Desmond Howard Claims He Knows Nebraska's Next Coach

Published|Updated

The Nebraska football program has not had a great year.

Well, it hasn't had a great six years.

The Cornhuskers last season above .500 came in 2016, with Mike Reilly and former coach Scott Frost combining to continue the recent losing streak.

Nebraska's search to recapture their former glory has resulted in a stunning amount of money going to fired coaches.

READ: NEBRASKA HAS PAID A STAGGERING AMOUNT OF BUYOUT MONEY SINCE 2005

Rumors of who might replace Frost have run rampant since early in the season. Interim coach Mickey Joseph has gone just 2-4, almost certainly eliminating him from consideration.

Deion Sanders has been mentioned, although he strongly denied talking to Nebraska.

Now Desmond Howard has another, much more famous name to contribute.

According to 24/7 Sports, Howard claimed Nebraska will hire former Baylor and Panthers head coach Matt Rhule.

“I was on the desk and … there were rumors that it was going to be Deion Sanders,” Howard said. “Well, Deion, Coach Prime, had to address it with his team that he has not had any conversations with Nebraska. So it's not going to be Deion. The next coach (will be) Matt Rhule.”

Matt Rhule could be the best head coach at Nebraska.

Former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is rumored to be a leading candidate for Nebraska. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Matt Rhule could be a fit for Nebraska

Rhule undoubtedly had tremendous success in college. His Temple teams were outstanding defensively, as were his Baylor squads.

He excelled at multiple stops, helping Temple beat Penn State and leading Baylor to an 11-1 record in 2019.

The Owls had back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016. Nebraska hasn't done that since 2009-2010.

His Panthers tenure was significantly less successful, however. Before being fired earlier in 2022, he was just 11-27 over three seasons in Carolina.

But Nebraska would almost certainly look to his ability to build programs, something they desperately need.

Whether or not Howard actually has insight into their process remains to be seen, but it certainly could make sense.

With just a few weeks left in Nebraska's season, we should find out soon enough.