While Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule was telling the media and Husker fans that he had the utmost confidence in offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, his actions were telling another story. Rhule was busy trying to hire Dana Holgorsen well before he finally did.
Holgorsen joined the Huskers’ staff last November during a period where Nebraska was struggling mightily on the offensive side of the ball. He took over for Satterfield, who was demoted to tight ends coach, but stayed on the staff. However, according to the former West Virginia and Houston head coach, Rhule asked him far sooner to take over the duties. Still, he simply wasn’t ready to do so.
Dana Holgorsen recounts mid-season call from Rhule to lead Nebraska football’s offense
“When I got let go in December, I came up a couple weeks later and he [Rhule] tried to get me to be the OC for the entire 2024 year, and I just wasn’t ready,” the Nebraska football offensive coordinator told the Big Ten Network. “It wouldn’t have been fair to me, my family. It wouldn’t have been fair to Coach Rule and his Husker family. I just wasn’t ready. I’ve been doing it for a long time and needed a break.”
🤔🏈 Very interesting: Dana Holgorsen says #Huskers head coach Matt Rhule approached him after the 2023 season to try to get him to be the OC. Video Courtesy: BTN pic.twitter.com/HJGkUUKe0O
— Adam Krueger (@AdamKruegerTV) August 2, 2025
There has been a lot of talk that Holgorsen was offered the job earlier than was known. However, during his appearance on the network, he confirmed Nebraska was on the lookout for a new OC earlier than expected…