Nebraska extends Matt Rhule's contract through 2032, adds bonuses for CFP appearances

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska announced a two-year contract extension with coach Matt Rhule on Thursday, adding salary bonuses for College Football Playoff appearances but leaving his base salary unchanged. The deal runs through the 2032 season.

Rhule is in his third season at Nebraska and there was speculation two weeks ago that he might be a candidate to fill the job at Penn State following James Franklin's firing.

“Coach Rhule has shown he is the right leader at the right time for Nebraska football," athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Our program has seen significant progress under Matt’s leadership, and at this stage in the evolution of the program continuity and stability are critical."

Last season, Rhule led Nebraska to its first winning season in eight years and first first bowl victory since 2015. Nebraska is off to a 6-2 start this season, its best eight-game record in nine seasons, ahead of Saturday night's home game against USC.

Earlier this month, Rhule’s name surfaced immediately as a potential front-runner to replace Franklin because of his ties to Penn State. He was a walk-on linebacker at Penn State under Joe Paterno in the 1990s, met his wife at the school and is friends with athletic director Pat Kraft.

Kraft hired Rhule in 2012 at Temple, where he coached for four seasons before leaving for Baylor. Rhule left Baylor after three years and was the Carolina Panthers’ coach for two-plus seasons. He came to Nebraska in December 2022. The 50-year-old Rhule is scheduled to earn $7.5 million this year.

“The University of Nebraska, the city of Lincoln and the state of Nebraska are special. It is a place our family is proud to call home,” Rhule said in a statement issued by the school. “Our focus remains on building Nebraska football into a perennial championship contender.”

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