Nebraska fans won’t have to wait long to see Dylan Raiola in action.
The Cornhuskers have named Rivals’ No. 1 quarterback of the Class of 2024 their starting quarterback for their season opener against UTEP on Aug. 31.
Raiola’s main competition for the job was Heinrich Haarberg, who posted lackluster numbers across 10 games last season. Nebraska went 5-7 that season, head coach Matt Rhule’s first with the program, and will now turn the page to what it hopes is a resurgent chapter.
In Raiola, the Huskers got a legacy in addition to the top quarterback of the class (No. 2 overall behind Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith). Raiola’s father Dominic was a Rimington Trophy-winning center at Nebraska from 1998 to 2000 and went on to play 14 seasons with the Detroit Lions. Landing Raiola wasn’t a simple task, though, as the teenager initially committed to Ohio State before decommitting, picking Georgia, then flipping to Nebraska in December.
Raiola started impressing as soon as he entered campus, with spring practice culminating in a spring game where he threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing.
His momentum continued into fall camp, with quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas singling out his leadership in addition to his talent, via Rivals:
“I think there’s a confidence that you hear in tone of voice and being vocal,” Thomas went on to say. “Maybe somebody runs the wrong route, you let ’em know. Or just the confidence of maybe a protection call or, hey, let’s challenge [starting center] Ben Scott on a call, ‘Hey, this is what I see. I want to do this.'”
Now, Raiola gets the not-insignificant task of leading Nebraska back to the glory days.
The Huskers haven’t finished the season ranked in the AP Poll since 2012, a span of time that includes the disastrous Mike Riley and Scott Frost tenures. Hope remains that Rhule, a former NFL head coach who previously received praise for resuscitating Baylor, can turn out differently.
Nebraska is heavily favored for the UTEP game, but will get its first challenge against Colorado in Week 2. After that, it’s Northern Iowa to finish out the non-conference schedule then a very different Big Ten slate, with ranked opponents currently consisting of Ohio State, USC and Iowa.
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