Penn State crossed Curt Cignetti off its coaching search list after the Indiana boss signed an eight-year extension Thursday.
Is it time to do the same with a former Penn State player?
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule continues to share his love for Penn State, but his desire to make the Cornhuskers a national power.
“Having other schools maybe interested in you is pretty cool,” Rhule said on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday. “I don’t do that during the season. I don’t mess around with that. I don’t play that.”
Rhule dubbed Nebraska a destination school, not a school to cut your teeth before moving on elsewhere.
“At the same time, this is not a jumping-off job. This is a destination job,” Rhule said. “This is one of the greatest places in the world.”
The former Penn State linebacker grew up in State College and met his wife at Penn State. He worked with AD Pat Kraft as the head coach at Temple and remain close friends. Rhule continues to show support for Penn State, but instill his love for Nebraska.
“I refuse to be detracted. At the same time, when it’s your Alma Mater, you have to show it love and respect,” Rhule said. “I love Pat Kraft. They’ll find the right coach for them, whoever that is.”
In his third season at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers are 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big Ten. His program is ranked No. 25 in the country and continues its rise in the conference. Rhule doesn’t like the notion that Nebraska isn’t an attractive job.
There’s 300,000 people in Lincoln,” Rhule said. “I can do whatever I want here. I have a great young team. The youngest team in the Big Ten. Think about how good we’ll be next year. Now I’m not thinking about next year, but the way we are right now, we’re learning.”
Rhule said he isn’t trying to hold anything back from his team with his message.
“With my team it’s just unbridled honesty,” Rhule said. “Tell them the truth, tell them exactly the truth and don’t BS them because they’ll know.”
Penn State is unranked and 3-3 this year, failing to win a Big Ten game under James Franklin prior to his firing,which launched the coaching search. Rhule and Nebraska will play at Penn State, on senior day, to conclude the home schedule on November 22 at Beaver Stadium.
“This is a destination job that should be a national bully, should be a beast,” Rhule said. “I think we’re making our way to doing that.”
