Multiple reports this weekend stated Nebraska will dismiss special teams coordinator Ed Foley after two years. The Huskers special teams’ have struggled in each of Foley’s two years on staff, as NU has had erratic field goal kicking and long snapping and an anemic return game.
The change would mean that Nebraska would have changed all three coordinators from the start of the 2024 season. Dana Holgorsen was installed as the offensive coordinator for the final three games of the regular season, replacing Marcus Satterfield, while John Butler was promoted to defensive coordinator before the bowl game after the departure of Tony White to Florida State.
Foley had been with Rhule in 10 of his 12 years as a head coach. Foley worked under Rhule at Temple for three years, before deciding to stay in Philadelphia while Rhule went to Baylor. After two years, Foley joined Rhule in Waco for a single season before they both moved to Charlotte to work on the Carolina Panthers coaching staff. When Rhule was hired at Nebraska, Foley joined him.
The Pinstripe Bowl may have been the last straw. A blocked punt in the fourth quarter set up a short field for Boston College to score its first touchdown and seemed to let the Eagles back in the game. A botched fake field goal left the Huskers empty on the first drive of the second half, and an extra point was blocked and returned by BC for a two-point conversion. After the game, an exasperated Rhule said that special teams would undergo a “total overhaul” before the 2025 season.
No replacement has been named. While Foley is expected to lose special teams coordinator duties, he could remain in the program in another capacity.