The role evolved quickly. After reports last week that Dana Holgorsen was being hired as a consultant by Nebraska but that, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, “in a role that will evolve as the season goes on”, Coach Matt Rhule announced Monday that Holgorsen was taking over as the Huskers’ offensive coordinator and playcaller.
Holgorsen takes over for Marcus Satterfield, who had been Rhule’s offensive coordinator since taking the Nebraska job. The offense has struggled this season, particularly in Big Ten play. In six league games, of which the Huskers have won just two, Nebraska is averaging just 18.3 points per game, 15th in the 18-team Big Ten. The Huskers are only slightly better in total offense yardage in league play at 320.5 yards per game, 14th in the Big Ten.
Rhule said Monday that he’d brought Holgorsen to Lincoln a week ago to evaluate the program and within a couple of days decided to hire him full-time as the new offensive coordinator.
A native of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Holgorsen had been working as a defensive assistant for TCU this season after serving as Houston’s head coach the five years prior. Before that, he’d been the head coach at West Virginia from 2011-2018. Holgorsen played receiver in college at Iowa Wesleyan for Hal Mumme, one of the originators of the “Air Raid” offense. Holgorsen began his coaching career under Mumme at Valdosta State coach quarterbacks, wide receivers and special teams. After stints at Mississippi College and Wingate, Holgorsen was hired by another “Air Raid” offense pioneer, Mike Leach, to work as wide receivers coach at Texas Tech in 2000. He eventually rose to offensive coordinator for the Red Raiders in 2007, before working as offensive coordinator for two years as Houston and the 2010 season at Oklahoma State. At West Virginia, he took the Mountaineers to a Big East Championship and the 2012 Orange Bowl, where they defeated Clemson in a shootout, 70-33. In all, he took West Virginia to seven bowl games in eight years, before guiding the Cougars to postseason four out of five years.
With the hiring of Holgorsen, Satterfield, previously the offensive coordinator, will focus on coaching the tight ends. Nebraska is coming off an idle weekend and preparing to face USC Saturday at 3 p.m. in a game that can be heard on KLIN and Froggy 98.