The Nebraska Cornhuskers are getting closer to hiring the next head coach for a football program that has fallen on hard times. 

Matt Rhule, who was fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers in October, and Nebraska are working on finalizing a deal in the coming days, according to ESPN.

Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watch the band perform before a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium Oct. 29, 2022 in Lincoln, Neb.  (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost in September after an embarrassing loss to Georgia Southern. 

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Under Frost, the Cornhuskers failed to win five games in a season, lost 10 consecutive one-score games and became an afterthought in the Big Ten. 

Frost finished his time at his alma mater with a record of 16-31.

Head coach Matt Rhule of the Carolina Panthers watches his team play against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium Sept. 25, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C.  (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Mickey Joseph, a former Nebraska quarterback, took over for Frost on an interim basis after coaching the wide receivers and has gone 2-6 since taking over the program. 

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The Panthers fired Rhule after a 1-4 start to the season in just his third year in Carolina. 

Carolina hired Rhule after his two successful stints as head coach of the Temple Owls and the Baylor Bears. 

Baylor Bears head coach Matt Rhule talks to his players during warmups before the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs Jan. 1, 2020, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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In Rhule’s first season at Baylor, the Bears went 1-11 but won 11 games in 2019 before he jumped to the NFL. 

At Temple, Rhule took the program from just two wins in his first year to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016.