Tennessee's Mike Ekeler joins Matt Rhule at Nebraska

Mike Ekeler is ending his four-year stint with the Tennessee Volunteers to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers reportedly hired Ekeler as their new special teams coordinator on Monday.

The veteran coach is the latest big name to join Matt Rhule's coaching staff.

Who is Mike Ekeler?

Mike Ekeler is a former college football standout with the Kansas State Wildcats, playing linebacker and taking snaps on special teams from 1991 to 1994.

Following his college football playing career, Ekeler embarked on a coaching career. He started out as a volunteer at Angela Skutt Catholic High School from 1999 to 2001.

He then became an assistant coach at Manhattan (Kansas) High School before becoming a graduate assistant with the Oklahoma Sooners for two seasons.

Ekeler's next role was with the LSU Tigers in a similar role from 2005 to 2007. He then earned a move to the Nebraska Cornhuskers as he was named the linebackers coach. He occupied that role until 2010.

Ekeler's career got a major boost in 2011 when he became the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Indiana Hoosiers. His next roles were with the USC Trojans, Georgia Bulldogs, North Texas Mean Green, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kansas Jayhawks and Tennessee Volunteers.

What will Mike Ekeler bring to the Nebraska Cornhuskers?

Mike Ekeler's coaching career has been nomadic, involving a variety of roles. He's mostly been utilized as a linebackers coach, special teams guru and occasional defensive coordinator.

Ekeler's decades of experience should be a big plus for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a unit. He joins as a special teams coordinator, but his impact will likely be felt on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tennessee Volunteers had one of college football's most potent defenses in football, and a lot could be attributed to Ekeler's nous as a coordinator. Don't be surprised if the Cornhuskers become a more resolute program on that side of the ball. Matt Rhule's team suffered greatly at numerous points in the 2024 college football season; this hire should help improve the team.