Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule hires former Houston, West Virginia head coach

Rhule and Holgorsen know each other from their time as head coaches in the Big 12, Rhule at Baylor and Holgorsen at West Virginia. The two coached against each other in 2017 and 2018 and Holgorsen's Mountaineers won both meetings: 38-36 in 2017 and 58-14 in 2018.

Holgorsen has an overall record of 92-69 in 13 seasons as a head coach. In eight seasons as West Virginia's head coach, he posted a 61-41 record. He left Morgantown after the 2018 season to take the job at Houston, where he was a member of the American Athletic Conference before his first season in the Big 12 in 2023 (Holgorsen's final year with the Cougars). He spent the last five seasons in Houston, where he compiled an overall record of 31-28.

In 1989, Holgorsen was a college receiver at tiny St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, where he first met Hal Mumme, then the new head coach of nearby NAIA program Iowa Wesleyan, and Mumme's new offensive coordinator named Mike Auslaugen.

It was there at Iowa Wesleyan that the Air Raid was born, and Holgorsen played in the early versions of it while Mumme and Leach developed it. Holgorsen eventually transferred to Iowa Wesleyan to play for who would become his mentor.

After three years at Iowa, Wesleyan, Mumme and Leach moved to Valdosta State in Georgia. They hired Holgorsen as a quarterbacks and receivers coach as well as a special teams coach. He spent three seasons in Valdosta before stints at Mississippi College (1996-98) and Wingate (1999).

When Leach was hired to coach at Texas Tech in 2000, he brought Holgorsen in as inside receivers coach in Leach's own version of the Air Raid. Holgorsen, who was assisted by a young former walk-on quarterback named Lincoln Riley, coached the position for five seasons before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator/inside receiver, a role he held from 2005-06. In 2007, Holgorsen was promoted again, this time to offensive coordinator while also coaching inside receivers.

In Holgorsen's first season as the Red Raiders' OC, Tech averaged the most pass attempts per game in the country with 58.7. Behind quarterback Graham Harrell and wideouts Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, Tech led the country in average passing yards (470.3), second in total yards (529.6) and seventh in scoring (40.9).

The 2007 season was Holgorsen's last in Lubbock as he took over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston under new head coach Kevin Sumlin. He also brought in a young, up-and-coming coach, Kliff Kingsbury, as a quality control coach.

In 2007, before Holgorsen arrived, Houston ranked 23rd nationally in scoring at 34.5 points per game. In 2008, with Holgorsen calling plays and quarterback Case Keenum coaching, Houston ranked 10th nationally in scoring (40.6) and second in both total offense (562.8) and passing (401, 6). In 2009, Houston was tied for first in scoring (42.2) and was first in both total offense (563.4) and passing yards (433.7).

In 2010, Holgorsen was hired as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy. Holgorsen gave the Cowboys' offense the decisive impetus. In 2009, the season before Holgorsen's signing, Oklahoma State averaged 28.4 points per game, 56th in the country. In Holgorsen's first year in Stillwater, the Cowboys ranked third in the country in scoring (44.3) and second in passing yards (345.8).

The 2010 season was a special one for Holgorsen, who coached quarterback Brandon Weeden, a first-team All-Big 12 pick, and called plays with Justin Blackmon as receiver.