Cris Reisert’s path to Nebraska’s offensive coordinator opening doesn’t look like the usual climb, and that’s exactly what makes him interesting. He’s already been a head coach at two different stops, but when the chance came to return to coordinating an offense, he took it because he wanted to get back to calling plays.
Reisert’s resume starts with stops at Ohio Dominican, Ball State and Elon before he became Ohio Dominican’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017. That first offense came out firing, averaging 39.5 points and 510.5 yards per game, good for 15th and fourth nationally in Division II. Quarterback Grant Russell was named Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year after throwing 30 touchdowns against just three interceptions when the awards were announced.
From there, Reisert proved he could run an entire program, not just a side of the ball. Tiffin hired him as head coach in 2019, and he went 40-11 over five seasons. The Dragons won three conference championships, reached two Division II playoff appearances and had Reisert named GMAC Coach of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2023.
The offense hummed there, too. In 2019, Tiffin averaged 43.2 points and 507.8 total yards per game, ranking seventh and fifth nationally in Division II. Running back JaQuan Hardy piled up 1,554 rushing yards and earned All-America recognition, while quarterback Nick Watson was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Four years later, the numbers were still eye-catching. Tiffin averaged 43.7 points and 482.9 yards per game, ranking sixth and fourth in Division II, and the Dragons finished fifth nationally in rushing at 255 yards per contest. That group also featured center Shane Bumgardner, who won the Division II Rimington Award as the nation’s top center.
Reisert moved on to Gardner-Webb in 2024, where he won four games in his first season before the Bulldogs jumped to 7-5 in 2025. He started out calling plays there, then eventually handed those duties off as his head-coaching workload grew at the North Carolina school.
When Toledo opened the door last December, Reisert went back to Ohio and back to the role he clearly prefers. He’s now the Rockets’ offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and play-caller, and the production has followed.
Toledo is 17th nationally in total offense at 454.9 yards per game and tied for 22nd in scoring at 35.4 points. The Rockets are averaging 192.1 rushing yards, which ranks 28th, and 262.8 passing yards, which ranks 29th.
His offense is built around pace and variety. Reisert calls it an “up tempo pro style attacking offense.”
It’s a multiple system that uses formations, shifts, motion and RPO concepts to put defenses in tough spots. He doesn’t lean on just one way to create an edge.
The scheme can push tempo, move defenders with pre-snap motion or use run-pass combinations that force opponents into a choice.
Reisert also had exposure to the broader demands of running a program through his time working with former Ohio State assistant Bill Conley, and that matters here. He has shown he can build productive offenses, develop quarterbacks, recruit and manage a program, and adjust his run and pass game to fit the personnel on hand.
There’s also the money angle, which is part of why a coach like this belongs on Nebraska’s radar. According to reports, Reisert’s annual salary is $220,000. Nebraska could offer him life-changing money for a chance to test himself in the Big Ten.
That said, there are real hurdles. Reisert specifically wanted to return to Ohio when he accepted Toledo’s job, so there’s no reason to assume he’d be eager to relocate again this quickly. Still, he’d be worth a call.
He also has only one season coordinating an FBS offense, which is fair to note. But the combination of play-calling experience, head-coaching background and repeated success building productive offenses makes him a candidate worth interviewing.
Nebraska’s situation adds another layer. The uncertainty around Matt Rhule could complicate any conversation, and these lower-level head coaches all have their own reasons to stay put.
But the Huskers also have plenty to sell. The defense, led by Rob Aurich, is good enough to compete with anyone, and the offense needs to do its part instead of constantly putting that unit in bad spots.
The chance to create complementary football is right there.
That’s why this hire matters so much. Nebraska has several possible ways to go, and Reisert is one of the coaches who has shown he can create productive offenses in different settings. The staff choice is critical for the Huskers and for Rhule, and it has to be the right one.
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Rutgers is dealing with its own personnel hit, with star wide receiver KJ Duff lost for the season, so both teams will be leaning on players who now have to do more than they were expected to do a week ago. For Nebraska, the bigger question is how quickly those replacements can settle in against an opponent that will be trying to test the spots where the Cornhuskers are thinnest. [Read more 🡒]