Nebraska’s Matt Rhule: ‘It Wasn’t a Good Job, But It’s the Right Job’

Scott Frost recently called coaching the Nebraska Cornhuskers the “wrong job” for him during Big 12 Media Days. Reflecting on his time at his alma mater, Frost – who returned for his second stint at UCF – said the biggest lesson he learned was not to take the wrong job.

Current Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was asked about those comments on Tuesday. While he didn’t disagree that the program wasn’t in a great position when he arrived, he made it clear he still sees Nebraska as the right job for him.

“This wasn’t a good job,” he said during the Big Ten Media Days. “But we’ve made it a good job, and we’re about to make it a great job. This will be one of the best jobs in the country.”

Rather than criticize Frost, Rhule showed respect.

“I have a ton of respect for Scott,” Rhule said. “And I’ve always been very empathetic for what he went through, because this was his home. If you guys fire me tomorrow, I’m just going to go back to Cape May and sit on the beach — go back to where I’m from. But this was his home.”

Rhule pointed out that the program he inherited was in bad shape and behind on everything.

“There was no NIL when Scott was here, no new facilities,” he said. “I walked into a better situation.”

Frost was fired three games into the 2022 season, finishing with a 16-31 record across four and a half seasons at Nebraska, never reaching a bowl game. His legacy, however, as a 1997 national champion quarterback is still present in the program. Rhule noted that Nebraska placed a large photo of Frost as a player in its facility this offseason.

When asked what comes next if Nebraska starts winning under his leadership, Rhule responded, “Sometimes recruits will say, ‘Coach, if you win, what are you gonna do?’” he said. “I’m gonna stay right here. The only thing I ever think about is getting a lake house at one of these lakes in Nebraska I keep hearing about.”

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