderbilt 45-38 in Texas Bowl”. ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 28, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  16. Schlabach, Mark (September 29, 2019). “Baylor, coach Matt Rhule agree to extension through 2027 season”. ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  17. “2019 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced”. Big12Sports.com. December 4, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  18. “Baylor vs Oklahoma Box Score, December 7, 2019”. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  19. “Sugar Bowl – Baylor vs Georgia Box Score, January 1, 2020”. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  20. Shook, Nick (January 7, 2020). “Panthers hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule as head coach”. NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  21. Henson, Max (January 7, 2020). “Why Matt Rhule? David Tepper explains”. NFL.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  22. Reed, Steve (September 13, 2020). “Panthers fall to Las Vegas Raiders, 34–30”. wdbj7.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  23. Newton, David (September 27, 2020). “Panthers turn up pressure, give Matt Rhule first NFL win”. ESPN.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  24. Person, Joseph (October 14, 2022). “Matt Rhule’s Panthers tenure: No quarterback, few wins, no mercy from fans”. The Athletic. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. Gantt, Darin (October 10, 2022). “Panthers part ways with head coach Matt Rhule”. Panthers.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  26. Bentley, Coleman (October 10, 2022). “Matt Rhule is now getting paid $40 million NOT to coach the Carolina Panthers”. Golf Digest. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  27. Cooper, Sam (November 26, 2022). “Nebraska hires Matt Rhule as next head coach”. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  28. “2023 Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule and Results”. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  29. “2023 Big-Ten Year Summary”. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  30. “2024 Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule and Results”. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  31. “Nebraska beats BC in Pinstripe Bowl for first bowl victory since 2015”. FOX Sports. December 28, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  32. Crawford, Brad (July 1, 2025). “Every Power Four coach’s career record against the AP Top 25: A deep dive into why this history matters”. CBS Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  33. Thamel, Pete (October 30, 2025). “Nebraska’s Matt Rhule signs 2-year extension through 2032”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  34. “2025 Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule and Results”. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  35. Anderson, Mark (January 1, 2026). “Devon Dampier leads No. 15 Utah past Nebraska in Las Vegas Bowl, 44-22”. AP News. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  36. “Matt Rhule Biography”. Panthers.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  37. Giles, Jonathan (October 4, 2026). “Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule Made a Surprise Cameo in HBO’s ‘Lanterns’ Finale Hours After Huskers Improved to 5–0”. Men’s Journal. Retrieved October 4, 2026.

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