The sports business is brutal and ruthless, and college football is one of the biggest examples of that.
If not, just take Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly as examples. Both blindsided their teams to see whether the grass was greener somewhere else, leaving their players and their fans hanging.
Now, the CFB monster is trying to get its claws in yet another poor victim, as Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule has been tied to multiple openings over the past couple of weeks, including Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
Sooners Want Rhule As Their New Coach
After his success at Temple and Baylor and given his struggles in the NFL, some people believe that the Sooners have made Rhule one of its top candidates to replace Riley:
"A source also told SI All Panthers that Rhule is on Oklahoma’s shortlist," reported Sports Illustrated. "I don’t know how great of a fit Rhule would be at Oklahoma but there seems to be some interest in him from Oklahoma’s side. Rhule had a ton of success at the collegiate level turning around both Temple and Baylor from bottomfeeders to conference championship contenders."
Rhule Shuts Down Oklahoma Rumors
The coach, however, doesn’t seem interested in going back to college and would rather trying to build a winning culture with the Panthers:
"I have one of the greatest jobs you can have. I left an unbelievable job at Baylor with a long-term contract and great people for a place to come here," Rhule said, per 247Sports. "I built two football programs and when I say I, I mean my staff, and I built two great football programs at the college level and I wanted to try and do it in the NFL. We went through a tough first year like I expected. We’re in the middle of the second year and it’s been back and forth and we’re not quite where we want to be but you don’t get to say that you like to build and then get upset that you didn’t inherit something. We’re building something. I hope every guy here knows that I’m in it with them for the long haul to get this thing done."
Then again, we’ve heard that in the past just to see coaches taking the very job they vowed not to take.
Can Rhule Turn Things Around In Carolina?
Through a one-and-a-half season in charge of the team, Rhule is just 10-18 with the Panthers.
His defense has slightly improved in comparison to the last year under Ron Rivera but Christian McCaffrey’s constant injuries and the offensive inconsistency have made it tough for Rule to establish his blueprint at Carolina.
So, even if he doesn’t take a job in college now, some think that his days at the NFL level could be numbered if he has another losing season next year.
Panthers Need A Quarterback
Once again, the biggest issue for the Panthers has been at the quarterback position.
Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t the answer and Sam Darnold is what it is at this point. PJ Walker was a backup in the XFL for a reason and Cam Newton isn’t back.
The Panthers are paying 3 QBs starter money even though none of them is starter material and one of them isn’t even on the roster anymore.
So, regardless of who’s calling the shots or whether McCaffrey’s healthy or not, they’ll only go as far as their QB can take them, and that’s a big concern going forward.
]]>The Inquisitr
