Dylan Raiola on bowl prep, peer recruiting and the QB1 impacting the community

It was a whirlwind for Dana Holgorsen when he came to Lincoln to try helping his old buddy Matt Rhule fix Nebraska’s offense after the loss to UCLA in November.

Part of that whirlwind was getting to know his personnel. There was a head-spinning amount of names to learn on top of everything else. One name he didn’t have trouble learning, though, was his true freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola.

As one would imagine, that one would be easy.

Holgorsen got a good idea of what Raiola can do on a football field during the final three games of the regular season. But Nebraska’s offensive coordinator continues to learn about his young quarterback during December’s bowl practices.

What’s stood out the most to the OC?

“Just his intelligence. It never ceases to amaze me,” Holgorsen said Thursday during a Pinstripe Bowl press conference via Zoom.

Holgorsen has great respect for Nebraska quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas, so when Holgorsen sits in on those quarterbacks meetings, he sees and hears Thomas drilling his quarterbacks with questions. He’s testing them to see what the signal callers know.

If you get this coverage, where are you going with the ball?

If you see this front, where are you sliding your protection?

Raiola aces those tests from Thomas.

“Dylan’s always got the right answer,” Holgorsen said. “And I’ve never been around a freshman quarterback that has those answers. I’ve been around freshmen in general that are playing at a high level, but not to the point to where they understand those questions.”

Considering Raiola’s family, Dylan’s football knowledge being as good as it is isn’t necessarily surprising. After all, Dylan has been growing up in a football locker room his entire life thanks to his dad’s NFL career.

“You can tell that dad Dominic and uncle Donnie were probably putting that kid in a film room and showing him a bunch of video when the kid was like 10 or whatever it was,” Holgorsen said with a laugh.

Part of that football knowledge includes how Raiola operates outside the white lines.

Nebraska’s starting quarterback knows the pull he has in regard to high school recruits and transfer portal targets. Many players from around the country know of the former 5-star, and some want to play with him.

Ask a couple of the receiver commits in the 2025 class — Cortez Mills and Isaiah Mozee — and they’ll tell you part of the reason they chose Nebraska in the recruiting process is because they wanted to catch passes from Raiola.

So on top of bowl prep for Boston College, Raiola has continued to wear the peer recruiting hat as well. He’s been busy.

“I think he’s at like every dinner when all these kids come in for the transfer portal visits,” Holgorsen said. “I think he’s there most of the time because he understands the importance of getting guys in here that can help us win.”

Everyone who’s planning on sticking around at Nebraska for the 2025 season has a goal in mind — to win more football games than what’s been done before around these parts. To accomplish that, the Huskers need good players with experience.

Raiola understands this, so he’s doing what he can to help.

“In order to get where we want to get, we gotta get good players,” Raiola said on the Zoom. “And in that process now of portal guys coming in, just going to dinner and hanging out with them. You try to get to know them before they get on their visit so you know a good bit about them. But it’s been fun and definitely a priority.”

But all of the bowl prep and all of the transfer portal visits hasn’t stopped Raiola from something else: making an impact in his community.

On Wednesday Raiola traveled to to Louisville High School to hang out with young kids who look up to him. That’s true QB1 stuff right there.

“I believe in giving back to the community and never forgetting where I came from,” Raiola said. “I was that kid that was looking up to Tua Tagovailoa growing up, Bryce Young, all those guys. So it’s a blessing to be in the position that I am in here in Nebraska.”

During his appearance at the press conference, Raiola flashed his wrist, which had a bracelet the Louisville students made for him.

“I just wanted to get back out, give back to the community, especially during the holiday season, to just kind of hang out, take a complete step away from football,” Raiola said. “And to go be a kid for myself. Go be a kid and hang out with other kids. And it was fun. I had a great time.”