Fired Panthers Coach Matt Rhule Fleeces Nebraska With New Contract Worth $9M A Year

Nebraska has reportedly offered a $72M contract to Matt Rhule.

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers made waves in the college football world on the final weekend of the regular season. The storied program has found its replacement for fired head coach Scott Frost.

Frost was let go at a hefty price just three weeks into the 2022 season. After dropping an embarrassing game to Georgia Southern, the Huskers decided to part ways despite having the option to reduce Frost’s buyout by $7.5M had they waited just three more weeks.

Frost went just 16-31 with Nebraska, and fans are hoping that his replacement will be able to turn the program around. On Saturday, the team announced the hiring of former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule. The reaction to that hire was met with some criticism following his rocky NFL tenure with the Panthers, but his track record at the college level speaks for itself.

With the Baylor Bears, Rhule led his teams to 17 wins over his final two seasons, culminating with a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2018. This, coming after turning around a Temple football program between 2013 and 2016, posting 10-win seasons in each of his final two campaigns.

Rhule was certainly a splash hire, despite his failure at the professional level with the Panthers. The failed NFL stint didn’t stop Nebraska from spending a pretty penny on their new leader. On Sunday, Brett McMurphy reported the contract details for the Cornhuskers’ new coach.

New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s 8-year contract worth $72 million

That $9M/year price tag will immediately elevate Rhule into being one of college football’s highest paid coaches. And while he’s been able to turn things around at a pair of previous programs, many think that the number is a bit too high following his tenure with the Panthers.

Fans on social media quickly reacted to the reported contract details, saying that Nebraska jumped the gun with the offer.

One fan wrote, “That feels like an awful contract,” while another commented, “Nebraska with another L,” after seeing Matt Rhule’s new contract.

This fan doesn’t believe Rhule will last long in Lincoln, saying, “$72 million for a coach that’s gone in three years. He will be fired or leave after third year.”

He’ll try to prove the naysayers wrong and continue his success at the college level. We’ll soon see if the Cornhuskers regret offering this hefty contract to Matt Rhule or if he’s able to elevate the program back to the status of one of college football’s elites.