Nebraska shocked the college football world by hiring Mike Riley from Oregon State as their new head coach. The Cornhuskers obviously used a stealth approach to the hire because there was no mention of interest in Riley prior to him being hired.
One candidate that we did hear about was Bret Bielema, who on Wednesday was adamant that he was not going to leave Arkansas. Adding to that storyline is a report from NFL Media’s Gil Brandt on Thursday that said Bielema was offered the Nebraska job but turned it down.
Bret Bielema was offered #Nebraska job yesterday but decided to stay at #Arkansas.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) December 4, 2014
Football Scoop says Nebraska had a very short list of replacements in mind when they fired Bo Pelini Sunday morning. After being turned down by Bielema, it appears that they moved quickly on Riley. The Lincoln Journal Star also reports that Nebraska met with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
Football Scoop says that one of the reasons Bielema turned down Nebraska is because he spoke with people familiar with the situation and was advised it was not a healthy one. Additionally, Bielema has only been at Arkansas for two seasons after they made a big move to bring him in from Wisconsin. It would reflect poorly on him — almost like a Lane Kiffin situation — if he left Fayetteville so quickly, especially without leading them to immediate success.
