A de facto 'state of the union' from Rhule
Nebraska's head coach went on a podcast and offered some eye-opening intel on the status of Mike Ekeler, QBs and more.
Matt Rhule took a break from the last few days of the transfer portal to make his first media appearance since Nebraska’s Las Vegas Bowl loss to end 2025. In a podcast segment on the Zach Gelb Show1 Wednesday, he offered something like a “state of the union” on the Huskers as Year 3 turns to Year 4, and he led with this:
“Last year you could only define as disappointing to be quite honest,” Rhule said before highlighting the back-to-back bowl trips as progress. “It’s just not enough progress for me. It’s not enough progress for our fans.”
Fair enough. Appointed leader, his constituency and the punditry might all agree on that. Rhule is rhetorically skilled, and he deserves credit for not dancing around many questions. There aren’t many current coaches going on podcasts in the middle of portal season2 to talk about disappointing seasons, add new fuel to a smoldering QB-decision fire or say “I don’t know” if the still-new (and beloved) special teams coach is returning.
All of which is to say, this de facto state of the union actually and accurately represented the state of the union. Nebraska needs to win in 2026. Everyone knows it.
But nobody knows if the steps the Huskers are taking—and perhaps being forced to take—here in January are bringing NU closer to that essential function.
