Friday Five: Big talk and bigger expectations
Rhule talks transformation, Fleck calls Nebraska “dangerous" and volleyball dominates the preseason poll.
Oh, hello. It’s Friday (and thank goodness for that).1
Fall camp officially opens Monday. Can you believe that? Time really does fly.
Big Ten Media Days gave us more than enough to talk about this week. There’s also been praise from an unlikely source, new insight into Nebraska’s defense, preseason volleyball honors and a whole new department added to Nebraska Athletics.
As always, let’s get into it.
Rhule is all about making Nebraska a good job
Last week, Central Florida coach Scott Frost told reporters at Big 12 Media Days he “didn’t really want to” take the Nebraska job and that “it wasn’t a good move.” When asked about those remarks Tuesday in Las Vegas, coach Matt Rhule didn’t flinch.
“It was not a good job but we've made it a good job, and we're about to make it a great job,” Rhule said. “This will be one of the best jobs in the country.”
Rhule pointed to what the job lacked just a few years ago, like NIL infrastructure and competitive facilities. The program was behind. Now, thanks to key donors and a clear plan from leadership, Rhule believes the program is building something worthy of its fan base and legacy.
“I took it because I believed it had the bones of a great job,” Rhule said. “You know how sometimes you see a beautiful mansion and it's got unbelievably good bones… I saw that there were five national championships. I saw that we had the best fan base in football.”
Rhule said his wife, Julie, knew it was the right job from the start. It’s the kind of program he wants to fix. He was also clear that Frost still has a place at Nebraska.
“I want him always to feel like he could come back and has a home there,” Rhule said.
P.J. Fleck calls Nebraska one of the Big Ten’s “most dangerous” teams
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck made headlines of his own this week with high praise for the Huskers.
“One of the most dangerous teams in the Big Ten is Nebraska,” Fleck said at Media Days.
Fleck credited Rhule’s leadership and system-oriented approach for the shift in tone around Nebraska football.
“He's awakening it, that's for sure,” Fleck said. “Matt has a clear path of exactly what he wants.”
The comments carry weight, considering Minnesota has won five straight against Nebraska and holds a 6–1 record over the Huskers since Fleck’s arrival in 2017. That includes 2023’s walk-off win to open the season.
Nebraska and Minnesota will meet Oct. 17 on a Friday night in Minneapolis. It’s a game that suddenly carries even more intrigue and maybe a little more mutual respect.
Football fall camp opens Monday
Rhule kept things relatively quiet this summer and that’s exactly how he wanted it.
As he enters his third season, Rhule has made it clear he doesn’t want his team distracted by hype. That’s why this offseason was kept under wraps, as much as possible at least.
“I want us to go into this camp with a sense of urgency,” he said earlier this week.
That urgency will be necessary. Nebraska opens the season against Cincinnati on Aug. 28 at Arrowhead Stadium. It’s a high-stakes neutral-site game against a team trying to bounce back under Scott Satterfield.
While much of the conversation this offseason has centered on quarterback Dylan Raiola, it’s Nebraska’s defense that may hold the key early. The Huskers finished top 20 nationally in total defense each of the last two seasons but with a new coordinator in John Butler and plenty of new faces, the standard will be tested.
“We are just not going to have a bad defense. Not gonna happen,” Rhule said during an appearance on the Husker Radio Network.
Butler, who replaces Tony White, comes from the NFL and has spent the last two seasons as Nebraska’s defensive backs coach. He led one of the NFL’s top secondaries in Buffalo and inherits a defense that returns pieces but replaces four key contributors on the line.
“It’s going to be hell on wheels,” Rhule said of the defensive front. “Watch. Just watch.”
The rest of the story
As Big Ten Media Days come to a close today in Las Vegas, fall Saturdays are starting to feel close. And at Nebraska in 2025, fall Saturdays also include two Fridays and a Thursday.
Four Huskers earn preseason All-Big Ten volleyball honors
The Big Ten released its preseason volleyball poll and all-conference team on Thursday, and Nebraska once again dominated the list.
The Huskers were picked No. 1 in the preseason poll and had four players named to the 20-player Preseason All-Big Ten Team:
Andi Jackson (MB, Jr.) – Unanimous
Harper Murray (OH, Jr.) – Unanimous
Bergen Reilly (S, Jr.) – Unanimous
Rebekah Allick (MB, Sr.)
Nebraska was the only team with three unanimous selections. The Huskers return nearly their entire starting lineup from a 33-3 team that won a share of the Big Ten title and reached the NCAA semifinals.
Jackson was an AVCA First Team All-American last season, finishing with a .439 hitting percentage. Murray led the team in kills and aces and was the Most Outstanding Player of the Lincoln Regional. Reilly is already a two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year. Allick led the team in blocks and continues to climb the career charts entering her senior season.
Nebraska is once again the team to beat in the Big Ten. The season begins with the AVCA First Serve in Lincoln on Friday, Aug. 22. The Huskers will face Pitt that Friday their season going.
Husker Athletics launches new special events department
Nebraska Athletics is opening its doors. Literally.
This week, the department announced the creation of a new special events team, which will oversee the use of athletic facilities for events like concerts, conferences, galas and more. The goal is twofold: increase revenue and better integrate Husker spaces into the community.
“We have talked regularly about engaging Memorial Stadium more than just seven home games in the fall,” said athletic director Troy Dannen. “The next step… was to create a department that can focus on these types of events and better engage the public.”
The new unit will be led by Arek Olson, who comes to Lincoln from Arkansas, where he oversaw 175+ annual events and helped stage the Razorbacks’ first public concert in the football stadium. Kaci Natale will join as Assistant Director after previously working in event services at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Both begin Aug. 11.
And with that, another week has come and gone.
Next time you hear from us, football fall camp will officially be in action and volleyball will take the stage in Chicago for its own Media Days. Going to be fun.
Enjoy your weekend.
My car battery died first thing Monday morning, if that tells you anything about how this week has gone. TGIF, indeed!