Matt Rhule made a big splash when he hired Mike Ekeler away from Tennessee heading into the 2025 season. It was a hire that energized a the Big Red fan base and had people excited heading into a fall filled with lofty expectations, and College Football Playoff hopes.
According to a report today, Lincoln Riley is working to make that same splash hire by bringing Ekeler west.
CBS Sports shares tonight that Ekeler is "likely" to head to USC to become the new special teams coordinator for the Trojans.
Known for his fiery demeanor and getting the absolute most out of his special teams units, Ekeler would bring nine seasons of special teams coordinator experience to Riley's staff.
With nearly three decades of coaching experience, Ekeler has spent an impressive 23 seasons at the FBS level and 21 seasons at Power Four programs. He has the distinction of working in every Power Conference and has been on staffs at six of the 12 winningest programs in college football (Oklahoma, Nebraska, Georgia, Tennessee, USC and LSU).
Before his short stint back in Lincoln, Ekeler coordinated the special teams and coached the outside linebackers at Tennessee from 2021-24. During that time the Vols won nearly 40 games and made an appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Many of his units consistently ranked among the top of the SEC, and top 25 nationally.
Like his move back to Lincoln for a second stint, the move to Southern California will be a return for Ekeler. He previously coached the Trojans linebackers for the 2013 season.
Ekeler has had previous stints at North Texas, Kansas, UNC, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, and Oklahoma and began his career coaching high school football for four seasons before getting started at the college level.
The hire of Ekeler would mark a significant win for Riley, who also has to hire a new defensive coordinator following the departure of D'Anton Lynn to Penn State to become the defensive coordinator for Matt Campbell.
247 notes that current USC special teams coordinator Ryan Dougherty is expected to stay on as an analyst / assistant special teams coach for next season, and it's unclear how the hire will impact the rest of the staff.
For Rhule, it marks yet another significant departure from the program this off season. The Huskers also lost five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola to the transfer portal recently, and he recently committed to Oregon, where he will likely sit behind Dante Moore for one season before getting the keys to the Ducks offense.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest in coaching job change information.