Dylan Raiola breaks silence with reaction to Matt Rhule - Penn State coaching rumor after James Franklin's firing

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has been linked to the vacant Penn State job after the Nittany Lions fired coach James Franklin on Sunday. After a 34-31 win over the Maryland Terrapins in Week 7, Rhule has led the Cornhuskers to a 5-1 record this season.

During his weekly news conference ahead of the No. 25 Cornhuskers' clash against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, quarterback Dylan Raiola quashed speculation about Matt Rhule to Penn State.

“He ain’t going nowhere,” Dylan Raiola said. “It doesn’t faze him at all. It’s just some people stirring things up … He’s as locked in as ever on this football game. I just had to make sure everybody knew that that’s our head ball coach … and he’s staying right here.”

Matt Rhule denies links to Penn State after James Franklin firing

Matt Rhule was a walk-on for the Penn State Nittany Lions under former coach Joe Paterno. He played linebacker for the Nittany Lions between 1994 and 1997 and served as a volunteer assistant for the program in 1998. During his weekly news conference, Rhule addressed speculation linking him to the Penn State job after James Franklin's firing.

“I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come,” Matt Rhule said. “I’m not going to talk about my contract here… I absolutely love it here. I want to continue to take the steps needed to turn this place into a beast.”

According to On3, the Nittany Lions would have to pay Nebraska $5 million to hire Rhule. Further, ESPN's Heather Dinich reported that Penn State was willing to splurge to get its next head coach.

“First, to be clear, money is not an object,” Heather Dinich said. “They (Penn State) can go after whoever they want to replace James Franklin. There’s not a rush to do that — they want to take their time and see how the rest of the season unfolds.”

The ESPN report further revealed that Rhule to Penn State is feasible due to Nittany Lions athletic director Pat Kraft's close relationship with the Cornhuskers' coach. On Monday, Kraft broke down the attributes that he was looking for in the program's next head coach.

“Our next coach will be someone who embodies everything Penn State stands for integrity, accountability, toughness, humility and an elite motivator,” Kraft said. “We’ll find a coach who can achieve excellence at the highest level, doing it with confidence and conviction.”

As the Matt Rhule to Penn State speculation snowballs, the Nebraska coach will have to contend with a return to Beaver Stadium with the Cornhuskers on 22 November.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo