LINCOLN, Neb. — The Monday of a bye week in November worked as well as any time for Matt Rhule, so the Nebraska coach had a conversation with his staff.
“In the previous couple years,” Rhule said, “I had to make a lot of hard decisions because we didn’t have the money for everyone.”
Those days are gone. The Huskers’ name, image and likeness resources are plentiful, Rhule said. Last month, as his name rose to the top of speculation in the Penn State coaching search, Rhule asked supporters to help get Nebraska on par with rival programs that pay $30 million to $40 million annually for their rosters.
He got his wish, apparently.
“This will be the first year we can go do whatever,” Rhule said. “We have the money now. I can’t complain anymore. We got what we need.”
His bold talk — as Nebraska stands at 7-3 with regular-season games remaining at Penn State on Nov. 22 and in Lincoln on Nov. 28 against Iowa — provides a jump-start to conversation around the offseason ahead.
Rhule said he wants to bring “the best players in the country” to Nebraska. No longer, Rhule said, should Huskers feel “embarrassed” to ask for their school and its collective to match or beat offers from the outside.
“We can now go out and get anybody we want,” he said. “At the same time, we also have the ability to keep our guys.”
Nebraska fared well in the portal last year, adding 10 players who have turned into starters in 2025. But it also lost an equal number who had made key contributions at Nebraska.
“Some of them wish they could be back here right now, to be quite honest,” Rhule said.
Rhule, 19-16 in his third season with the Huskers, signed a two-year extension on Oct. 30 to keep him under contract at Nebraska through 2032. His deal includes a base total in pay of $79.5 million after this year and stackable salary escalators of $1 million per College Football Playoff appearance.
The Huskers are fully moved into their new, $165 million facility, a project announced in 2019. Rhule has no list of demands in the short term for athletic director Troy Dannen.
“We’ve done that for three years,” Rhule said, “and we’ve finally caught up to where programs of this nature should be. We have everything you could possibly want.”
In the spirit of Rhule’s big talk, here are five big-picture questions for the bye week at Nebraska:
Are 7 wins enough to show Nebraska is making adequate progress?
The Huskers have increased their win totals in the regular season in every year since 2022. They’ve won three games away from home in the regular season for the first time since 2014. They’ve held each of their first 10 opponents to less than 400 yards, the first such streak since 2009.
They’ve built a system that produced an All-America candidate at running back in Emmett Johnson and promising freshmen and sophomores at every position group.
So yes, even if Nebraska loses its next two games, progress is notable. But it sure would make a difference to how this season was viewed — and what it might do to help the Huskers take another step toward contending for the College Football Playoff in 2026 — if they beat Penn State or Iowa. Or both.
An eight- or nine-win regular season would remove pressure from Rhule and Nebraska in bowl season, when variables are more difficult to control.
TJ Lateef passed his first test in Saturday’s win over UCLA. (Harry How / Getty Images)
Is the Nebraska offense best suited to feature a mobile quarterback?
This is not a question about Dylan Raiola versus TJ Lateef. It’s too early in the development of Lateef to smartly entertain that discussion. He’s started one game — against a below-average Big Ten defense at UCLA.
Lateef performed well, earning co-Big Ten freshman of the week.
“He was masterful,” Rhule said.
Lateef has connected on 29 of 34 passes in four games for 466 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. And he brings a running threat from the QB spot. His mobility creates opportunities for the running back. It opens space in the short- and mid-range passing game.
Nebraska’s offensive line, in part because of injuries, is built to function more smoothly in run blocking. Pass protection, in fact, has been the Achilles heel of the offense. Raiola was sacked seven times against Michigan, nine times against Minnesota, and he suffered a season-ending injury on the lone sack that Nebraska allowed against USC.
In recruiting Dayton Raiola and Trae Taylor, commitments in the next two classes, Nebraska is seeking quarterbacks with physical traits that more resemble Lateef than Dylan Raiola.
Few teams can survive an offseason with two proven, starting-caliber QBs in the mix. If Lateef commands the offense as well in the next three games as he did at UCLA, Nebraska’s potential problem would likely take care of itself.
Has Emmett Johnson played his way into the 2026 NFL Draft?
A junior, Johnson leads the FBS with 1,431 yards from scrimmage. He has accounted for 37.1 percent of Nebraska’s total offense, also a nation-leading figure among backs.
“I’m not so sure he shouldn’t go play in the NFL,” Rhule said. “I think he’s going to be a great pro player.”
Johnson has perhaps played himself into the middle rounds of the draft. His 203 rushing attempts this season rank first among Power 4 backs. But running backs often don’t last long in the NFL.
Nebraska would offer a chance at riches through NIL and revenue sharing. He’s stayed remarkably healthy this season. And he could come back as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in 2026.
Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson is putting together an All-American caliber season. Will it be his last in college? (Harry How / Getty Images)
Should the modest recruiting results in 2026 rate as a concern?
Signing day for seniors in high school looms on Dec. 3. Nebraska’s class of 11 commitments rates as the smallest in the Big Ten. On3 ranks it 17th in the league and 65th nationally.
Cornerback Danny Odem of Orlando, Fla., and offensive tackle Claude Mpouma of Chicago, four-star prospects, headline the group.
Never in modern times has Nebraska essentially cut in half the size of a recruiting class. But consider that the 105-player limit, imposed this year for the first time, puts a hard cap on roster size. The current roster includes 19 seniors. And Nebraska wants to make waves in the transfer portal, which opens for business in January.
So to clear room, it could not afford a big class. Nebraska landed many of the essentials: a quarterback, running back, a coveted corner and four offensive linemen. It signed three defensive linemen last year. New blood there will come via the portal.
A smaller group in 2026 has allowed Nebraska to pour energy into the Class of 2027. Five commitments in that group rank the Huskers first in the Big Ten and fourth nationally, according to On3.
What are the Huskers’ priorities in the transfer portal?
Nebraska needs big bodies to eat space and stop the run in the middle of the defensive line. It missed Ty Robinson this season. Riley Van Poppel wasn’t ready to fill his shoes. Maybe next year, but he’ll face competition for playing time from newcomers.
Nebraska will again prioritize offensive tackles. And it needs interior O-linemen to replace departing guards Henry Lutovsky and Rocco Spindler.
If Johnson leaves, the addition of an experienced running back is essential. Wide receivers seem to come easy for the Huskers in the portal. They could use a playmaker or two at linebacker. And Nebraska does not have a returning long snapper.