Nebraska’s Kaelin, Raiola react to first 5 spring practices

When they first arrived on campus in January, that fact might’ve been apparent. But after several months of offseason work and now having gone through five collegiate practices, the freshman early enrollees hardly look the part anymore.

“We were watching them two days ago (in) practice four completing a bunch of balls and you sit there and forget sometimes that it’s Dylan and Danny’s fourth practice in college going against these guys,” co-offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said.

While offseason workouts and mat drills helped prepare Raiola and Kaelin for the physical demands of spring ball, taking live-action practice reps has created an adjustment period. When going from the high school level to college, defenders become quicker and the windows quarterbacks throw into shrink accordingly.

Alongside mastering the playbook, Raiola and Kaelin each said adjusting to the speed of the game has posed a challenge so far this spring.

“The speed is different and I definitely noticed that right off the bat,” Kaelin said. “It’s been cool to go through practices and I feel like every practice I can feel (myself) starting to get ingrained into it and get with the speed of the guys that have already been here.”

The more reps a player gets, the faster that learning process can occur — and that’s exactly why the Huskers have implemented the “Nebraska Spring League.” When the NU roster divides into three different teams during portions of its practice, the Bugeaters, Old Gold Knights and Rattlesnake Boys, both Raiola and Kaelin lead their offenses into 11-on-11 scrimmage action.

Because the action takes place simultaneously across Nebraska’s three practice fields, Satterfield said the freshmen are “ahead of schedule.” Quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas estimated that Raiola and Kaelin have each received 100 to 150 reps across the first five practices of the spring.

“It’s a lot of fun; you just want to play football,” Raiola said.

Developing as leaders is another key goal this spring for the freshmen quarterbacks, and Raiola wasted no time complimenting the offensive teammates he’s relied upon so far. Raiola said his offensive line excels at setting protections and his wide receivers “take the pressure off.”

Because of Nebraska’s three-team setup to the spring, the freshmen quarterbacks have become very familiar with the receivers they’ve spent the most time throwing to. For Kaelin, that’s redshirt freshman Jaidyn Doss and senior Isaiah Neyor, while Raiola identified sophomore Jaylen Lloyd and redshirt freshman Demitrius Bell as his top targets this spring.

Developing chemistry with every pass-catcher on the roster will take time — Nebraska has 17 receivers on its roster with only 11 going through the Spring League — but the scrimmage efforts have provided a strong foundation.

“I just try to take it day by day,” Raiola said of his goals for the spring. “…I don’t try to think too far ahead, I want to get the connection down with the guys and really just be around them. Get to know them and get comfortable with them, that’s the main focus.”

In addition to their on-field development, Raiola and Kaelin have been active learners in the meeting room according to Thomas. Because of Nebraska’s defensive system, which routinely disguises its coverages, Thomas said the quarterbacks could be stuck running a play which may not be a good fit against that specific defensive setup.

That challenge is a positive one, though, especially when the quarterbacks return to the film room afterwards. Seeing the corrections they need to make then implementing them in practice is the next step of the growth process according to Thomas.

“They’re coachable and they’re open to learning, (which) I think is the first step of getting better,” Thomas said.

Developing a full knowledge of the playbook and being able to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage will take time, but Kaelin is already feeling the benefits of the spring.

“Before I got here to now I’m a completely different player as far as knowledge of the game of football, and a lot of that’s come from coach Thomas,” he said.

A quarterback competition may be ongoing from now through the fall, but it comes with an atmosphere of togetherness according to Nebraska’s early enrollees. With five practices in the books and 10 more to go this spring, the competition — and the growth that comes from it — is far from over.

“We’ve all gotten a ton of reps this spring so far, so it’s been good to see what one guy’s doing and not only learn from each other and help each other, but also compete and try to do better than the guy next to you,” Kaelin said.