Steven Sipple: Matt Rhule and his staff poured themselves into NU spring coaches’ clinic, attendees say. “He’s an open book. He loves talking about football”
Kurt Frenzen admits he became disenchanted with Nebraska’s spring football clinics, especially in the 2014 to 2016 range. In general, since the early 2000s, he too often failed to see Husker coaches go above and beyond for clinic attendees. Make no mistake, though, Matt Rhule goes above and beyond, Frenzen says.
At least that’s what the veteran Columbus Lakeview head coach and two other veteran Nebraska high school coaches experienced March 31-April 1 during Nebraska’s first spring coaches’ clinic under Rhule.
“For example, if you just look at the coaches’ social alone, all of his staff was there for the most part,” says the 49-year-old Frenzen. “They had grease boards out. I looked across the room at one point and coach Rhule and one of his assistants were going back and forth on the grease board, X’ing and O’ing. There were a bunch of coaches standing around them.
“Rhule’s staff dived right in, rolled up their sleeves, and started talking football. I don’t care if it was a Class D coach or a Class A coach or a coach from out of state. They were right in there with everyone swapping knowledge about football.
“I thought that was something that maybe wasn’t done here at that level for a long time.”
Click here for a limited time and get four months of access to HuskerOnline for $29.99
Matt Rhule strives to conduct “elite” clinics
Rhule, hired by Nebraska in late November, emphasizes a point that always makes complete sense to me. That is, Nebraska coaches’ clinics and camps are a window into a head coach’s program. If they are run cleanly — in an “elite” manner, as Rhule likes to say — it reflects well on the program and everyone involved.
Rhule pours himself into it, says Frenzen, who guided Lakeview to the Class C-1 state championship in 2021.
“In the last 40 minutes of the night our Lakeview staff was sitting at a middle table (at the social), and coach Rhule pulled up a chair and sat there and talked football with us for 40 minutes,” Frenzen says.
Nebraska bused the clinic’s coaches to Hudl headquarters in the Haymarket area of Lincoln for the social. There was food and drink, and Rhule’s staff — almost all of it, Frenzen says — was on hand to engage with clinic attendees.
“Coach Rhule talked to us about everything from current players and current football to when he was at Baylor and Carolina and wherever else,” Frenzen says. “He’s an open book. He just loves talking about football. I mean, you can tell that from the get-go.”
Mark Waller — the former longtime Lincoln North Star head coach who’s now an assistant at Elkhorn South — has attended Nebraska clinics for decades. Waller says he’s seen other head coaches make short appearances at the clinic and then disappear.
Rhule was there throughout, Waller says.
“He’s really making a statement that he really does want to build a lot of relationships with the high school football coaches,” says Waller, president of the Lincoln Football Coaches Association.
Ed Foley also makes strong impression
Waller points out that Nebraska assistant coach Ed Foley in January spent two hours with Waller and LFCA secretary Jim Hansen in Foley’s office. Some coaches have kept it to 30 minutes or so, Waller says. But with Foley, they talked extensively about in-state recruiting and the walk-on program, among other topics. Sean Padden, general manager of Rhule’s staff, was also on hand for part of the session.
Waller likes what he hears from Rhule and his staff. He hears confidence, which is often the case with Power 5 college coaches. But Waller also hears an appealing humility from Rhule and his staff. They have an ability to connect with high school coaches.
What’s more, Waller likes what he saw during the Saturday practice that clinic coaches were allowed to attend, as has been the case for years.
“What stuck out a little bit was the amount of contact,” Waller says. “It was a little bit more old school like when coach Bo (Pelini) was there or coach (Tom) Osborne, where they’re actually tackling and hitting in practice.
“I think we’re going to be more physical and tougher, and more disciplined. I think we all know they have a long way to go, yet, in terms of learning the system and adapting to the culture of Coach Rhule and his staff.
“You know, I just know the high school coaches are excited.”
He paused and chuckled.
“Man, we just want to get it going,” he says.
Matt Rhule plans to emphasize run game, coach says
Tim Johnk echoes that sentiment. The former Nebraska fullback (1989-91 letterman) — and current Omaha Creighton Prep head coach — says he heard a common theme during the Nebraska’s spring coaches’ clinic, a theme that was appealing to Johnk.
“Philosophically, the things they’re going to do are pretty simple,” Johnk says. “They’re going to want to run the football. That’s awesome. That’s good to hear. In this state, people obviously want them to run the ball. They’re going to throw it, too, obviously.
“But running the ball was a huge emphasis in every offensive session that I attended.”
As cited by both Frenzen and Waller, Johnk now experiences a welcoming and open atmosphere in Nebraska’s program that hasn’t always been as evident.
“There was always lip service, but with Rhule it’s more of a deal where if you want to come down to Lincoln and talk to the coach or watch practice, they’ve really opened the doors to all of us,” Johnk says.
“I think it’s about recruiting,” he adds. “You see some of the kids who’ve left the state of Nebraska to play elsewhere in the last five to eight years. I think this staff knows it starts with the high school coaches. If the coaches feel like there’s an openness and trust with their program, they’re going to be more apt to steer a kid to (Husker coaches) or at least speak highly of them.”
Johnk speaks especially highly of one of Rhule’s traits.
“He’s that grinder that’s been needed here for a long time,” the Creighton Prep coach says. “In this state, you have to be that guy because you don’t have the population. You’re going to have to really work hard to attract kids, and Rhule is a football grinder.
“Coach Osborne was that way. He spent more hours in that office on football, on recruiting and on everything, and we just haven’t had that guy who’s willing to grind that hard. This is a different place. It’s very different than a lot of places you can coach, and you need that person who’s so passionate about football and willing to sacrifice to make it a priority and win.
“Rhule’s gone the extra mile already in the short time he’s been here.”
That seems to be the case with his first coaches’ clinic.
Yes, that’s a good sign for the future — and a positive commentary on Rhule’s fledgling program.
Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.
The post Steven Sipple: Matt Rhule and his staff poured themselves into NU spring coaches’ clinic, attendees say. “He’s an open book. He loves talking about football” appeared first on On3.
