Last year, Matt Rhule finally helped Nebraska get to a bowl game after a wait of almost a decade. In the early 2010s, though, it was a regular phenomenon under Bo Pelini. The former Husker HC led the program through its transition to the Big 10 and didn’t let the results waver. His tenure in Lincoln ended abruptly. Since then, he has been away from the program. However, former Husker and Bussin’ With The Boys co-host Will Compton hasn’t given up on the guy who made him realize his dream.

Compton has been the vocal Nebraska voice in national discourse. His support hasn’t always helped him. Just this season, he lost a bet when Michigan visited Lincoln and had to shave off his hair. But that didn’t deter his love for Matt Rhule. He’s even leading the campaign to make the current head coach stay at Nebraska. But with LSU, Penn State, Florida, and a host of other bigwigs looking for HCs, holding on to Rhule is getting trickier.

A fan asked Compton about the options for the program if that happens. In his response, he took us through the timeline of his efforts to get Pelini to Nebraska. “If Rhule leaves, Pelini on speed dial?” an X user asked. Compton had a three-pointer answer. First, Coach Rhule would be dead to him. “Pelini was my first phone call when Tony White left to gauge DC interest,” Compton revealed.

In December 2024, defensive coordinator Tony White left Nebraska to join Mike Norvell at Florida State. The booster in Will Compton got active, and he called Bo Pelini to gauge his interest. That didn’t work out, as Rhule went on to promote John Butler. But Compton’s efforts to get Pelini to the Huskers didn’t start last year. However, the reason why Pelini didn’t even accept his request to attend a Nebraska game could be connected to how things ended between the program and Pelini.

Bo Pelini had a successful seven-year tenure at Nebraska. With guaranteed nine wins every season, he made bowl appearances an easy feat, finishing with a 67-27 record at Lincoln. However, his expletive-laced rant aimed at the Huskers fans put an end to his tenure. Controversial indeed, but he was one of Nebraska’s winningest coaches.

When he left the program, the then-athletic director, Tom Osborne, had stated, “Bo’s academic record with the football team has been the best in my recollection. He has won three divisional championships and had one of the best win-loss records in college football for the past five years.”

Bo Pelini and the controversy that shook Nebraska

Bo Pelini’s controversy erupted in 2013, when Deadspin.com released Pelini’s audio from 2011. The rant criticizing the fans and newspaper reporters took place after the 2011 win against Ohio State. According to the recording, he repeatedly used an expletive to refer to ‘fair-weather’ Cornhuskers fans.

The internet exploded, and Pelini issued an apology. “I was venting following a series of emotional events that led to this moment. That being said, these comments are in no way indicative of my true feelings. I again apologize to anyone whom I have offended.” Tom Osbourne further came forward in his support. “While the comments were certainly not good,” Osborne said, “I realized that Bo had gone through an emotional week and an emotional game and was in a setting where he thought his comments were entirely private.”

Shortly after, Nebraska let him go after the regular season concluded. Back in 2021, in a conversation with Will Compton on the ‘Bussin With the Boys’ podcast, he opened up about his coaching style and more. He admitted that “the kids had so much pressure on them, and sometimes my personality added to that, maybe.” After leaving Nebraska, he joined LSU in the capacity of a defensive coordinator but left in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t taken up a coaching role.