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Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has been linked to Penn State ever since the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin on Oct. 12. More News: Two College Football Programs Reached Out to Marcus Freeman: Report Rhule played college football for PSU as a linebacker. He also has ties to Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft, who hired him as the head coach of Temple in 2013. Since being linked to PSU, Rhule has expressed his admiration for the Nebraska program and what he's building in Lincoln. More News: Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Gives Brian Kelly Brutal Reality Check Per Josh Peterson of Sports Illustrated, Rhule's representation asked for a large pay rise for the head coach to stay with the Cornhuskers. Per an update by SI, Rhule has not signed a contract extension despite earlier reports indicating he signed a new deal. However, Nebraska is expected to make an announcement about a contract extension on Thursday. Via Sports Illustrated: "Editor's note: At the time of publishing, there was no official announcement for a signed contract extension. As of this note (9:00 a.m. CDT), there has been no announcement. New information indicates an extension has not been signed at this time." The expected contract extension would keep Rhule with Nebraska beyond 2030. Cornhuskers athletic director Troy Dannen wanted to give Rhule a contract extension during the season to end the smoke surrounding Penn State and the 50-year-old head coach. Earlier in October, Rule said he had respect for PSU and believed the program would find the right coach to replace Franklin. However, he suggested Nebraska has a bright future with him leading the program. "This is a destination job," Rhule said of the Cornhuskers. "This is one of the greatest places in the world. (Lincoln) is a town of 300,000 people... Like, I can do whatever I want. Here I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Think about how good we'll be next year... Think about where we're going to go with (quarterback) Dylan (Raiola) and all these guys." Rhule is 18-15 overall and 9-14 in Big Ten play at Nebraska since he took over in 2023. The former Carolina Panthers head coach has the Cornhuskers 6-2 before getting set to host No. 23 USC on Saturday.
