For the third time in less than four seasons, Matt Rhule is looking for a new offensive coordinator.
Since taking over the program after the 2022 season, Rhule has made six coordinator changes. In total, his full-time staff has seen turnover at all three coordinator spots, quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, wide receivers, and defensive backs. There have been more than a dozen moves to either demote or remove a full-time assistant.
The only coaches remaining from Rhule’s original staff are Marcus Satterfield, Ed Foley, E.J. Barthel, and Rob Dvoarcek. Satterfield was demoted from offensive coordinator to tight ends, while Foley went from special teams coordinator to director of football relations.
Nebraska went 14-12 with Dana Holgorsen as the acting play-caller or offensive coordinator. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
In his statement on the firing of Dana Holgorsen, Rhule made it clear that more changes would be coming.
“I will continue to evaluate our program through the season and certainly at its conclusion and make additional changes where I believe they will help us win,” Rhule said.
As an inspired season drifts further into disappointment—a 5-0 start is now a 5-4 record—here are four other staff changes to watch for.
Brett Maher, Special Teams Coordinator
This appears to be the most obvious move that will be coming.
A phase of the game that saw Nebraska as one of the best in the Big Ten Conference under Mike Ekeler is now one of the worst in the nation under Brett Maher. The drop is made even more baffling by the fact that the personnel is largely the same as it was a year ago.
Kyle Cunanan and John Hohl are now a combined 5-for-12 on field goals this season. That ties the 1984 campaign for the worst year in program history.
With John Hohl’s two misses in the first half, he and Kyle Cunanan have gone just 5-for-12 this year. That ties the 1984 team for the worst season in program history.
h/t @arbitanalytics pic.twitter.com/iU9Mo9yBE6
— 𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚛𝙼𝚊𝚡 (@Huskermax) November 7, 2026
Nebraska is 92nd in the nation on punt returns, averaging 7.67 yards per attempt. In 2025, that average was 13.64 yards.
The Huskers are 93rd in the nation on kickoff returns, averaging 18.93 yards per attempt. Last year, that average was 25.16 yards.
The biggest problem with the drop in return yardage and decision-making is what it has done to Nebraska’s starting field position. In the four losses, the Huskers have lost the field position battle, with an average starting spot of their own 22-yard line. Too often, returners are coming up short of the 20, or worse, on kickoff; while on punt return, the decision to catch a ball or not has been wrong more often than should have been allowed.
Jacory Barney Jr. is averaging five fewer yards per punt return this season compared to 2025. | Cory Edmondson, KFGE
The one bright spot has been Archie Wilson and the punt unit. The Huskers are top 15 in the nation for punt return yards allowed, and Wilson has displayed an ability to both prevent returns and boom the ball. The only blemish has come with the long snapping causing a pivotal turnover on downs against Oregon.
Let’s also give credit where credit is due: Nebraska has blocked three kicks this year. In context, however, the credit is lessened. They came against Bowling Green, Michigan State, and Maryland. Those teams are a combined 8-19 this year, with none having more than three wins on their own.
Nick Humphrey, Co-Special Teams Coordinator
WIN $2KIN TICKETS
WIN $2KIN TICKETS
See everything above. While Maher headlines the unit, Nick Humphrey is right at the top too. A disciple of Ekeler as both a player, graduate assistant, and analyst, Humphrey may stay on as an assistant but should be considered too green to take over the group.
Daikiel Shorts Jr., Wide Receivers
If there were any coaches that were pure Holgorsen guys, Daikiel Shorts Jr. is him.
Shorts played for Holgorsen at West Virginia for four seasons. Two reuinted on head and assistant at West Virginia and Houston, before coming back together at Nebraska in 2025 and most of 2026.
Beyond simply being a Holgorsen guy, the wide receivers under Shorts have continuously had issues with getting free. This year, the OC also voiced his displeasure multiple times with how that group was blocking on the outside. Holding calls and procedure penalties from the wide receivers have erased gains and even touchdowns.
E.J. Barthel, Running Backs
Barthel is among the OOU (One Of Us) crew for Rhule, having worked under him at Temple and in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. The two have been together in Lincoln since 2023.
Emmett Johnson put together an All-American campaign in 2025. But in 2024, he was buried behind Dante Dowdell until Holgorsen arrived and got the keys to the offense.
E.J. Barthel has led Nebraska’s running back room since 2023. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Besides Johnson, Barthel has not had another 1,000-yard rusher. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t even had another 700-yard rusher in a season. Below are the leading rushers by running backs each season.
2023 Anthony Grant, 413 yards2024 Dante Dowdell, 614 yards2025 Emmett Johnson, 1,451 yards2026 Jamal Rule, 532 yards (so far)
Rule is averaging 66 yards per game this season, which means he could break 700 yards. However, he put up 329 yards of his yards in the non-conference and has not come close to those same results in Big Ten play.
In two of Rhule and Barthel’s seasons in Lincoln, the quarterback has been the most effective rusher for the offense. Anthony Colandrea is that this year, while Heinrich Haarberg led the team in rushing in 2023.
Matt Rhule is searching for answers after a four-game losing streak derailed the 2026 campaign. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Rhule cited financial limitations as having stopped them from going after portal running backs over the last several cycles. That has left a room of inexperienced backs and nobody at the level needed to win consistently in the Big Ten.
None of the current running backs in the rotation will exhaust their eligibility this year. They should get better for next year, but guys like Mekhi Nelson and Kwintin Ives have been in the program for multiple years without showing significant improvement at this level.
Is the running back room hampered by financial restrictions, or has Barthel struggled to develop all but one guy in four years?
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following us on Twitter/X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow