Before getting hired as Nebraska’s new head coach, Matt Rhule visited the area without anyone noticing.
According to The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman and Max Olson, Rhule took a trip to Nebraska at the end of October with his wife, Julie. He didn’t try too hard to go undercover, blending in with a hat and sunglasses.
Yet the makeshift disguise worked.
“I can’t believe no one found out,” he said.
Angela Alberts, the wife of Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, drove 60 miles to pick up Matt and Julie Rhule at the airport. They even drove past Memorial Stadium while touring Lincoln.
Rhule was impressed by “a place that is committed to greatness” and envisioned raising his three children in Nebraska. Negotiations hit a snag after his visit, but they eventually agreed to an eight-year, $74 million deal.
“My wife, all along, just kept saying this is the right fit,” Rhule said. “She said, ‘Matt, I know you. This is the kind of program that you’re supposed to be coaching.'”
He can ditch the hat and sunglasses while establishing roots in Nebraska, hopefully for the long haul.