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  • Matt Rhule set to hire Mike Ekeler as special teams coordinator


    Nebraska football and head coach Matt Rhule have found its next special teams coordinator.

    Inside Nebraska can confirm Mike Ekeler will lead Nebraska’s special teams in 2025. Ekeler spent the past four years on Josh Heupel’s staff at Tennessee as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach.

    Ekeler has plenty of ties to the state of Nebraska and the Husker football program. He’s from David City and coached Nebraska’s linebackers for three seasons for Bo Pelini from 2008-10.

    Ekeler replaces former Nebraska special teams coordinator Ed Foley, who Rhule hired to his first staff in December 2022 but was let go by Rhule in early January upon his contract expiring on Dec. 31, 2024. That decision came after the Huskers’ major two-year struggles on special teams, the worst of which came during the 2024 season and ultimately culminated in the biggest breaking point – game-changing mistakes by the special teams units that paved the way for the Huskers’ 13-10 loss at Iowa in November.

    Rhule is now turning to Ekeler in the mission to turn things around on those special teams units.

    RELATED:

    >> Nebraska mid-week press conference with head coach Matt Rhule



    Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is reportedly set to hire Mike Ekeler as the special teams coordinator for the Bears. Ekeler, who most recently served as the inside linebackers coach at North Carolina, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role.

    Known for his high energy and attention to detail, Ekeler has a proven track record of success in special teams coaching. He has previously held positions at schools such as Georgia, Nebraska, USC, and Indiana, where he helped develop some of the top special teams units in the country.

    Rhule’s decision to bring Ekeler on board is a strategic move aimed at bolstering Baylor’s special teams performance and overall success on the field. With Ekeler’s leadership and guidance, the Bears are sure to see improvements in their kicking, punting, and return game.

    Fans are excited to see what Ekeler will bring to the table and are hopeful that his addition will help elevate Baylor’s special teams to new heights in the upcoming season. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

    Tags:

    1. Matt Rhule news
    2. Mike Ekeler special teams coordinator
    3. Carolina Panthers coaching staff
    4. NFL coaching updates
    5. Matt Rhule Mike Ekeler hire
    6. Special teams coach announcement
    7. Panthers special teams coordinator
    8. Coaching changes in the NFL
    9. Carolina Panthers staff updates
    10. Matt Rhule coaching staff updates

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  • Nebraska, Matt Rhule plan to scratch Huskers’ spring game amid poaching concerns


    LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule plans to cancel the Huskers’ spring game in part because of concerns that other programs would use the event to poach his roster.

    “The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore,” Rhule said Saturday. “It’s just absolute free, open, common market. And so I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these (other coaches) all being able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him.’”

    Thirty-one players from the Nebraska roster left to enter the transfer portal after the 2024 season, including 12 who have landed at other Power 4 programs. The Huskers have added 15 players from the portal, all of whom are set to participate in spring practice. Thirteen of the 20 incoming freshmen who signed in December are also on campus in Lincoln for the spring.

    “To go out and bring in a bunch of new players and then showcase them for all the other schools to watch,” Rhule said, “that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

    The Big Ten Network televised the Nebraska spring game last year. The event attracted a crowd at Memorial Stadium of 60,452. Nebraska has annually drawn one of the largest crowds in college football to its spring game.

    Rhule, the third-year Nebraska coach, said he “dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities” after the spring last season. Two scholarship players — reserve defenders Ru’Quan Buckley and Chief Borders — left Nebraska after the spring to enter the portal in April and early May. Buckley landed at Michigan State and Borders at Pitt.

    Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said on Wednesday that the school would likely still stage something for fans on April 26 at the end of spring practice. It could feature other fall sports teams at the school in something of a preview event, Dannen said.

    A shrinking roster as a result of the 105-player limit connected to the NCAA v. House settlement also factors into the likely cancellation. In addition, injury concerns exist. Five Nebraska offensive linemen underwent surgeries after the 2024 season. A year ago, two players suffered knee injuries in the spring game that impacted their readiness to play in the fall.

    The elimination of spring games appears on track to become a trend amid the high stakes of revenue sharing and soaring NIL earnings in the portal era. UCF also won’t hold a traditional spring game this year, citing reasons similar to the concerns aired Saturday by Rhule.

    Scott Frost, formerly of Nebraska, coaches the Knights.

    “It’s like the Home Shopping Network of the spring,” UCF AD Terry Mahajir told the Orlando Sentinel of televised spring games.

    Required reading

    (Photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)



    Nebraska, Matt Rhule plan to scratch Huskers’ spring game amid poaching concerns

    In a shocking turn of events, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has announced that the Huskers’ spring game will be scratched due to concerns of poaching by other programs. Rhule, who took over the Nebraska program just a few months ago, has been vocal about his commitment to rebuilding the team and bringing them back to national prominence.

    However, with rumors swirling about other programs trying to poach Nebraska’s top recruits, Rhule has made the difficult decision to cancel the spring game in order to protect his players from any potential tampering. This move has sparked controversy among fans and analysts, with some praising Rhule for putting his players’ best interests first, while others criticize him for missing out on a valuable opportunity to showcase the team’s talent.

    Despite the cancellation of the spring game, Rhule remains confident in his team’s ability to compete at a high level next season. He has vowed to continue working tirelessly to build a strong program and lead the Huskers to success in the upcoming season.

    As the college football world waits to see how this situation unfolds, one thing is clear: Nebraska and Matt Rhule are not backing down in their quest to bring the Huskers back to glory. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

    Tags:

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    2. Matt Rhule Huskers
    3. Spring game cancellation
    4. Poaching concerns
    5. College football updates
    6. Nebraska coaching changes
    7. Big Ten football updates
    8. NCAA football news
    9. Matt Rhule Nebraska rumors
    10. Huskers spring game controversy

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  • Nebraska coach Matt Rhule ‘highly doubts’ team will have spring game because of the transfer portal


    Nebraska’s spring game tradition could be going away. And according to coach Matt Rhule, it’s because of the transfer portal.

    Rhule said Saturday that he doubted that Nebraska would have a spring scrimmage on April 26 and was blunt in explaining why he didn’t want to showcase his players.

    “I don’t know that yet but I’ll be honest with you, I highly doubt it,” Rhule said when asked if Nebraska would have a spring scrimmage on that date. “And I think it’s really fundamentally, I hate to say it like this, it’s really because last year we were one of the more televised spring games and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that. So to go out and bring in a bunch of new players and showcase them for all the other schools to watch, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore. It’s just absolute free open common market and so I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these guys all able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow he looks like a pretty good player, let’s go get him.’”

    IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers walks the sideline during the first half of the match-up against the Iowa Hawkeyes, at Kinnick Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers walks the sideline during the first half of the match-up against the Iowa Hawkeyes, at Kinnick Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

    Nebraska likely won’t have a traditional spring game in 2025. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

    Nebraska’s spring game has been a decades-long tradition and is one of the biggest spring games in college football. Huskers fans routinely pack Memorial Stadium for the game and it produced one of the best spring game moments in recent memory when a then-7-year-old Jack Hoffman scored a touchdown during the game.

    Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said earlier in the week that April 26 would likely feature a “celebration” of the school’s athletes instead of a traditional game.

    You can understand why Nebraska is moving away from a spring game in the current era of college sports. Rhule is far from the only college coach who doesn’t want other coaching staffs to see his players right before the spring transfer portal opens.

    Don’t be surprised if Nebraska’s move becomes a trend. While coaches are pushing to change transfer window dates, more teams could follow Nebraska and others and change the way they end spring practices as long as there’s a spring transfer window.



    The Nebraska Cornhuskers may not have a spring game this year, according to head coach Matt Rhule. In a recent interview, Rhule expressed doubt that the team would be able to hold their annual spring game due to the increasing prevalence of the transfer portal in college football.

    The transfer portal allows players to explore their options and potentially transfer to a different school without having to sit out a year. This has led to a significant amount of roster turnover for many teams, making it difficult to field a full team for a spring game.

    Rhule acknowledged the challenges that the transfer portal presents for college football programs, and indicated that the team may have to adjust their plans for the spring accordingly. While it’s disappointing for fans to potentially miss out on the opportunity to see their team in action during the spring game, Rhule emphasized that the team’s focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and making sure they have a competitive roster.

    It remains to be seen whether the Cornhuskers will ultimately be able to hold a spring game this year, but fans can rest assured that the team is working hard to be ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

    Tags:

    Nebraska football, Matt Rhule, spring game, transfer portal, college football, NCAA, team news, football season, roster changes

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