Huskers Announce Coaching Staff Additions
Nebraska Head Football Coach Matt Rhule officially announced today the promotion of two assistant coaches to lead the Husker special teams, and the hiring of a defensive assistant.
Brett Maher will serve as Nebraska’s special teams coordinator, while Nick Humphrey has been named the co-special teams coordinator. Tyler Yelk will join the Husker staff as safeties coach after spending the past three seasons on the Philadelphia Eagles staff.
Maher and Humphrey were both a key part of Nebraska’s special teams’ success in the 2025 season. Nebraska connected on 16-of-19 field goals and allowed just 23 punt return yards. Maher and Humphrey also helped the Huskers rank among the nation’s leaders in several return and coverage categories.
“Brett Maher and Nick Humphrey are both rising stars in the coaching profession,” Rhule said. “Both Brett and Nick played an integral role in the dramatic improvement of our special teams last season, and they are prepared to coordinate these units. Our goal is to continue to have elite special teams play that contributes directly to winning football.”
Maher worked as a special teams consultant for the Huskers in 2024 and joined the Huskers as a full-time assistant in 2025. Maher helped kicker Kyle Cunanan make 61 of his 64 total kicks on the season, including 16-of-19 field goals. Maher also coached true freshman punter Archie Wilson, who allowed Nebraska opponents just 23 punt return yards, the fewest in 30 years.
Maher joined the Nebraska staff after a successful playing career. He spent five seasons in the NFL, where he made 80 percent of his career field goals. Among his 111 career field goals, 34 were from 50 yards or longer, including 34 from 50 yards or longer. In 2022, Maher set a Dallas Cowboys single-season kicking record with 137 points and led the league with 78 touchbacks. At the conclusion of his career, Maher held the record for most career 60-yard field goals. Prior to the NFL, Maher spent time in the Canadian Football League.
A Kearney, Neb., native Maher was a two-time Big Ten Kicker of the Year (2011 and 2012), and was the 2011 Big Ten Punter of the Year for the Huskers. He owns the Nebraska record with 119 points by kicking in 2012. Maher was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
Humphrey served as a special teams analyst in his first year with the Huskers in 2025. His contributions helped Nebraska rank ninth nationally in blocked punts in 2025, 10th in blocked kicks, 13th in punt return defense, kickoff returns and kickoff return defense and 15th in punt returns.
Humphrey joined the Huskers after serving as a special teams graduate assistant at Tennessee. The Vols’ strong special teams helped Tennessee to an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Humphrey was a linebacker at Tennessee from 2017 to 2022. He joined the Volunteers as a walk-on and developed into a key member of the special teams units. Humphrey played in 22 games at Tennessee and collected nine career tackles.
On defense, Yelk joins a new-look defensive staff led by first-year coordinator Rob Aurich. Yelk served as a defensive assistant helping the Eagles to an NFC East crown in 2025. The Philadelphia defense ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring defense and eighth in passing yards allowed per game.
“Tyler Yelk is an outstanding young coach with an expertise in the passing game,” Rhule said. “He has experience coaching at both the college and professional level and his familiarity with Coach Aurich and his defensive system make him a natural fit to join our defensive staff.”
Yelk first joined the Eagles in 2023 as an assistant to the head coach and helped the Eagles to a playoff appearance and an 11-6 record. In 2024, Yelk assisted on the defensive staff that led the Eagles to an NFL-record-tying 18 regular-season and postseason wins en route to defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX.
In 2024, Philadelphia ranked first in the league in total defense, passing defense, points allowed per game, opponent three-and-out percentage and forced fumbles.
Yelk’s time with the Eagles came following 14 seasons of experience at the collegiate level. In 2022, he coached the safeties at Idaho, on a defense that was led by Husker defensive coordinator Rob Aurich. The Vandals led the Big Sky Conference and ranked fifth in the FCS with 16 interceptions, while ranking third in the conference in pass defense.
Yelk worked at Temple from 2019-2021, coaching the safeties and nickels. He also had stints at Northern Illinois (2018), South Dakota (2016-17) and Western Illinois (2013-14). He began his coaching career at Minnesota-Duluth in 2009, and spent four years on the Bulldog staff, helping Minnesota-Duluth to a Division II title in 2010.
Yelk was an All-America defensive back at Minnesota-Duluth and finished his career as the program's career leader in tackles. Yelk was a teammate of Aurich with the Bulldogs.