FORT WORTH, Texas — Matt Rhule's time at Baylor lasted all of three years, and whatever he does for the rest of his life he should never pay for another meal in Waco.
Actually, because he has so much money Rhule should pick up most checks. Enough of the free handouts for the uber wealthy.
When he comes back to Waco, if he ever does, Rhule should be treated like Chip and Joanna.
What Rhule did for Baylor is on par what Chip and Joanna Gaines have done for Waco.
There is no coach in college football who accomplished more in such a short amount of time than what Matt Rhule did at Baylor.
Baylor is currently ranked 21st in the nation, in part because of Rhule.
While a lot of Baylor people were upset with Rhule for leaving after just three years to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he did far more than he was expected to when he was in Waco.
He essentially cleaned up the entire Brazos River that runs through Waco, and Baylor is in a good spot because of his tenure.
Now in his second season in Charlotte, Rhule and the Panthers are 3-0; they will play the Cowboys on Sunday at JerryWorld.
Rhule's arrival and departure is the rarest of creatures in sports where every party involved won.
"If you go back to when I got to Baylor, there were ESPN commentators saying we should drop the program," Rhule said Thursday morning on a conference call with reporters. "The program was on the brink, and it was hard to convince people to come there."
That was in December of '16, when Baylor was still in the process of coming out of the finale of the Art Briles era.
There were indeed commentators throwing out blind headlines that Baylor's football program should be dropped.
The moment he arrived, Rhule was having to answer questions about how the school and his players would treat women.
Three seasons later, Baylor was in the Sugar Bowl where it lost to Georgia.
Although he nearly accepted the job with the New York Jets following the 2018 season, he wisely rejected that mess.
Not long after making the Sugar Bowl, Rhule accepted a seven-year, $62 million contract to become the Carolina Panthers' head coach.
There was no decision to make. He had to take the job.
"I always felt like I was called (to Baylor) for a purpose. Baylor was in a bad place," he said. "I don't think anyone understands how scary it was. I didn't until I got there.
"I turn on (a Baylor game) and I see Dave Aranda with a win over Iowa State and makes me smile a little bit. We were able to stabilize it. Able to get to the Sugar Bowl, and back in the national rankings.
"A lot of credit goes to (Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades). He was the reason I went to Baylor. It was hard to leave. I love that community. I loved the players but I felt like we had done what we were supposed to do."
That sentiment is misplaced if Baylor had fallen apart after he left.
Baylor is fine.
The Bears' 31-29 upset win over then No. 14 Iowa State last weekend improved their record to 4-0. The Bears are ranked 21st in the latest AP poll, the first time they have been ranked since Rhule left.
Second-year coach Dave Aranda inherited a pretty good job and has taken what Rhule put in place and doing what he was hired to do.
None of this happens without Matt Rhule.
"Matt is a great leader and a heck of a football coach," Rhoades said via text. "Love him."
The Baylor people who were understandably hurt when Rhule left should now do nothing but thank him for arrival and stay.
What he did for Baylor is as important as what Chip and Joanna have done for Waco.
