Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule poaches key OL Rocco Spindler away from national champion runner-up

To become a championship-level team, one must acquire the talent necessary to reach that lofty goal.

That’s precisely what the Nebraska football program did Sunday when it snagged transfer offensive lineman Rocco Spindler away from South Bend and Notre Dame. The move came weeks after the Fighting Irish’s national championship loss to Ohio State.

It’s a massive win for coach Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers, who are attempting to build on their first bowl win in 10 years and compete in an expanded Big Ten in its second year of realignment.

In an interview with Tom Loy of 247 Sports, Spindler discussed how he came to his decision and where he sees himself fitting in on a team still finding an identity after finishing 7-6.

“It wasn’t about the money when I entered the portal; I wanted to stay at Notre Dame,” Spindler said. “However, the stars were no longer aligning and I did all that I could do and set out to do. Graduate with almost two degrees and championships, I’ll come back and finish that master’s.” 

Spindler added that having come to that consensus put him at ease that it was time to find a new path to complete his college football career correctly.

“I wanted to be valued for what I displayed on the field and continued to get developed to get to the next level and be apart of another great historic culture and help them win and meet their goals,” Spindler continued. “I found that at Nebraska, and I’m excited about the future in Lincoln.”

Rhule said previously that the offensive line was an area that needed focus, specifically last season.

“Anytime you lose two super seniors, really, you’re going to look to address it,” Rhule said. “]The] offensive line is a unique position in that the true historical thing is you bring a kid in, you redshirt him, it’s the best thing for him. Year 2 you’re hoping that they’re in the rotation and Year 3 if they’re a really good player they’re starting. So it’s best to probably recruit, develop and grow your own guys at that position.”

Rhule was in hot water after comments surfaced regarding the potential intention to “not play a traditional spring game,” per The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman Saturday morning.

“The word tampering doesn’t exist anymore,” Rhule said. “It’s just absolute free, open market.”

Whether Rhule walks back his comments remains to be seen, but for now with the addition of Spindler, quarterback Dylan Raiola may have the security blanket he has been seeking entering this fall.

Raiola was sacked 27 times and struggled to help his offense close out key games, with the most notable coming against then-ranked No. 24 Illinois in late September, an eventual 31-24 overtime loss. It ended Nebraska’s hot 3-0 start to the season, as it was ranked No. 22 before losing four of its next five games and eventually getting back on track by Thanksgiving.