Dylan Raiola will have to work for the starting QB job at Nebraska
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Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has absolutely revitalized the Nebraska fan base.
The Cornhuskers have been looking for a “savior,” and outside of new head coach Matt Rhule, Raiola likely provides them the most hope. According to 247Sports, Raiola was a five-star quarterback, ranked as the No. 2 player at his position in 2024.
Raiola was originally committed to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia, but he flipped his commitment to the Huskers at the last minute before signing day, becoming the biggest Nebraska commitment in quite some time.
There’s undoubtedly pressure on Rhule to start Raiola right off the bat, especially if his talent matches up with his recruiting rankings, but the Huskers head coach is preaching patience this spring.
In fact, he’s more interested in setting up competition for Raiola alongside another freshman, Daniel Kaelin, and redshirt junior Heinrich Haarberg.
Right now, per Rhule, it’s anybody’s job.
“I want the quarterbacks to feel like they have the race and all of a sudden I want the other guy to come along and try to challenge him,” Rhule recently said (h/t On3). “I think it’ll elevate all of us. And then when we know we know, but I wouldn’t anticipate us saying hey, this guy is the starter like today, you know? Because I thought all three quarterbacks went out there and said, hey, I can be the starter and that’s my challenge for the players is don’t worry about where you stand.”
Raiola, a true freshman, is undoubtedly the quarterback fans want to see right away, but don’t count out the experience of Haarberg. He was often injured in 2023, but he still started eight games for the Huskers, leading them to a 5-3 record in that stretch.
He threw for 967 yards and seven passing touchdowns with seven interceptions. Albeit at the high school level, Raiola threw for 2,819 yards and 34 touchdowns with just one interception.