Sehnert high on QB Raiola after Husker spring game

The storylines were compelling. Two freshmen quarterbacks were taking the field at Memorial Stadium for their first time in an annual tradition of a spring contest called the Red-White game. The second-year coach stood on the sidelines taking in the atmosphere of a 60,000+ red-clad crowd wanting to see what the program’s future might look like.

Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola and Nebraska native Daniel Kaelin did not disappoint this past Saturday at the spring game.

One of those surveying the action on Saturday was Nick Sehnert, a recent University of Nebraska Journalism College graduate and current radio personality at 93.7 The Ticket. He shared some observations and opinions at Monday’s Executive Club luncheon in downtown Lincoln at the Graduate Hotel.

“Definitely want to talk about the spring game this week and, man-oh-man, Dylan Raiola! Should we just start there?” beamed Sehnert, who happens to be a Lincoln native and self-admitted long-time Husker fan. “Because I think essentially enough we can all agree that after seeing Saturday’s performance, that Dylan (Raiola) is probably the starter, right?”

Raiola completed 16 of 22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. Kaelin went 9 of 16 passing for 91 yards with an interception. Six quarterbacks in all played in the spring game, and all of the signal callers played for both the Red and White teams with the White securing a 25-21 victory. The myriad of quarterbacks on both teams threw for 561 yards and four touchdowns on 37 of 60 passing.

Running the ball did not come as easy for the offenses, totaling 170 yards on 37 carries.

“Dylan Raiola stole the show on Saturday. There was a lot of comparisons to Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. I think that’s a little premature if you’re asking me,” said Sehnert in hearing hype from fans, friends and the media. “Dylan Raiola is not winning Super Bowls right now. Frankly, Dylan Raiola needs to worry about not turning over the football. I think that’s the biggest thing.

“Dylan is definitely a guy that has his head on his shoulders. Through conversations with Dylan and through conversations with Matt Rhule, I’m hearing that he’s a guy that is very mature for his age but yet, as I pointed out, just a freshman, just a true freshman. That growth from high school to the college game can certainly be a leap.”

And speaking of making leaps, Sehnert believes even though Raiola may have a leg up on the competition at quarterback, he does not believe that Kaelin or Heinrich Haarberg, last year’s starter in five games, are that far removed from the pace that Raiola may have established.

“It doesn’t seem as wide this season. We saw it on Saturday, and granted, it’s a very small sample size,” Sehnert hypothesized. “You think back to previous years, and even before Matt Rhule, in that the gap between the starter and the backup was so drastic.”

Sehnert provided examples from the past in comparing the gap between Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey in 2019 and even further back between Taylor Martinez and Ryker Fyfe in 2013. Sehnert said he thinks Husker fans should feel a lot better about the quarterback competitiveness in 2024.

Another new look for Husker fans to follow this year, according to Sehnert, is an offensive philosophy that will feature quarterback decision-making that may allow much more success as it puts added pressure on the opponent’s defense.

“Through conversations with Matt (Rhule) and all the coaches including Marcus Satterfield, I think you’re going to see a lot more of this RPO style of offense. It’s run-pass-option,” Sehnert explained. “What you need to run this is two things. Number one, you need a good running game, and you need a quarterback to be able to make lightning-fast decisions,” he said while snapping his fingers.

“Nebraska hasn’t had either one of those in the last five years. You feel like maybe they do this year,” Sehnert said, referring to Raiola.

Sehnert said Nebraska has a deep, talented running back room to take the pressure off of the quarterbacks. He thinks sophomore Dante Dowdell, a transfer from Oregon, will be making an impact along with sophomore Emmett Johnson. He also listed senior Rahmir Johnson and junior Gabe Ervin Jr. as key ball carriers for the Huskers.

But Sehnert still reflected back to what he sees as the key to the future prospects of Nebraska football.

“So, when you look at Dylan Raiola there’s a lot of expectations, and Saturday’s performance certainly didn’t temper them at all. But Dylan Raiola is going to be the face of this program for years to come, and you’re going to be a pretty big fan of that,” he said to a captivated audience.

The author, Tim Brusnahan, is program chair for the Lincoln Executive Club and employed by Lincoln Data Centers.