Report: Matt Rhule, Nebraska agree on $72 million, 8-year contract

Matt Rhule and Nebraska have agreed to an eight-year contract totaling $72 million, per reports. The deal will earn Rhule around $9 million per season, making him one of the highest paid head coaches in college football.

Rhule was fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers earlier this season after a poor start, and now the program-building head coach is ready to start from scratch in Lincoln after the Huskers announced the signing Saturday.

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“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to lead the Nebraska Football program,” Rhule said in a prepared statement Saturday. “When you think of great, tradition-rich programs in college football Nebraska is right at the top of the list.  The fan base is second to none, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to coach in Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field. My family and I are so grateful to become a part of the Husker Family, and we can’t wait to get started.”

The Cornhuskers haven’t been to a bowl game in six seasons and have been Big Ten bottom feeders in the years since. Given the eight-year deal, Rhule will be trusted with the long-term building of the program from the ground up, and it seems AD Trev Alberts is going to give him time – and money – to make the program nationally relevant once again.

“It is a privilege to welcome Coach Matt Rhule, his wife Julie, and their family to Nebraska,” Alberts said, per Nebraska Saturday. “Coach Rhule has created a winning culture throughout his coaching career, and he will provide great leadership for the young men in our football program. 

“Matt is detail-oriented, his teams are disciplined and play a physical brand of football. Matt also has the personality and relationship-building skills to build a great staff and excel in recruiting.”