Nebraska football, Matt Rhule hiring former Houston, West Virginia head coach

Matt Rhule is looking to shake things up on the Huskers’ offense, and the Nebraska football coach is turning to a big name in the college football world to do so: Rhule has reportedly hired Dana Holgorsen to be an offensive consultant on the Huskers’ coaching staff, per an ESPN report.

Holgorsen spent the previous 13 seasons as head coach at Houston (2019-23) and West Virginia (2011-18).

Rhule and Holgorsen know each other from their time as head coaches in the Big 12, Rhule at Baylor and Holgorsen at West Virginia. The two coached against each other in both 2017 and 2018, and Holgorsen’s Mountaineers won both matchups: 38-36 in 2017 and 58-14 in 2018.

Holgorsen has a 92-69 overall record in 13 combined seasons as a head coach. He went 61-41 In eight years as West Virginia’s head coach. He left Morgantown after the 2018 season to take the job at Houston, then a member of the American Athletic Conference before its first season in the Big 12 in 2023 (Holgorsen’s final year with the Cougars). He spent the past five seasons at Houston, where he finished with a 31-28 overall record.

In 1989, Holgorsen was a college receiver at tiny St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, which is where he first met Hal Mumme, then the new head coach at nearby NAIA program Iowa Wesleyan, and Mumme’s new offensive coordinator by the name of Mike Leach.

It was there at Iowa Wesleyan where the Air Raid was born, and Holgorsen played in the first versions of it while Mumme and Leach developed it. Holgorsen wound up transferring to Iowa Wesleyan to play for who would become his mentors.

After three years at Iowa Wesleyan, Mumme and Leach left for Valdosta State in Georgia. They hired Holgorsen to coach quarterbacks, receivers and be the special teams coach. He spent three seasons at Valdosta before stops at Mississippi College (1996-98) and Wingate (1999).

When Leach was hired to coach Texas Tech in 2000, he brought in Holgorsen to coach inside receivers in Leach’s own version of the Air Raid. Holgorsen, who had a young former walk-on quarterback helping him by the name of Lincoln Riley, coached the position for five seasons before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator/inside receivers, a role he held from 2005-06. In 2007, Holgorsen was promoted again, this time to offensive coordinator while coaching the inside receivers.

In Holgorsen’s first season as the Red Raiders’ OC, Tech averaged the most pass attempts per game in the country with 58.7. Behind quarterback Graham Harrell and wideouts Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, Tech led the country in average passing yards (470.3), was second in total yards (529.6) and seventh in scoring (40.9).

The 2007 campaign was Holgorsen’s last in Lubbock as he took the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach job at Houston under new head coach Kevin Sumlin. He also brought a young, rising coach, Kliff Kingsbury, with him to be a quality control coach.

In 2007, before Holgorsen arrived, Houston ranked 23rd nationally in scoring at 34.5 points per game. In 2008 with Holgorsen calling the plays and coaching quarterback Case Keenum, Houston was 10th nationally in scoring (40.6) and second in both total offense (562.8) and passing (401.6). In 2009, Houston tied for first in scoring (42.2) and was first in both total offense (563.4) and passing yards (433.7).

In 2010, Holgorsen was hired to be the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy. Holgorsen provided a major spark to the Cowboys’ offense. In 2009, the season before Holgorsen was hired, Oklahoma State averaged 28.4 points per game, 56th in the country. In Holgorsen’s first year in Stillwater, the Cowboys ranked third in the country in scoring (44.3) and second in passing yards (345.8).

The 2010 season was a special one for Holgorsen, who coached quarterback Brandon Weeden, a first-team All-Big 12 pick, and got to call plays with Justin Blackmon as a receiver.