Inside the aggressive recruiting approach Matt Rhule has brought to Nebraska

Some programs and coaching staffs stay close to home, while others hit every corner of the country. Some coaches are selective with their scholarship offers; others hand them out in bunches, even to players they don’t have room for.

As Matt Rhule and his Nebraska staff begin building their 2024 recruiting class, one word summing up their approach comes to mind — aggressive.

That approach shows up in many ways. At the beginning of Rhule’s tenure in December, it meant stopping by several local high schools in Omaha and Lincoln while special teams coordinator Ed Foley visited 75-plus high schools by mid-January.

“We’re still old school — where a lot of teams are flying somewhere to see three or four schools in that area, we’re going to go try to affect high schools,” Rhule said in February. “We’re going to go see eight, nine or 10 high schools.”

And while many applauded Foley’s hands-on approach in visiting many schools that haven’t produced a Husker recruit in decades, it’s just part of the job according to Rhule.

“Going to eight schools a day in Nebraska is the bare minimum. We’re just doing our jobs,” Rhule said.

Building those in-state connections is part of the long-term approach for Rhule and his staff. Even if it takes five years for a school like Blair, Syracuse or Grand Island Northwest to produce a player capable of landing on Nebraska’s radar, those schools and their communities won’t forget NU’s interest. Perhaps they’d even still have the ‘N’ magnets that Foley adorns schools with on his visits.

Another aspect of Nebraska’s aggressive recruiting approach are the offers going out to young players. Nebraska has dabbled in the Class of 2026, with just over a dozen scholarship offers extended to current high school freshmen.

It doesn’t stop there, either. Under Rhule, Nebraska has already offered three eighth-graders in the Class of 2027 — Alabaster (Ala.) quarterback Trent Seaborn, Omaha Central athlete Tory Pittman III and Warrenton (Ga.) running back Noah Merriweather.

Pittman takes part in Nebraska Elite’s 7-on-7 program, which continues to grow after producing several FBS-bound players in recent years. Araf Evans, the founder of the program, has been impressed with the level of interest from the Nebraska coaching staff in recent months.

“I would say the participation and presence of the coaching staff is completely night and day from what it was last year,” Evans said.

While the in-state connections and offers to young athletes are part of Nebraska’s recruiting mission for the future, Rhule’s aggressive approach is also for the present. That’s evident in the number of talented players who attended Nebraska’s junior day over the weekend.

Nebraska has only signed two five-star recruits in the modern recruiting era, yet the Huskers hosted four of them in Lincoln this week alone.

Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024, is the standout of the bunch — but landing any of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri, St. Louis (Mo.) University wide receiver Ryan Wingo or Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive lineman Brandon Baker would be a major recruiting win.

However, it’s not just about getting players on campus — showing them that Nebraska is the right place for them takes work too. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield broke down the recruiting pitch he’ll give to those high-level athletes.

“We’re trying to show guys what it’s like to be a Cornhusker,” Satterfield said. “You’re going to come and get respected, coached hard and you’re going to get developed into pro players if that’s what you’re destined to do. We have a special fan base, we have unbelievable facilities and it’s an unbelievable opportunity in an unbelievable conference. You can accomplish any dream that you have if you come and play here.”

When building his staff, Rhule made sure to load it with ace recruiters. Running backs coach EJ Barthel and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek have been active in the northeast while defensive line coach Terrance Knighton and tight ends coach Bob Wager have long-standing connections in Texas.

Defensive backs coach and film guru Evan Cooper has been all over the country, with an emphasis on recruiting in Florida. Every coach on Rhule’s staff has something to offer along the recruiting trail, and it’s showed as Nebraska has made inroads in many different areas.

In just a couple months on the job, Rhule delivered a top-25 class in his first go-round at Nebraska.

He and Nebraska are dreaming much, much bigger in the future — and that aggressive approach is here to stay.

“I think Nebraska should recruit the best of the best,” Rhule said in January. “…The brand itself, the fan base, the town, the city of Lincoln and the facilities, I think a lot of those things run parallel. A lot of those things are unmatched. We should absolutely recruit well every year.”