I do not care that Matt Rhule has not yet officially named Dylan Raiola as Nebraska’s starting quarterback for the UTEP game.
I’ve seen a lot of people – fans and media – wondering when it will be announced and growing impatient at the perceived delay.
Who cares? Do we need Rhule to announce that Ben Scott will start at center? Or Ty Robinson at defensive tackle? Maybe the head coach can tell us that the sky is blue, or that the 1995 team was the greatest of all teams.
We all know Dylan Raiola will start against UTEP on Aug. 31. And, if the football gods are willing, he’ll start every game until he graduates or leaves for the NFL.
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The hardest part is keeping expectations in check.
A freaking five-star quarterback. The rollercoaster recruitment that led to the biggest signing since Tommie Frazier. The Patrick Mahomes comparisons. The same jersey number as Frazier and Mahomes.
The never-ending (and often ridiculous) hype is hard to avoid.
But what if Dylan Raiola really is THAT good? Heck, what if he’s merely a step up from what Nebraska’s three quarterbacks produced a year ago? The combined 2023 stats of Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg, and Chubba Purdy (136 of 261 (52%) for 1,631 yards, with 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions) seems pretty attainable, right?
I don’t want to paint the kid into a corner with “he should throw for X yards with Y touchdowns and a TD:INT ratio of Z”. That’s not fair to him, nor is it based on anything realistic when most of us don’t really know what the offense will look like.
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To their credit, Matt Rhule and the Nebraska program have been trying to keep the hype train in the station. Any time Husker coaches are asked a question about Raiola, they spin the answer to include the other quarterbacks on the roster. It’s still an open competition, people!
Raiola has been, at best, a minor character in the “Chasing 3” video series. Outside of a tweet announcing this addition to the “Polynesian CFB Player of the Year Watchlist”, Raiola is almost never singled out on NU’s social media. His picture occasionally shows up in post-practice tweets, but he’s one of a handful of images. I didn’t count, but he probably doesn’t have as many appearances as Haarberg or other teammates.
These are obviously intentional decisions to keep the true freshman out of the spotlight for as long as possible.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been debates inside the football offices on when – or if – Rhule should announce Raiola as the starter. Pro: It will get talked about by the national media, which is good for NU. Con: That talk takes the expectations and hype up another notch.
But here’s the thing: eventually, the Hype Monster is going to break out of the cage. Nebraska is becoming a trendy dark horse pick for the College Football Playoff. It is easy to dream up a number of exciting scenarios in the dog days of late August when October’s flaws have yet to be discovered.
I have no doubt that Dylan Raiola will be ready to lead the offense against UTEP and beyond. But how prepared is he to handle the fishbowl that comes with being the starting quarterback – and perceived savior – of the Nebraska Cornhuskers when adversity comes?
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My fellow fans, we need to be prepared for a scenario where Raiola struggles in a game and sits out for a series or two. I know, I know: that is a blasphemous thing to suggest. But it is not realistic to expect a true freshman quarterback to go through a season without experiencing some bumps in the road.
If Raiola struggles or sits, that shouldn’t be a cause for panic. And it shouldn’t signal the start of a quarterback controversy. It’s a fairly common – and perfectly natural – progression in the development of a young quarterback.
When the rough patches happen, I’ll be placing my confidence in quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas. Thomas has a long and successful career developing quarterbacks. I trust in his ability to keep a few mistakes from snowballing into a Sims-ian collapse.
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I have no idea what to expect from Dylan Raiola in his freshman season.
I cannot wait to see how good he will be on Aug. 31. And, more importantly, see how much better he can get before the November stretch run.
In between, I think we’ll be able to see the confidence his coaches have in him based on what he is asked to do. For example, what throws will he be asked to make? Will they want him to keep it simple and/or safe? Or will they give him the freedom to showcase his arm and accuracy?
Will offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield ask him to run a quicker tempo? Helmet communications will make it easier to get the play in, but that’s still a lot of quick processing for anybody, let alone a true freshman.
Mostly, I’m just looking to enjoy the ride with Raiola under center (or in the shotgun).
Some of my favorite moments of the last 15 seasons were the freshman phenom seasons of Taylor and Adrian Martinez. It was such a joy to watch them explode onto the scene with a mix of raw athleticism and a “nobody told me I’m not supposed to be this good this soon” ignorance.
My biggest hope for this season is that we’ll get to have another breakout game where we can all look back and say “That game. That’s when we knew he was special.”
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