Riding a 5-1 start, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have entered the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25 after a 34-31 win at Maryland on Saturday.
That upswing, however, isn’t the hottest topic in Lincoln as the Cornhuskers prepare for Friday night’s game against the Gophers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. In the wake of James Franklin’s dismissal from Penn State on Sunday, Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule is answering questions about whether he is a candidate for the vacancy in Happy Valley.
There are some strong connections. Rhule played linebacker at Penn State from 1994-97, and he coached under Nittany Lions athletics director Pat Kraft when both were in the same roles at Temple from 2013-16.
“I absolutely love it here,” Rhule said about Nebraska during his Monday news conference. “I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast and players all across the country want to come here. The best facilities. Elite fans. I’m just looking at the future.”
On his alma mater, Rhule said, “I love that place. I love Pat. I love James Franklin. Sad that that came to an end. I wish him the absolute best. But I’m really happy here and excited to get going this week on Minnesota.”
Rhule isn’t the only sitting Big Ten coach mentioned for the Penn State job. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is a Pittsburgh native and has the Hoosiers ranked No. 3.
Coaching fraternity
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck considers Rhule one of the Big Ten coaches with whom he’s closest. Along with UNLV coach Dan Mullen, they attended a Kenny Chesney concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas last summer.
This weekend, Rhule and Fleck plan to bring awareness to breast cancer.
“We could talk about the game,” Fleck said. “We could talk about our quarterbacks. (But we) talked about (breast cancer awareness) in the offseason, knowing we’re going to play each other, and kind of team up on that. I think it says a lot about him and where his heart is always at.”
Petersohn reconsider?
Triton High School athlete Pierce Petersohn, the No. 2 in-state recruit in the 2026 class, picked Penn State over the Gophers in June, but the ouster of Franklin might reopen the door for Minnesota.
During the summer, the Gophers promised Jackson County Central’s Roman Voss, the No. 1 in-state recruit, he would play tight end at the U.
Under Franklin, the Nittany Lions planned to put Petersohn, of Dodge Center, Minn., at tight end, while the U had him penciled in first at linebacker.
McMillan’s commitment level
Due to injuries, Gophers nickel back Jai’Onte’ McMillan was thrust into a bigger cornerback role for the 27-20 win over Purdue on Saturday. He had four tackles in 48 total defensive snaps, including 31 snaps at wide corner.
McMillian, a second-year transfer from Texas Christian, produced a big fourth-down pass break-up in the end zone to stop a Boilermakers’ drive with 2 minutes left in the game.
“I’m just really proud of the selfless teammate that he is,” Fleck said. “We have versatility. That is one position we have depth. … Hopefully in the next few weeks we can get some guys back, but we’ll see on that. I really like where Jai’Onte’ is mentally. He’s really worked very hard at making himself the player that he is and (in) his commitment level to his teammates.”
The Gophers lost cornerback Mike Gerald to a hamstring injury in their 42-3 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 4, and Naiim Parrish also was also sidelined for the Purdue game. John Nestor and Za’Quan Bryan were the U’s starting corners vs. the Boilermakers.
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