Matt Rhule

Following the end of his playing career, Rhule was hired as the linebackers coach at Albright College. After one year at Albright, Rhule served as a position coach at Buffalo, UCLA, and Western Carolina before being hired at Temple as a defensive line coach in 2006 under Al Golden. Rhule became the Owls' quarterbacks coach the following year, his first offensive coaching role, and was named offensive coordinator in 2008.[3] When Golden left for Miami in 2010, Rhule interviewed for Temple's vacant head coaching job, which was instead given to Steve Addazio.[5]

After six years as an assistant at Temple, Rhule joined Tom Coughlin's New York Giants staff as an assistant offensive line coach, a season after the Giants won their fourth Super Bowl.[3]

When Addazio departed for Boston College following the 2012 season, several veteran Owls players voiced their support for Rhule to return.[5] Rhule, an area native who had referred to Temple as a "dream job," was formally hired as the school's twenty-sixth head coach on December 17, 2012.[5][6]

Temple began Rhule's first season 0–6, which included a loss to Idaho that would be the Vandals' only win of the season. His first victory as a head coach, a 33–14 defeat of Army on October 19, was followed by four more losses, and the Owls finished 2–10. Temple improved to 6–6 the following year, ending the season with a 10–3 victory over Tulane to achieve bowl eligibility, though the Owls were not invited to a bowl game.[7]

Temple opened Rhule's third season with a 27–10 win over his alma mater Penn State, the Owls' first win over the Nittany Lions since 1941. Led by eventual Chuck Bednarik Award winner Tyler Matakevich and third-year starting quarterback P. J. Walker (who would later serve as a backup for the Carolina Panthers under Rhule), Temple started a season 7–0 for the first time in school history. Though Temple lost four of its final seven games, including the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship game, the program's ten wins were its most since 1979.[8] Rhule was reportedly a target of Missouri and Syracuse during the 2015 season;[9][10] a four-year contract extension he had signed in July was re-negotiated to keep him at Temple.

The Owls returned to the conference championship game in 2016, where they defeated Navy 34–10 to win the program's second conference championship. Rhule accepted the head coaching job at Baylor prior to the 2016 Military Bowl; special teams coordinator Ed Foley served as interim head coach in Temple's upset loss to Wake Forest.

Rhule at Big 12 Media Days in 2017

When Rhule was introduced as Baylor's twenty-sixth head coach on December 7, 2016, the program was in a state of significant transition.[11] Longtime head coach Art Briles and his entire staff were fired or resigned as a result of the school's sexual assault scandal.[12] Briles's immediate successor was veteran Jim Grobe, who took over in an interim capacity in 2016, leading Baylor to a 7–6 record and a seventh consecutive bowl appearance. Though generally well-received,[13] Rhule's hire was considered something of a surprise, as athletic director Mack Rhoades had stressed the importance of Baylor's head coach having Texas connections; Rhule had never lived or coached in the state.[14]

Baylor finished 1–11 in Rhule's first season, the program's worst record since 1969. The Bears improved to 6–6 the following year and were invited to the 2018 Texas Bowl, defeating Vanderbilt 45–38 in Rhule's first bowl win as a head coach.[15] Shortly after the beginning of the 2019 season, Rhule signed a four-year contract extension which tied him to the school through 2027.[16]

Baylor began the 2019 season 9–0, winning five games decided by eight points or less and reaching a No. 12 national ranking. After a loss to Oklahoma, the Bears won their final two games to finish the regular season 11–1, ranked seventh nationally. Rhule was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.[17] After Baylor dropped each of its postseason games (a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game and a meeting with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl), Rhule was named head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Rhule with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in 2020

On January 7, 2020, Rhule signed a seven-year, $62-million contract to become the fifth head coach of the Carolina Panthers, replacing longtime coach Ron Rivera.[18] Panthers owner David Tepper, overseeing his first head coaching hire, referred to Rhule as a "program builder" who "can build an organization for the next thirty or forty years."[19] After the 2020 NFL preseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carolina lost Rhule's NFL head coaching debut to Las Vegas 34–30;[20] he earned his first win against the Chargers in Week 3.[21] A five-game midseason losing streak knocked the Panthers out of playoff contention, and they finished 5–11.

Prior to his second season in Carolina, Rhule, who had final say over the Panthers' roster decisions,[22] traded incumbent starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and acquired Sam Darnold, the third overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite a 3–0 start to the season, Darnold ultimately failed to improve on his underwhelming tenure with the New York Jets.[22] Carolina finished twenty-ninth in the league in points scored and lost their final seven games to finish 5–12, missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

Midway through the 2022 season, Tepper fired Rhule after a blowout loss with Quarterback Baker Mayfield, to San Francisco dropped Carolina to 1–4.[23] Rhule, who was in the third year of a seven-year contract, received forty million dollars as part of his buyout.[24]

On November 26, 2022, Rhule signed an eight-year, $74-million contract to become the thirty-first head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[25]