Matt Rhule sees his time coaching the Panthers as a learning experience, but not a particularly enjoyable one.
Rhule, who was fired by the Panthers during the 2022 season with a record of 11-27, told Pete Thamel of ESPN he experienced things in Carolina that he’s not going to let himself go through again at his new job as head coach at Nebraska.
“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Rhule said. “I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me. I watched what my kids had to go through in Carolina, and we’re not going to let ‘em go through that here.”
The most important lesson Rhule may have learned during his time in Carolina is that he’s a college coach. The Nebraska job is his third college head-coaching job. The Panthers job was his first, and likely last, as a head coach in the NFL.