Matt Rhule is a better fit for Nebraska than Scott Frost

INDIANAPOLIS — A program like Nebraska, lead CBS college football analyst Gary Danielson said on Wednesday, needs the “right guy with the right vision.”

And the Huskers have that, Danielson said, in second-year coach Matt Rhule.

That wasn’t the case, he said, with the two coaches before Rhule.

“When (Jim) Harbaugh went to Michigan … Nebraska hired…” Danielson said, before pausing because he didn’t recall Mike Riley’s name. Prompted with Riley, Danielson smiled.

“We all thought, is that really?” Danielson said.

When Scott Frost went to NU, Danielson thought Frost was a “really good coach” but wasn’t sure Frost would be able to get the athletes he needed to make the program work.

“Matt Rhule doesn’t see the game like that,” Danielson said. “Matt Rhule knows how to build Nebraska. That’s the hope. They lost a lot of close games, I get that, but to me, they still don’t look like Nebraska. They still don’t have that ‘walking on the field’ (quality).”

“Even when I did the days of Iowa and Wisconsin, when they were winning, and Michigan State when they were very physical and winning, they walked on and you went, ‘let’s tighten the chinstraps. I believe Nebraska has to be more like that. It doesn’t mean you have to run Iowa’s offense from last year, but I think you have to have the ability to stand up. When they have Ndamukong Suh, they looked like Nebraska.”

Photos: Sights from Day 1 of Big Ten football media days — July 23

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Darron Cummings