Dr. Susan Elza dreams big, and that's a really good thing for Nebraska
Dr. Susan Elza dreams big, and that's a really good thing for Nebraska
Dr. Susan Elza was in her dream job in Texas. That was until Matt Rhule called with an opportunity she couldn't turn down.
It was a dream position for Dr. Susan Elza: the director of athletics for the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body of Texas high school extracurricular activities.
Elza spent seven years in the role — and would have spent many, many more1 — but an opportunity arose that she couldn’t refuse.
“There probably wouldn’t be too many people that I’d go and work for and leave those Texas boundaries,” Elza said in a press conference last week. “There probably wasn’t another university I would have had in my line of sight.”
The person was coach Matt Rhule, and the university Nebraska. But did you know that Elza had never worked with or for Rhule prior to the ask though?
It was Elza’s good friend Joey McGuire who made the connection. While Rhule was at Baylor from 2017-19, Elza had the opportunity to witness the type of coach — and leader — Rhule was firsthand. She saw it through both the perspective of McGuire as a coach alongside Rhule, as well as through his son Garret McGuire, who played for Rhule at Baylor (and then went on to serve on his staff at the Carolina Panthers). Garret is now Nebraska’s wide receivers coach.
When Rhule called about the chief of staff opportunity at Nebraska, he told Elza to call Joey. Ask him about the good, the bad and the ugly. “There was no bad,” she recalled.
Prior to her time with the UIL, Elza served as the executive director of athletics at Northwest Independent School District in Fort Worth. And before that, assistant athletic director at Allen Independent School District in Allen, Texas. She was inducted into the Texas High School Athletic Director Hall of Honor in 2023.2
Elza earned bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from Southwest Texas State, her master’s degree in education administration from Texas A&M Commerce and her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Lamar.
When she arrived in Lincoln, Elza said her only goal was to put her head down and get to work. Her resume might be impressive — and it is impressive — but her philosophy has never been that you can just expect respect.
"No matter who you are or what you do, when you change a job, you have to re-earn it," Elza said. "That's been my mentality the whole way is to just get in here and put my head down and help make this program better."
In her role as chief of staff, Elza oversees 73 people. More specifically, she motivates. She organizes. She takes on new tasks for the group each and every day, meaning no two days look the same. Everything from recruiting — she has an eye specifically on Texas — to administration needs are on Elza’s list. You’ll often see her standing in the back room of a press conference too, just taking it all in.
She’s also meticulous but not as meticulous as Rhule, she’ll say. She’s self-aware, but Rhule is next level. He is always aware of his environment, something that Elza appreciates because it drives success in others.
“He pushes you for perfection,” Elza said. “I felt like I was already at that level. I am more so ingrained in the goals of this program.
“To give you a little bit more broad context, it doesn’t matter what level you are in this program, you’re accountable for winning.”
She’s also big on pouring her time into people. She invests in those around her, ensuring everyone has what is needed to be successful.
“I’m really big on your horizontal leadership will affect your vertical growth,” Elza said.
The hope would be by pouring her time and energy into those around her, they will then pour their time and energy into the athletes. It’s a mentality that meshes well with Rhule, who tried to hire her prior.
For as much as Elza learned about Rhule, the same vice versa.
“I tried to take her to Carolina,” Rhule said in February 2023. “This isn’t like a recruiting thing because she knows the head coaches. She’s just ‘elite.’ I tried to take her to Carolina. That didn’t work out. When I got here, it was able to work out.”
But there definitely is a benefit to her knowledge and understanding within the athletics space, both in Texas and beyond. Could it lead to an athletic director role one day? Maybe, but Elza isn’t worried about that now. Her loyalty, she’ll remind you, is with Rhule. Any other opportunities would need to come organically and be the right fit.
There’s a reason she’s at Nebraska today. It was the right fit, and her dreams for what can be done are big. Just ask her.
"What I want to pour my efforts into, however I can contribute is, is us winning a national championship," she said. "I'm not afraid to talk about it. I think that's what we're here to do."
Yes, Elza held her dream position for seven years — or so she thought. Now she’s at Nebraska, paving a new path she could have never expected she’d be on just two years ago.
Can you blame her for dreaming big?
It’s clear those she worked with felt the same about hoping for many, many more years for her in that role. Just read this brief story from when it was announced she was departing for Nebraska.
She was also the head softball coach at Garland and Allen.
So, one of the things I have learned (being in Texas) is how much street cred Rhule gained / reaffirmed by being able to pull her out of what people assumed was her job for the foreseeable future. She has SO much respect down here. To quote the renowned philosopher Buffalo Springfield:
"There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear."
You have a little name error: "Elxa earned bachelor’s degree"