Matt Rhule Reveals Major Change at Nebraska Learnt From Time at Carolina Panthers

May 21, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Matt Rhule © Imagn.

Before becoming the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2023, Matt Rhule was the Carolina Panthers’ head coach from 2020 to 2022. His experience there changed him as a head coach.

During his interview with Adam Breneman, Rhule spoke at length about his brief time with Carolina, where he posted an 11-27 overall record in over two seasons. He was fired after a 1-4 start in the 2022 season. Rhule started by explaining how difficult it was connecting with players in his first two years since there were COVID-19 regulations.

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“It makes me a way, way better head coach because, you know, that first year was COVID. And so it was really hard to connect. And especially when you’re a college coach, come to the NFL, it’s really hard to connect,” Rhule said.

“And then that second year was kind of COVID. I remember the day at practice, they told us we could take our masks off. It felt like breathing for the first time, but it was going into that third year, you know, I was on the hot seat. Chants had started, you know, even in my second year, ‘Hey, fire him, fire him.’”

It was in his third season that Rhule finally built valuable relationships with several well-known NFL players today, including Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns. This made him realize that the connection with the player matters the most when you are in the business of coaching.

“It was those relationships that last year with Christian McCaffrey, with Brian Burns going through probably one of the hardest personal times in my life,” Rhule said. “And the way that, you know, I still try to show up every day and lead the way that I still try to protect the players.

“I learned like life is all about connection. Life is all about relationships. So when I came back to the college level, it was not sitting here telling everybody, ‘Hey, I have everything figured out because I don’t.’ It’s saying, ‘Hey, I want to go on this journey with you. And I want to be a part of it with you.’ I think that those relationships and that having to lead through really hard times made me way tougher and maybe more determined in this job.”

Matt Rhule Doing Really Well at Nebraska

After being fired by the Panthers, Matt Rhule was hired by Nebraska. The program wasn’t in a good state, but in the last two seasons, he has really turned things around.

When Rhule took over in late 2022, Nebraska had not reached a bowl game since 2016. In his first season (2023), the Huskers went 5-7, followed by a 7-6 season in 2024 that included Nebraska’s first bowl win since 2015. In 2025, Nebraska again finished 7–6 but lost the bowl game.

The future seems bright for Rhule as he has been developing highly touted quarterback Dylan Raiola really well. His chemistry with the players can be seen on the field, too, suggesting his stint with Carolina remains a good learning arc for his head coaching.