Penn State fired longtime football coach James Franklin, opening one of college football’s top jobs.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is considered a top candidate due to his history with Penn State.
Rhule addressed the rumors, stating his love for Penn State but emphasizing his commitment to Nebraska.
Penn State fired longtime coach James Franklin on Sunday, Oct. 12, opening up one of the top jobs in college football.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule instantly become one of the top potential candidates for the position, given he played at Penn State and has his obvious ties to athletic director Pat Kraft, who hired Rhule at Temple. Rhule addressed the rumors at his weekly press conference on Oct. 13, and mostly avoided the question, although he did mention his friendship with Kraft.
‘(Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen) and I understand the steps we need to take to make us Big Ten champions and national champions,’ Rhule said. ‘… I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come. Maybe it’s been awhile here, but this is what happens when you win. I dealt with it when we won at Temple and I dealt with it all the time at Baylor.
‘I’m not going to talk about those things ever, I’m not going to talk about my contract here, I’m going to talk about the team. I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. … I’m really happy here.’
Rhule started his response by explaining his love for Penn State and Kraft, however. Rhule also mentioned how important Franklin was for stabilizing the program in a time of disarray when he took the job in 2014.
‘I love Penn State,’ Rhule said. ‘I met my wife there. It’s my alma mater. Fan since I was born, think I probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft.’
Rhule has an outstanding track record as a program builder, going 2-10 in his first year at Temple before leading the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in only his third and fourth season as head coach. He then went 1-11 in his first year at Baylor before going 11-3 two years later in 2019.
Rhule then jumped to the NFL, where he went 11-27 in parts of three seasons with the Carolina Panthers before heading back to college. He went 5-7 in his first year at Nebraska in 2023 but has the Cornhuskers 5-1 so far in 2025 after leading the program to their first bowl appearance since 2016 and first bowl win since 2015.
The 50-year-old coach still seems to be a top option for the Penn State opening, although he’s focused on rebuilding Nebraska for now.
‘Troy and I are in unbelievable relationship too,’ he said. ‘And Troy and I are in constant, constant, constant communication about this program and where we’re headed.’