Nebraska may have been championshipless in the last 25 years, but when it comes to finances/revenue, the Cornhuskers are right up there as one of the most successful football programs in the country. If stats are anything to go by, in the 2024 season alone, they accounted for $128.1 million in revenue against just $44 million in expenses.
More budget equates to better recruitment, the ripple effect of which was felt when the Big Red had the most winningest season over the last seven years in 2024. It bode well for someone like Matt Rhule who didn’t pledge his allegiance to the Huskers simply for the good facilities or the massive fan base. For Rhule, good recruitment meant everything, and Nebraska had the Benjamins to offer exactly that. They aren’t just rich. They are traditional-rich!
Schools like Alabama and Nebraska have already created creative channels to contribute more to their NIL pools. Nebraska historically has long ranked among leaders in attendance. Their fans don’t want just afternoon games to watch. They even show up for spring games, which are glorified practices, that regularly draw between 60,000 and 80,000. So, why not charge them for it? Since the past year, fans have been chipping in with no donation too small—$25 per fan, any age, for its open 6 p.m. practice Saturday. Ka-Ching! But here’s the catch.
Lincoln’s iconic Memorial Stadium is a football cauldron. The historic stadium has seen better days, though, and is due to undergo a renovation in 2027. As a result of this, Nebraska will be forced into a lower capacity for home games. Which means lower revenue from ticket sales.
A potential handicap right at the onset of “revenue” sharing. This would’ve put the Huskers behind the 8-ball in terms of the offers they could make to players. As a result, athletic director Troy Dannen is taking early measures.
How? By scheduling extra home games to offset the decreased ticket sales. But this has come at the cost of their scheduled 2-game series against Tennessee, one of which was away in Rocky Top. Instead, they will play Bowling Green in ‘26 and Miami (OH) in ‘27. Now, Matt Rhule did come in the AD’s defense.
“I see Troy taking a lot of heat on all sides. Like, this is going to be a financial gain,” he said during his spring presser. Rhule, in his attempt at least quelling outrage at canceling games against Tennessee for relatively weaker opposition, continued to clear the air along with an anecdotal reference of why this extra revenue is important.
Talking to Connor Happer and Mitch Sherman of the “Locked on Nebraska” podcast, Rhule said, “Now, I’m stupid for even saying this. Because I’m gonna take a bunch of heat for it. But you can’t have everything…When I go recruit kids in Florida and Georgia, they’re like, ‘Coach, what are we wearing? This uniform or that uniform?’…You want the good recruits? We got it. We got to just make a decision here, like, where we want to go. There’s a big financial component to [the recruiting].”
He was basically driving home the point that Nebraska can’t win unless they have good players and can’t have good players unless they have money. Sacrificing 2 great games on paper serves the greater good, and the fans need to understand that.
This decision has also caused Nebraska to hold corn from Tennessee. Both the fans and the brass. Their AD, Danny White, called the decision “disappointing.” Alas, coach Rhule won’t care. He’ll just kick this proverbial can down the road for 2026. For 2025 is what’s more ominous. Unfortunately, his preparation isn’t going swimmingly. The reasoning is a tad embarrassing, and QB1 Dylan Raiola is at the crux of it.
Matt Rhule’s woes piled onto by Dylan Raiola
Athletes are naturally obsessive characters. Obsessed with honing their craft and becoming better, obsessed with winning, obsessed with the flash and pageantry that comes with success. Often obsessed with their role models too, which is the case with Dylan Raiola. A star in his own right, but someone who tends to force the persona of his doppelgänger Patrick Mahomes. Well, he may have taken his attempts at duplicating Mahomes a little too far.
Raiola is the archetypal modern quarterback. He’s good from inside the pocket but also mobile enough to maneuver outside it. This mobility is a weapon of his. Molding this weapon into potent runs downfield by using his legs to rush to a timely first down is something Matt Rhule and his staff are trying to instill into the malleable QB entering his true sophomore year.
However, Raiola’s apparently gained a little bit too much weight. Which negates his mobility. Now Mahomes is known to carry a little extra weight, a dad bod, if you may. Particularly in the off-season. But Raiola probably doesn’t need to duplicate that aspect of him. Coach Rhule has addressed these weight concerns firsthand.
“[Dylan Raiola] is really working on his body composition. He won’t be a great quarterback at 240 lbs, right? So getting his body composition to where he can be fleet of foot, slide nimbly, and move within the pocket—where he can convert third downs with his feet—that’s something we’re all bought into, and he has to continue to do,” said Matt Rhule. He was forced to verbalize this after a video of Raiola’s gear looking rather tight in training went viral on the airwaves.
With plenty of time before fall, Raiola has got to be looking to get into optimal shape for when the season begins. As for Matt Rhule, he’ll be pleased to see the program not being averse to taking drastic steps in order to maximize their chances. AD Troy Dannen’s decision entails one backward step to take 2 forwards. The Big Red is finally breaking from its slumber.
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