Preacher Rhule’s GM: DL Expensive, Lucky to Get Who We Did

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 20, 2026

A 50 year old man needs his boss to sit in on meetings?

Good lord, CFB coaches are ******* drama queens.

"Don't ask about or talk to my family"

"Please sit in on my meetings"

"We are changing practice times to help our team adjust"

"The negative press is not helping"

"The boos don't help"

Just go practice and win games. Good lord.

Scoop123 · Feb 20, 2026

SuperBigFan69 said:
A 50 year old man needs his boss to sit in on meetings?

Good lord, CFB coaches are ******* drama queens.

Are you talking about Ek? I don't read Eks comments as "needing his boss" in the meetings at all. I was a COO and never needed the CEO in my meetings. But when he would show up, the team loved it. It showed support and interest. Special Teams probably felt the same way - love the support when the cheese shows up... apparently Rhule never did.

Steely Dannebrog · Feb 20, 2026

Baxter48 said:
So you’re not willing to pony up? Why not? You Kong and numerous other posters hate Rhule. instead of complaining on this board do something about it. Or like my dad would say **** or get off the pot

Anyone investing - or willing to invest - in Rhule is a stone cold retard and deserves to be parted from their funds. Consider yourself counted.

When it comes to the football program - or anything for that matter - its not my job to make your sales pitch for you. The team they roll out year after year IS that sales pitch. Do better.

And the very idea that the football program is some pauper is beyond laughable. NU football is Enron in a backwards hat. Throw your money away if you want.

sureray · Feb 21, 2026

featherivered said:
Why don't all you "so called" NU fans just get together and fire Rhule? Pay his buyout. Isn't that what you do? Chickenshits. Must be really young and used to instant gratification. It takes time to turn a ****-show around. If you hired JC, you'd be bitching within a year.

JC the mythical guy?

TheRealPeliniTheCrutch · Feb 21, 2026

sureray said:
JC the mythical guy?

The tap dancer.

sureray · Feb 21, 2026

Scoop123 said:
I found a silver lining with NIL.

You can be a below average coach and recruiter… And instead of taking the blame, you can just blame money. In the old days, success was based on your ability to recruit and develop players. Today? Just say you don’t have enough money.

It’s like magic

Heaven forbid someone ask him why he consistently loses to teams that spend less money than Nebraska. Shhhhh….

Exactly. Him and uncle donny got prison raped by garbage asş Minnesota.

TouchdownTom · Feb 21, 2026

How do you make it into year 4 and finally realize you can’t try to force coaches and players into schemes that don’t fit them. It’s getting close to spring and I should be getting tricked into drinking the koolaid again yet I still have my pitchfork out from last year.

That statement alone should get Rhule fired. And the fact we can’t fire him after this year because of the extension makes things even worse. Especially when after every loss we will have to be reminded of that extension.

WHCSC · Feb 21, 2026

HuskerInCarolina said:
Idk how to take that. Part of me is confused why Rhule wouldn’t attend any special teams meetings. I mean, on one hand it tells me Rhule had full trust in Ek and what he could do/was doing. On the other hand, why wouldn’t you sit in on some of them and learn a thing or two when your special teams were horrible the first two years? Especially if he was attending them while Foley was in charge. Or is he saying At Tennessee the head coach was in the special teams meetings?

This also sounds like some sour grapes from Ek too and I could see how someone would take from yesterday’s presser with Rhule and today’s presser with Ek that they’re both throwing subtle jabs at each other. Oh well, thank you for greatly improving the special teams, but Ek ain’t here anymore. Time to move on.

I’m sorry but your reasonable response is not welcome here. Please rephrase it to say how much of a boob Rhule is for letting/expecting his coach to coach.

HuskerInCarolina · Feb 21, 2026

For a coach who is a known micromanager (and self-proclaimed as one) how did he not attend any special teams meetings? How can that be true? I am begging someone from the Nebraska media to ask that question at the next presser. Not that we need to keep the drama going, but that’s a major indictment on Rhule if true. Last month I brought up that Rhule didn’t like Ek based off his comments in the presser after the game where he said “don’t touch me” from that celebration and some people torched me for it saying he was just joking. I’m gonna refer back to that presser and say again that I don’t think Rhule was joking. I genuinely believe those 2 guys do not like each other.

WHCSC · Feb 21, 2026

HuskerInCarolina said:
For a coach who is a known micromanager (and self-proclaimed as one) how did he not attend any special teams meetings? How can that be true? I am begging someone from the Nebraska media to ask that question at the next presser. Not that we need to keep the drama going, but that’s a major indictment on Rhule if true. Last month I brought up that Rhule didn’t like Ek based off his comments in the presser after the game where he said “don’t touch me” from that celebration and some people torched me for it saying he was just joking. I’m gonna refer back to that presser and say again that I don’t think Rhule was joking. I genuinely believe those 2 guys do not like each other.

That’s better

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 21, 2026

Scoop123 said:
Are you talking about Ek? I don't read Eks comments as "needing his boss" in the meetings at all. I was a COO and never needed the CEO in my meetings. But when he would show up, the team loved it. It showed support and interest. Special Teams probably felt the same way - love the support when the cheese shows up... apparently Rhule never did.

I mean, I don't know your exact situation but my guess is your "team" pretended to love it.

Like when the boss shows up for Happy Hour, we all pretend it is awesome. Ha

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 21, 2026

Maybe it is just me but I don't need my boss stopping in my meetings all the time.

To me, NOT showing up to my meetings shows more confidence.

Now, with that said, I have had a a ***** micro managing boss before, so I might just have PTSD.

HuskerInCarolina · Feb 21, 2026

SuperBigFan69 said:
I mean, I don't know your exact situation but my guess is your "team" pretended to love it.

Like when the boss shows up for Happy Hour, we all pretend it is awesome. Ha

Shoot, I actually do love when my boss and the VP come through. But we’re also all 3 ultramarathoner bros and we only see each other once a year since we all work remote and live in SC, FL, and OR.

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 21, 2026

HuskerInCarolina said:
Shoot, I actually do love when my boss and the VP come through. But we’re also all 3 ultramarathoner bros and we only see each other once a year since we all work remote and live in SC, FL, and OR.

See to me that sounds more like some bros just catching up, that sounds like fun.

HuskerInCarolina · Feb 21, 2026

SuperBigFan69 said:
See to me that sounds more like some bros just catching up, that sounds like fun.

The catching up is maybe 30 minutes of the day. The rest is all work and government audits. Work is almost always fun when you love your job. But then again, I nerd out over excel spreadsheets.

dinglefritz · Feb 21, 2026

sureray said:
JC the mythical guy?

Nothing mythical at all. There are multiple historical references to him in non-biblical texts and records dating to the times following his crucifixtion. He did in fact exist. You can argue if you choose his deity but not his existence. In my opinion the empty tomb proved his deity.

NikkiSixx · Feb 21, 2026

Scoop123 said:
I found a silver lining with NIL.

You can be a below average coach and recruiter… And instead of taking the blame, you can just blame money. In the old days, success was based on your ability to recruit and develop players. Today? Just say you don’t have enough money.

It’s like magic

Heaven forbid someone ask him why he consistently loses to teams that spend less money than Nebraska. Shhhhh….

he's absolutely seized on to that, and got admonished for talking out loud, but he sort of did the same thing at his press conference the other day.. he tapped danced around it, saying that in deed there was a limit, well no limit, but there is a limit, etc.

the unspoken part in all of this, is the boosters know they have to buy this guy out in a couple of years, and they want to save some of that money, so the NIL got restricted.. prob an increase over last year, but not the big increase that they wanted. Rhule might feel cut off at the knees and told not to complain, but the reality is, big time donors are managing donations for a likely future head coaching transition.

NikkiSixx · Feb 21, 2026

HuskerInCarolina said:
For a coach who is a known micromanager (and self-proclaimed as one) how did he not attend any special teams meetings? How can that be true? I am begging someone from the Nebraska media to ask that question at the next presser. Not that we need to keep the drama going, but that’s a major indictment on Rhule if true. Last month I brought up that Rhule didn’t like Ek based off his comments in the presser after the game where he said “don’t touch me” from that celebration and some people torched me for it saying he was just joking. I’m gonna refer back to that presser and say again that I don’t think Rhule was joking. I genuinely believe those 2 guys do not like each other.

one of them, is as real as real can be..

the other, is all talk.

K Rod · Feb 21, 2026

If your the HC at Nebraska, and truly invested in winning, paid 8.5 million dollars a year to win games, why on earth would you not attend EVERY meeting? Offense, Defense and ST ? This is your program. You should want to know what is going on with all three units and help getting things fixed. This is another little piece of information that sheds light into what does and does not go on inside the program. You were brought in here to WIN. Your paid very well for your efforts. And your butt hurt because some fans here expected more than 19-19. And those same fans know that there was so much left on the table the past two seasons. I know one thing for sure, and that is once the Ruhle era is over, more will come out about disfunction and disorganization within the program. When you see a program under perform, there are reasons. If it starts hard, runs like shite, smokes and leaves you beside the road often, it's a Ford.

WHCSC · Feb 21, 2026

K Rod said:
If your the HC at Nebraska, and truly invested in winning, paid 8.5 million dollars a year to win games, why on earth would you not attend EVERY meeting? Offense, Defense and ST ? This is your program. You should want to know what is going on with all three units and help getting things fixed. This is another little piece of information that sheds light into what does and does not go on inside the program. You were brought in here to WIN. Your paid very well for your efforts. And your butt hurt because some fans here expected more than 19-19. And those same fans know that there was so much left on the table the past two seasons. I know one thing for sure, and that is once the Ruhle era is over, more will come out about disfunction and disorganization within the program. When you see a program under perform, there are reasons. If it starts hard, runs like shite, smokes and leaves you beside the road often, it's a Ford.

Because you also have a million other things you need to do as HC?

Scoop123 · Feb 21, 2026

SuperBigFan69 said:
Maybe it is just me but I don't need my boss stopping in my meetings all the time.

To me, NOT showing up to my meetings shows more confidence.

Now, with that said, I have had a a ***** micro managing boss before, so I might just have PTSD.

Rhule showing up has little to nothing to do with Ekeler. You show up for the players

A lot of these kids are second and third string players fighting for playing time. They want to be recognized and noticed by the head coach. Special teams players tend to be some of the hardest working kids on the team, often with a little recognition.

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 21, 2026

Scoop123 said:
Rhule showing up has little to nothing to do with Ekeler. You show up for the players

A lot of these kids are second and third string players fighting for playing time. They want to be recognized and noticed by the head coach. Special teams players tend to be some of the hardest working kids on the team, often with a little recognition.

I guess...but it is Ekler that is crying about it...not any of the players (yet)

jkeb · Feb 21, 2026

king_kong__ said:
Husker Football 2026: “we did as well as we could”

Rhule is now late on his ROI. People are understandably confused about pre-firing extensions but they are common across college football precisely in decision making years and are mostly about perception for recruits just in case a last ditch long shot effort pans out. The paradoxical extension, mass assistant coaching change, and otherwise trimmed budget is a "dead man walking" signal.

inthedeed · Feb 21, 2026

rhule is the classic goody two shoes "c" student from school. arse kisser and dishonest as hell. he will never compete with "a" and "b" coaches consistently.

oldjar07 · Feb 21, 2026

jkeb said:
Rhule is now late on his ROI. People are understandably confused about pre-firing extensions but they are common across college football precisely in decision making years and are mostly about perception for recruits just in case a last ditch long shot effort pans out. The paradoxical extension, mass assistant coaching change, and otherwise trimmed budget is a "dead man walking" signal.

Just excuse-making for stupidity and fiscal irresponsibility.

NikkiSixx · Feb 21, 2026

sounded to me like Ekeler had improved special teams and was looking for more responsibility.. felt helpless watching the defense get run over.. Rhule didn't want Ekeler outshining him more than he already was.. Rhule is a petty man.. that's the only conclusion I can come to.

OxfordComma · Feb 21, 2026

TouchdownTom said:
How do you make it into year 4 and finally realize you can’t try to force coaches and players into schemes that don’t fit them. It’s getting close to spring and I should be getting tricked into drinking the koolaid again yet I still have my pitchfork out from last year.

That statement alone should get Rhule fired. And the fact we can’t fire him after this year because of the extension makes things even worse. Especially when after every loss we will have to be reminded of that extension.

I remember the stated justification for the extension. The turnaround for this team under Rhule is starting to gain traction and build momentum. If we were to lose him and start from scratch with a new coach, we likely also lose Raiola and we are no better than when Rhule arrived. Momentum would be killed.

Then, Raiola gets injured and transfers out anyway. We finish the season with 3 consecutive games looking like we couldn’t compete in an average G5 conference. Our recruiting class is dead last in the B1G, and our GM says we can’t possibly do any better. We lost our best assistant coach for a sideways move because he hates Rhule after one season being around him.

Based upon where we are now, I would blindly opt for whatever is behind door #3.

jkeb · Feb 21, 2026

oldjar07 said:
Just excuse-making for stupidity and fiscal irresponsibility.

I didn't say it was smart, but it happens enough year after year all across the country that it is a thing.
They don't think like you or I.
If you know, you know.
And if not...

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 21, 2026

NikkiSixx said:
sounded to me like Ekeler had improved special teams and was looking for more responsibility.. felt helpless watching the defense get run over.. Rhule didn't want Ekeler outshining him more than he already was.. Rhule is a petty man.. that's the only conclusion I can come to.

There might be some truth to this...Ekler was not really "his" hire to begin with, which I am sure caused some sort of strain to begin with.

RikeMiley · Feb 22, 2026

""Let’s say Nebraska’s $14-17 million behind the top rosters in the sport. That’s what I’ve consistently heard and believe. How many top-end players does a $14-17 million gap represent? Ten? Twenty?

Let’s say Nebraska had $5 million more to spend. Does it get that elite pass rusher? And the running back Husker fans wanted?

They’re not at Nebraska, which sources say rank around seventh or eighth in the Big Ten for roster cost.

Would buying up empty seats to guarantee the sellout streak be a better investment than NIL money?""

Bigred2467 · Feb 22, 2026

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 22, 2026

RikeMiley said:
""Let’s say Nebraska’s $14-17 million behind the top rosters in the sport. That’s what I’ve consistently heard and believe. How many top-end players does a $14-17 million gap represent? Ten? Twenty?

Let’s say Nebraska had $5 million more to spend. Does it get that elite pass rusher? And the running back Husker fans wanted?

They’re not at Nebraska, which sources say rank around seventh or eighth in the Big Ten for roster cost.

Would buying up empty seats to guarantee the sellout streak be a better investment than NIL money?""

Rhule is not going to get the money...It is that simple.

The next HC will...and if he keeps winning he will keep getting it.

RBigredMax1 · Feb 22, 2026

RikeMiley said:
""Let’s say Nebraska’s $14-17 million behind the top rosters in the sport. That’s what I’ve consistently heard and believe. How many top-end players does a $14-17 million gap represent? Ten? Twenty?

Let’s say Nebraska had $5 million more to spend. Does it get that elite pass rusher? And the running back Husker fans wanted?

They’re not at Nebraska, which sources say rank around seventh or eighth in the Big Ten for roster cost.

Would buying up empty seats to guarantee the sellout streak be a better investment than NIL money?""

All this is true - so maybe we are behind Ohio State and Oregon. You know who we aren’t behind? Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, UCLA, Utah. You want more money, start showing you are doing something with what you have. Iowa took us to the freaking woodshed and I bet Nebraska has nearly double their NIL and roster payroll.

Iowa with a much less payroll played Indiana and Oregon to the bell. I get that we don’t have enough to buy the talent of Ohio State and Oregon but if we were truly developing players we wouldn’t have endless bitching about it. Tired of the narrative - there are 4 coaches who can probably argue they have “enough”. Show that you are a good steward of funds and more will be given.

I’m soooo tired of this narrative. Not having enough is the new blame game on the previous staff. Our coach is doing both now. 4 years in - pull it together. &@&/£#£#+|!\¥#•=#£{£.! It.

1thomas · Feb 22, 2026

Scoop123 said:
Rhule showing up has little to nothing to do with Ekeler. You show up for the players

A lot of these kids are second and third string players fighting for playing time. They want to be recognized and noticed by the head coach. Special teams players tend to be some of the hardest working kids on the team, often with a little recognition.

Wouldn't you notice them and recognize them as they accomplished something on the actual practice field?

1thomas · Feb 22, 2026

NikkiSixx said:
sounded to me like Ekeler had improved special teams and was looking for more responsibility.. felt helpless watching the defense get run over.. Rhule didn't want Ekeler outshining him more than he already was.. Rhule is a petty man.. that's the only conclusion I can come to.

Either just pushing a narrative or a lazy thinker if you can only come up with one possibility

QAnon399535 · Feb 22, 2026

featherivered said:
Why don't all you "so called" NU fans just get together and fire Rhule? Pay his buyout. Isn't that what you do? Chickenshits. Must be really young and used to instant gratification. It takes time to turn a ****-show around. If you hired JC, you'd be bitching within a year.

Cignetti .

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 23, 2026

QAnon399535 said:
Cignetti .

Of course now the excuse is "Well, it isn't Cigs, it is Mark Cuban"

RBigredMax1 · Feb 23, 2026

There are three teams that have more NIL on the schedule than us next year. If people want to use that as an excuse on those three games - so be it. But then we better win the other 9 and look respectable in the 3 where we are limited.

WHCSC · Feb 23, 2026

RBigredMax1 said:
There are three teams that have more NIL on the schedule than us next year. If people want to use that as an excuse on those three games - so be it. But then we better win the other 9 and look respectable in the 3 where we are limited.

Except nobody really knows how much NIL each team has. They are all just speculating.

SuperBigFan69 · Feb 23, 2026

WHCSC said:
Except nobody really knows how much NIL each team has. They are all just speculating.

The numbers are probably not even close to what we hear but it is in the players/agents best interest to keep inflating the dollar amounts.

I have no doubt that there are a few players that make some really amazing cash...but the idea that all 22 starters are making 1.5 to 2.5 million is probably not all that accurate.

Preacher Rhule’s GM: DL Expensive, Lucky to Get Who We Did

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