PHILADELPHIA — Do people still care about Matt Rhule in Philadelphia?
Yes, let’s argue. His Temple Owls football era was too historic, his name still resonates around here, even as Rhule officially becomes the new head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Great hire, by the way. If Rhule, now 47 years old, scratched his NFL head-coaching itch and found out life in the pros isn’t that grand without a top-grade quarterback, he remained the top college prospect out there after getting fired in-season by the Carolina Panthers.
That early-season firing, if it was inevitable anyway, may have been a blessing, allowing Rhule’s agent to field calls from across the college landscape.
This new gig has similarities to Rhule’s previous stints at Temple and Baylor — and vast differences. This, a sixth straight losing season for the Cornhuskers, which seems impossible for those old enough to remember Nebraska as a national power.
But all those losses help explain why Rhule took the eight-year contract instead of, say, chasing the Auburn job.
When it was obvious Rhule was going to leave Temple for a Power 5 job, he was careful about which job he wanted. How many coaches would have gone after scandal-ridden Baylor instead of Oregon?
Rhule did and got a longer deal from Baylor.
Even earlier, Rhule had been careful about going after jobs … Maryland was open once. But the Big Ten East isn’t the kind of neighborhood to rise from the depths. Missouri was open once. Rhule knew Mizzou already had won the SEC East title … hard to top that or even equal it. He stayed away.
But this Big Ten West is up for grabs this season, three conference losses are good enough to take it. A perfect platform to build on.
I’ve been wrong about Rhule’s moves before. I wasn’t sure he was perfect for Temple but quickly came around. (Hey, my Dave Clawson thought wasn’t crazy). I questioned whether he could recruit in Texas when he took the Baylor job. (He could.) I thought he had the IQ and EQ to succeed in the NFL. (He does, he could, but he didn’t.)
Most of all, I learned Rhule during his time in Philly that he is the best kind of salesman because what he’s selling is, in fact, real. They’ll go for it in Lincoln and across that state. When Rhule talks, the Penn State grad sounds like a human being, not just spouting football speak.
If any Temple fans are still bitter about losing him in 2016 want to say, how long will he stay? The answer could be, forever. Getting Temple and Baylor going, that’s memorable. Restoring the Cornhuskers, that’s a Hall of Fame ticket.
Beating Penn State, almost getting Notre Dame, winning a league title the following year … all that remains so vivid from Rhule’s Temple tenure. Let’s also argue it remains the top line on Rhule’s career resume, despite his impressive success at Baylor, missing the college football playoff by an OT period against Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.
Nebraska gives him a chance to top it all, to do what he just failed to do in the NFL.
