Athlon Sports: Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

[Bigred2467]

Pretty brutal comments on Nebraska.

Nebraska

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most [this] year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”

“[Head coach] Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

 

[catch54]

Pretty brutal comments on Nebraska.

Nebraska

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most [this] year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”

“[Head coach] Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

Correct. Rhule is not the guy we need and letting Riaola go is a clusterf**k of a disaster!!!

 

[Baxter48]

Pretty brutal comments on Nebraska.

Nebraska

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most [this] year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”

“[Head coach] Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

Dylan never showed it. This article is nothing but garbage, you get coach rhule a real game changer like the softball team with jordy, Rhule will win lots of games

 

[OxfordComma]

Correct. Rhule is not the guy we need and letting Riaola go is a clusterf**k of a disaster!!!

Wasn’t quite that simple. First of all, we didn’t let him go. He choose to leave. He may have always planned to just use us for early playing time. We want to think that if the team was better around him, he would have stayed. His uncle was one of the reasons the team wasn’t better around him.

 

[king_kong__]

Dylan never showed it. This article is nothing but garbage, you get coach rhule a real game changer like the softball team with jordy, Rhule will win lots of games

easily the funniest thing I'll read all day

 

[dinglefritz]

Pretty brutal comments on Nebraska.

Nebraska

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most [this] year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”

“[Head coach] Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

Which Big Ten coaches? Would you expect a guy Nebraska is likely recruiting against to sing praises of Nebraska? Anonymous sources like that are worthless. I’m not saying we’ll do something special this year. I’m sayin this article is a waste of time click generator.

 

[Redscarlet]

Which Big Ten coaches? Would you expect a guy Nebraska is likely recruiting against to sing praises of Nebraska? Anonymous sources like that are worthless. I’m not saying we’re do something special this year. I’m sayin this article is a waste of time click generator.

BINGO!

 

[Big bo fan]

Wh

Which Big Ten coaches? Would you expect a guy Nebraska is likely recruiting against to sing praises of Nebraska? Anonymous sources like that are worthless. I’m not saying we’re do something special this year. I’m sayin this article is a waste of time click generator.

What Big ten or SEC coach is going to give an interview like this anyway? They trust reporters about as far as they can throw them. I don’t believe articles like this .

 

[dinglefritz]

Wh

What Big ten or SEC coach is going to give an interview like this anyway? They trust reporters about as far as they can throw them. I don’t believe articles like this .

Exactly.

 

[Big bo fan]

Exactly.

And that doesn’t mean Nebraska won’t win only 5-6 games it just means I believe this is a magazine giving their views on a ( Nebraska) team. There is zero chance this came from a conference coach IMO.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

I mean...coaches love to stick up for each other but when they know their name is not on the line...they will be just as catty and bitchy as we are here, posting under fake names.

So there are only two things that happened here...

1. They are making up the "sources" and just doing fake quotes (Totally possible)

2. They did get quotes from other coaches and that is really what they said (Totally possible)

 

[SuperBigFan69]

Pretty brutal comments on Nebraska.

Nebraska

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most [this] year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”

“[Head coach] Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026

If that is true...he needs to be fired.

 

[Macho Man]

Dylan never showed it. This article is nothing but garbage, you get coach rhule a real game changer like the softball team with jordy, Rhule will win lots of games

 

[Pennsyhuskers]

Which Big Ten coaches? Would you expect a guy Nebraska is likely recruiting against to sing praises of Nebraska? Anonymous sources like that are worthless. I’m not saying we’ll do something special this year. I’m sayin this article is a waste of time click generator.

I agree. I don’t think these quotes prove a damn thing. Furthermore, the author who collates the quotes might also have biases. There are 3 quotes mentioned all negative. How many B1G coaches said positive things but those quotes were not used. This article is meaningless clickbait

 

[Baxter48]

easily the funniest thing I'll read all day

the last time nu softball was relevant was 2013 Revelle has been a av at best or as you would say soft, remember she couldn’t get jordy the first time, all I’m saying is give rhule genuine top talent he will win not the propped up Dylan types

 

[SuperBigFan69]

I agree. I don’t think these quotes prove a damn thing. Furthermore, the author who collates the quotes might also have biases. There are 3 quotes mentioned all negative. How many B1G coaches said positive things but those quotes were not used. This article is meaningless clickbait

What positive things would the other coaches have said?

Like if you had to pick 3 positive quotes. What do you think they would have been?

Because I am sure they would not have been about actual football.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

the last time nu softball was relevant was 2013 Revelle has been a av at best or as you would say soft, remember she couldn’t get jordy the first time, all I’m saying is give rhule genuine top talent he will win not the propped up Dylan types

But that is part of it, HE HAS TO GET TOP TALENT. And it is pretty clear that he sucks at that.

 

[Bigred2467]

I agree. I don’t think these quotes prove a damn thing. Furthermore, the author who collates the quotes might also have biases. There are 3 quotes mentioned all negative. How many B1G coaches said positive things but those quotes were not used. This article is meaningless clickbait

The quotes about the other Big 10 teams were mostly positive. So, you think they just picked bad ones for Nebraska for some reason?

 

[SuperBigFan69]

The quotes about the other Big 10 teams were mostly positive. So, you think they just picked bad ones for Nebraska for some reason?

They picked the most positive ones that they could find for NU.

 

[dm1330]

Dylan never showed it. This article is nothing but garbage, you get coach rhule a real game changer like the softball team with jordy, Rhule will win lots of games

Yes of course getting a major game changer is a key but just how to actually go about getting that person is the problem. Mediocre record, tons of turnover, difficult to recruit, NIL challenges.

 

[BugsAreQualityProtein]

Which Big Ten coaches? Would you expect a guy Nebraska is likely recruiting against to sing praises of Nebraska? Anonymous sources like that are worthless. I’m not saying we’ll do something special this year. I’m sayin this article is a waste of time click generator.

Don’t remember any of them being this candid about Frost or any other coach for that matter.

 

[Baxter48]

Yes of course getting a major game changer is a key but just how to actually go about getting that person is the problem. Mediocre record, tons of turnover, difficult to recruit, NIL challenges.

Look at Fred what he did

 

[catch54]

Wasn’t quite that simple. First of all, we didn’t let him go. He choose to leave. He may have always planned to just use us for early playing time. We want to think that if the team was better around him, he would have stayed. His uncle was one of the reasons the team wasn’t better around him.

It's simple to understand that the problem is/was Dana. I don't think Riaola goes anywhere if his was not fired.
I still think Dylan could be the #1 pick in the '27 draft.

 

[davecisar]

It's simple to understand that the problem is/was Dana. I don't think Riaola goes anywhere if his was not fired.
I still think Dylan could be the #1 pick in the '27 draft.

While Dana had frustrated me also- Riola just wasnt the game changer many thought he may be. Poor pocket awareness, poor pocket mobility- he just doesn’t step up or slide - slip to avoid the rush. Then he misses wide open receivers at critical times and chooses not to take free yardage even when it’s really open. He isn’t good with man coverage-we all know that . I think Hes clunky socially- seems forced. I don’t think he’s a first rounder

 

[king_kong__]

the last time nu softball was relevant was 2013 Revelle has been a av at best or as you would say soft, remember she couldn’t get jordy the first time, all I’m saying is give rhule genuine top talent he will win not the propped up Dylan types

I don’t give a sh*t about girls softball, but any parallel made that paints Rhule in anything close to a winning light is hilariously misguided

only thing more we need to give Rhule is a swift kick in the *** on his way out of NE forever

 

[Redscarlet]

I don’t give a sh*t about girls softball, but any parallel made that paints Rhule in anything close to a winning light is hilariously misguided

only thing more we need to give Rhule is a swift kick in the *** on his way out of NE forever

Of course you don’t, doubt you give one $&it about Volleyball as well.

 

[Cornage]

And my hopes were so high!

 

[Baxter48]

I don’t give a sh*t about girls softball, but any parallel made that paints Rhule in anything close to a winning light is hilariously misguided

only thing more we need to give Rhule is a swift kick in the *** on his way out of NE forever

I’d love for Rhule to prove you wrong and just like you did with fire Fred you backtrack really fast claiming you didn’t post a lot but you do admit you wanted Fred fired you just won’t admit how much you wanted Fred gone

 

[king_kong__]

Of course you don’t, doubt you give one $&it about Volleyball as well.

Correct.

I absolutely do not care about volleyball, either.

 

[Redscarlet]

Correct.

I absolutely do not care about volleyball, either.

Your idol Heinrich Haarberg does. He’d be disappointed in you not caring for something he loves.

 

[king_kong__]

Your idol Heinrich Haarberg does. He’d be disappointed in you not caring for something he loves.

like every true red-blooded American male, HH also doesn't care one bit about girls volleyball

he just likes banging hot volleyball players

 

[Redscarlet]

Correct.

I absolutely do not care about volleyball, either.

I don’t think you gives two $&it about the Baseball team either..

 

[king_kong__]

I don’t think you gives two $&it about the Baseball team either..

on the contrary. I enjoyed watching them keep your beloved gophers out of the b1g tournament quite a bit!

 

[Redscarlet]

on the contrary. I enjoyed watching them keep your beloved gophers out of the b1g tournament quite a bit!

You’re Clarkeyes are still in it.

 

[RBigredMax1]

What positive things would the other coaches have said?

Like if you had to pick 3 positive quotes. What do you think they would have been?

Because I am sure they would not have been about actual football.

“We like Nebraska and feel they are on the right path. We feel it’s one of those games you mark at the beginning of the year… because it’s a W for us and our team really like seeing the emotion of Husker fans lose their stuff. Fun game, great atmosphere”

 

[king_kong__]

You’re Clarkeyes are still in it.

hope you're sitting down - I also don't give a f*ck about girls basketball

 

[Chief Wiggum]

I remember Raiola's very very very memorable one 4th quarter game winning drive....against Maryland. Like so many before him, he failed to produce much when the chips were truly down. Decent QB, but nothing really special - bit of an underachiever if you asked me.

 

[Rcnut223]

Really Macho Man? He coked on a number of throws that could have won games. Emmett Carried the team last year, without him we lose many more games. DR got hurt before the schedule got tough, then the Problem was, that we had no one behind him that was a serviceable QB.

 

[Scoop123]

I think these are legit quotes - the Raiola comments are just wrong IMO.

I might be gullible to believe coaches said these things - but geez, if this rag is going full Penthouse Forum and making up stories - the stories would be a lot more exciting than this snoozer.

 

[UltimateGarageHusker]

Really Macho Man? He coked on a number of throws that could have won games. Emmett Carried the team last year, without him we lose many more games. DR got hurt before the schedule got tough, then the Problem was, that we had no one behind him that was a serviceable QB.

Actually, the schedule got tough because we lost USC. We were winning that game when he went down. UCLA, Penn State nor Iowa were ranked and far from being considered a tough schedule.