Matt Rhule and Thomas Fidone butted heads a bit during the spring.
Not because they didn’t get along or didn’t see eye-to-eye. It was quite the opposite.
Rhule said multiple times throughout the spring that he and Fidone are a lot alike. They are both cut from the same cloth in terms of being ultra competitors. So when Rhule forced Fidone to be limited during spring ball – in an effort to keep the tight end injury-free and get him to the 2023 regular season with a clean bill of health – it made Fidone mad.
Fidone’s frustration with Rhule’s decision got the head coach fired up. In a good way.
"Fidone is kind of one of my guys. I really like the guy," Rhule said in April. "He's so competitive, he's so driven. Sometimes when you're driven it drives you all over the place. Like, you just can't stand when it doesn't come right away. That's what I love about him. I'm a little bit wired that way. The best players I've been around are wired that way. I've tried to limit him even more than we've limited him and he fights me every time. So I just love his competitive nature."
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Turns out, Fidone had the exact same outlook on things.
During a recent interview with Huskers Radio Network, which aired Wednesday night, Fidone opened up about his relationship with Rhule and how it grew throughout the winter, spring and where it is now in the summer months.
“Me and him hit it off, really, right away,” Fidone said. “We’re really similar in a lot of ways. We’re extreme alphas, and we believe that’s how we are. No one’s gonna tell us what we can’t do, and we’re gonna prove everybody wrong as to why. That’s something that helped us hit it off. It’s a huge thing to have my head coach be confident in me. I feel like that’s something that I’ve always had, but I’m a lot closer with Coach Rhule than I could’ve imagined with him only being here for a certain amount of time. It’s definitely helped, and it’s been really nice.”
Those two building a close-knit connection and creating trust – plus some continuous prodding from the third-year Husker tight end – eventually netted some extra time as a full spring ball participant, Fidone says.
“At first, I was a little bit limited, but I think me kind of being in his ear like, ‘Coach I’m ready, it’s OK,’ (had an effect),” Fidone said. “I was a lot less limited than I think he would’ve liked, but I was fine with it. And I think it helped me take big strides mentally, physically, help me get to where I need to be in preparation for this upcoming fall camp and season and also just getting chemistry with my teammates, just being able to be out there.”
Fidone left spring ball with a clean bill of health but was still able to get an impactful workload in as he entered the summer. That fact is not overlooked by anyone – none of the coaches, none of his teammates, nobody who’s a fan of the team or covering it.
And, of course, the man himself.
“It felt really good,” Fidone said. “That’s an understatement. It was amazing. Just, finally, being able to clear a full spring and be healthy – it’s something that shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m not saying it was, but it was just different. Now it’s just something that should happen every spring and just (have) no more injuries.”
Fidone felt like he was more prepared for college football than he ever was before, despite having suffered two season-ending knee injuries. Now that he got that full slate of spring practices under his belt and is set to enter fall camp fully healthy, that belief is even stronger.
“When I first came in here as a young freshman, everything was just so much faster,” Fidone said. “I had good springs as a freshman and sophomore, but things are a lot slower now. I’m more confident physically, mentally. I’m not that nervous young freshman anymore. You just learn to make mistakes going full speed instead of being very unsure and not knowing what you’re doing. Maturing and being an older player helps with that. It helped me mentally and confidently. At the end of the spring, I was a lot more confident of where I am and have so much more room to grow.”
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Getting that experience, in combination with growing older and becoming more of a veteran presence, has helped Fidone grow a stronger voice in the locker room and in his position room – even if he’s in a bit of an in-between spot in terms of his tenure as a Husker.
“Still being kind of a younger kid on the team, I have to take this role a little bit differently,” Fidone said. “I can’t just think that I own the team. I have everyone’s respect, but you have to take it a little more lightly. You can’t just yell at everybody and tell them what to do and what not to do. You have to lead by example, and when they see you doing the right thing, they’re gonna follow and you’re gonna become a leader the right way. And I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far, and obviously we have a lot of work to do in that regard.”
“Honestly, I haven’t had this opportunity since high school – junior, senior year when everything started taking off for me. I’m just trying to lead as I wanna be led and just lead by example, obviously. I just wanna set a good example and try to push everyone the right way. I think it’s helped me become a better player because the more I know, the more I can help them which is good for both of us.”
Fidone’s interview on HRN was conducted a couple weeks ago during breaks as the team recorded pregame introduction videos and players had photoshoots in their pads. It was just an extra small step that inched us – and the Huskers – closer to real, actual football come fall.
“It’s definitely exciting. It’s something different and something you dream of coming into college and something that, obviously, I haven’t been able to experience yet,” Fidone said. “But finally being here and being able to experience it, it’s very exciting and makes me ready for the upcoming season.”
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