rust vs c: future of systems programming

Hi guys, I have a question regarding a paper that I’m undertaking in relation to low-level development. Hypothetically speaking what if Linux was written in rust as opposed to C? What advantages would it have? Would it a difference performance/ security wise? I know that the question is redundant but if Rust was available back then would it have been a viable option to develop Linux? As I know that C has always been the choice for low-level development due to it ‘doing everything well’, but rust also has many benefits which have been highlighted by developers. Thank you for assistance.

Naf