What will happen to the red hot dogs?

Nebraska has a new partner for game day concessions. What does that mean for the classic Memorial Stadium concession items?

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Happy Friday, everyone. It’s been one of those weeks filled with news, which is a bit surprising for mid-February. It must mean spring is almost here, no?

Brandon tackled some of the news yesterday — worth catching up on — but here’s a bit more that has surfaced in the past 24 hours. At this rate, there is no telling what the weekend might bring.

New concession partner finalized

Hold on to your Runzas, Nebraska has a new partner for game day concessions. 

After the Nebraska Board of Regents approved a partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment last Friday, the news became official on Thursday in a press release shared by the university. 

“Aramark Sports + Entertainment is well known as an industry leader in the food and beverage services space,” said athletic director Troy Dannen. “As we continually strive to provide the best fan experience possible at all of our venues, Aramark will have a great impact in making our concessions operations more efficient and providing fans with additional offerings. Additionally, Aramark has successfully assisted with the implementation of alcohol sales in several college stadiums in recent years, and their expertise in that area will be critical as we add alcohol sales in all of our venues beginning with the 2025 season.”

Nebraska becomes Aramark’s fourth Big Ten Conference client, alongside Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.The partnership also puts an end to the previous relationship Nebraska had with Premier Catering, the company that handled all things concessions for the Huskers for many years.

Starting this year, Aramark will manage all game day food and beverage operations at Memorial Stadium, Bob Devaney Sports Center, and other Husker venues. It’s worth noting that Pinnacle Bank Arena and Haymarket Park are not university-operated venues.

“We take immense pride in delivering unforgettable food and beverage experiences through our fan-first philosophy,” said Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports + Entertainment. “We look forward to welcoming Cornhuskers fans and enhancing every game day.”

So, what’s changing for Husker fans?

• Faster service: New innovations to speed up concession lines

• Expanded menu options: More variety, while keeping local favorites

• Alcohol sales: Aramark’s experience will help ensure a smooth transition to the sale of alcohol in 2025¹

There weren’t specifics listed on which local favorites will remain, but the major three at Nebraska football games are Runza, Valentino’s and the red hot dogs. Do the three remain?

The contract goes into effect on March 1, 2025 and lasts until June 30, 2025. Whatever Nebraska’s pseudo-spring showing for football (or fall sports) looks like might be the first time fans see a difference in the stadium.

Or maybe the hot dogs and Runzas live to be the stars of the show for one last day. Time will tell.

Four Huskers earn NFL Combine invites

Four Huskers will represent Nebraska at the NFL Combine, set to begin Feb. 27 and run through March 2. Those four are defensive lineman Ty Robinson, tight end Thomas Fidone, wide receiver Isaiah Neyor and defensive back Tommi Hill.

Noticeably absent from the list is defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher, who participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, alongside Neyor. Robinson, Fidone, and Hill played in the Reese's Senior Bowl. 

While Hutmacher’s omission is notable, the four Huskers who did receive invites is a big step forward for Nebraska. No Huskers were invited to the NFL Combine in 2024, which ultimately led to no players being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Things are already looking up on that front in 2025.

This year’s NFL Draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, kicking off the three-day event on April 24.

Salaries set for Rhule’s staff

With a number of changes to coach Matt Rhule’s staff in 2025, we have a set of new salaries to look at. Here’s the breakdown:

Highest-Paid Coaches

• Marcus Satterfield (TE Coach) – $1.4M (Now highest paid on staff, was previously OC)

• Dana Holgorsen (OC) – $1.2M (Promoted from analyst position)

• John Butler (DC) – $1M (Promoted from secondary coach)

Key Coaching Changes

• Tony White (Former DC, $1.6M in 2024) → Now Florida State’s DC

• John Butler (Secondary → DC, $1M in 2025)

• Addison Williams (New Secondary Coach, $625K) → Butler made $700K in 2024

• Terry Bradden (New DL Coach, $400K) → Same as former DL coach Terrance Knighton, who left for FSU

• Phil Simpson (New LB Coach, $350K) → Returns from Florida State analyst role

• Daikiel Shorts (New WR Coach, $400K) → Replaces Garret McGuire ($114K in 2024), now Texas Tech’s RB coach

Matt Rhule’s Contract Growth

• 2025: +$1M salary increase

• 2026: Another $1M bump

• 2027: +$1.5M increase

• 2030: Final salary reaches $12.5M

Coaching Staff Size & Structure

• 14 total coaches with a mix of walk-around coordinators, a stand-alone special teams coordinator and an associate head coach

• More coordinators than most programs, making Nebraska’s staff one of the largest in college football

All of that means the 12 primary position coaches will exceed $7 million in salaries in 2025. 

1. Did you know that alcohol sales typically increase per-capita spending by 35-40% at collegiate venues? Regardless of personal feelings on the matter, it’s clear why Nebraska is moving in this direction, especially with Aramark projecting to bring an annual commission of up to $5.8 million to the university.