Two months before Baylor’s breakout 2019 season, we spoke with then-head coach Matt Rhule at the THSCA coaching school when the topic of Bill O’Brien came up. 

O’Brien came to Penn State – Rhule’s alma mater – at a critical time in program history. The Nittany Lions were fresh off the Jerry Sandusky scandal and were on the cusp of getting blasted by the NCAA. However, O’Brien was unfazed. He jumped from the winningest franchise in the NFL to a potential dumpster fire in hopes of righting the ship. 

O’Brien went 15-9 in two seasons at Penn State before taking the Houston Texans job. Far more importantly, he helped steady the program so James Franklin could step in and transform it back into a national contender. 

“He will always be remembered at Penn State for not just what he did on the field, but most importantly, holding that program together when it could have just fractured,” Rhule said. 

When Rhule took over Baylor in December 2016, the program was in a similar spot. Baylor was just months off the sexual assault scandal that rocked the entire Waco community. The reputation of Baylor and the football program was in tatters. And still, despite having an attractive offer to coach at Oregon with a rising star in Justin Herbert, Rhule committed to Baylor University and the city of Waco. 

No one needs to be reminded of what happened next. Rhule sold Baylor fans on “The Process” as he tore the program down and rebuilt it on a far stronger foundation. He pushed his way through a crushing 1-11 season to set up a surprising Texas Bowl run in year two. In year three, Baylor became just the second program in college football history to go from 11 losses to 11 wins over just two seasons. 

Rhule took under-the-radar players like Charlie Brewer and James Lynch who were willing to commit sight unseen to Rhule and Baylor. Now, that initial 2017 recruiting class is the backbone of the turnaround. 

Perhaps even more improbable, Rhule helped change the national reputation of Baylor football from the ground up. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby often complimented Rhule on his investment in the culture and reputation of the university. Rival coaches praised how he did things. Texas high school coaches fell in love with him. Reporters from around the country hung on his every word. 

At a time where Baylor football – and Baylor University – could have crumbled, Matt Rhule held things together. 

Rhule’s 2019 campaign is tied for the winningest season in program history and led to the first Sugar Bowl appearance since the Eisenhower administration. The Bears were a few plays away from the College Football Playoff. Perhaps most importantly, Rhule proved that success on the field at Baylor isn’t just an outlier. It’s something that can be replicated with different styles, different coaches and with integrity. Baylor should expect to compete. 

Three years ago, there were snickers that Rhule was interviewed by the Indianapolis Colts. This year, there were snickers at the thought that Rhule wouldn’t get the perfect NFL offer. That’s a testament to where he leaves Baylor. 

All that said, Rhule also spent just three years in Waco. Only one other Baylor coach since 1913 had a shorter tenure – Dave Roberts, who posted a 4-18 record in two seasons. The last coach to leave Baylor with a winning record was Grant Teaff in 1992 and he was a lifer. It’s uncharted territory for Baylor to be a stepping stone job, even if it is for the top football league on the planet. 

From that perspective, it’s fair for fans to feel some frustration. Rhule told Baylor fans that he was called to this job back in 2016. As recently as last month, he spoke of “unfinished business” in Waco, even though he planned to participate in NFL interviews. Yesterday, he told reporters that he felt like his work at Baylor was done; those statements don’t quite fit. 

But still, when Rhule was hired in 2017, no one could have seen the program becoming so successful in three years that Rhule would field a Jon Gruden-level offer to coach in the NFL. When the richest owner in the NFL flies to your home in Waco, Texas, to offer you a seven-year contract and all the investment you could ever want, how can you say no? How many coaches in NFL history have started their careers with that level of buy-in? If Rhule wanted to be an NFL coach eventually – and obviously he did – that’s hard to turn down. 

Rhule’s early departure puts a damper on what was potentially a turning point for the program, but Baylor football is still in a better place than ever. The facilities are strong. The administrative buy-in is elite. The culture is set. The roster is ready to compete. No matter which coach comes in next to be Baylor’s James Franklin – and there are plenty of intriguing options – they’ll owe everything to what Matt Rhule started. 

Said Rhule back in July 2019: “I felt like at the end of the day I hope that we win, but if we come to Baylor and fix what happened and build a program built on integrity and built on trust and where the players are being developed and doing the right thing, I’ll feel like I’ll have done something right in my life too. That I left far more than just football.”

Even though Rhule exits Baylor with unfinished business, there is no question he accomplished just that.

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