Director of athletics Susan Elza is leaving UIL to join Matt Rhule’s staff at Nebraska

© Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/TNS Argyle superintendent Dr. Telena Wright (center, right) receives the Class 4A UIL Lone Star Cup from UIL director of athletics Susan Elza during halftime of the Frisco Independence game at Eagle Stadium in Argyle, Texas, October 21, 2022. The Cup, awarded annually to the six classifications, is based on their team’s performance in district and state championships.

Susan Elza said Sunday afternoon that she is leaving her job as the University Interscholastic League’s director of athletics to become the chief of staff at Nebraska for new head football coach Matt Rhule.

Elza said her last day will be Tuesday. She posted a message on Twitter thanking the UIL.

Elza was hired to be the UIL’s director of athletics in 2015 and was the first woman to hold that position. She replaced Mark Cousins, who moved into a new role as UIL director of compliance, eligibility and education for the state’s governing body for high school athletics.

Before joining the UIL, Elza was the executive director of athletics at Northwest ISD and served as assistant athletic director of Allen ISD. She was also a head softball coach in Garland and Allen.

It is the second big-name hire from Texas for Rhule in the last month. On Dec. 30, Arlington Martin head coach Bob Wager announced that he had accepted an assistant coach’s job at Nebraska and would coach tight ends and special teams.

Wager won 210 games as a head coach, and he was at Martin from 2006 to 2022. He was also a head coach at Tolar, Groveton and Kaufman.

On Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter

©2023 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.