Nebraska coach Matt Rhule knows forming a strong coaching staff is one of the first steps in rebuilding a program. That is exactly what he set out to do in Lincoln upon taking over for a team that hadn’t had a winning season since 2016.

Rhule brought on Tony White as the defensive coordinator and Marcus Satterfield as offensive coordinator. The Cornhuskers finished 5-7 in Rhule’s inaugural season but he felt there was positive momentum heading into Year 2.

Nebraska kept most of its position coaches from this past season and also hired Glenn Thomas to serve as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Rhule addressed his approach to hiring assistant coaches and why it is so critical in a recent interview.

“Nebraska football and Nebraska athletics is a monster and I mean that in a great way,” he said. “It’s got all the ability and all of the resources to be at the top of the national stage.

I need people here that can take whatever their role is and crush it. Sometimes you have to move people around. Sometimes you have to add a person. But at the end of the day, the opportunity that’s here and the potential that’s here, which means also the responsibility that’s here in a day and age now where players are looking for development. They’re looking for you creating future opportunities for them.

“You need people in your organization who are pouring into the players whether it’s nutrition, whether it’s the weight room, sports science, football coaches, operations, recruiting. We’re trying to get a little better every day. Adding the right people is the most important part.”

Nebraska was one of the top defenses in the country this past season behind White to hold opponents to only 18.2 points per game. Unfortunately, they were on the opposite end of the spectrum offensively to rank 123rd in the FBS with just 18.0 points scored per game.

The addition of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, who flipped his commitment from Georgia this offseason, provides hope they can improve in 2024. Thomas brings NFL experience and also worked with Rhule at Temple and Baylor as he looks to develop the freshman into a star.

The Cornhuskers were right on the edge of making a bowl game this past season and five of their seven losses came by a touchdown or less. With the right coaching staff in place, hopefully Nebraska can make another step forward this year.