With Dylan Raiola QB1, Nebraska football begins new chapter

The moment — an expected moment that’s been one of the worst-kept secrets in college football — came Wednesday morning with little fanfare. Instead of making the starting quarterback announcement a theatrical production, Nebraska Athletics’ post to X was as straight-laced as it comes.

“Dylan Raiola will start at quarterback for the Huskers vs. UTEP,” paired with Nebraska’s oft-used hashtags of #GBR and #WhatsNExt and a photo of Raiola throwing at practice on one of the outdoor fields at Nebraska’s facility.

No punctuation came at the end of the sentence, though there was an exclamation point tucked behind the hashtags.

This revelation shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s been the perceived leader in the clubhouse since the spring. Outside the building, we’ve all — myself included — talked about him like he had already been anointed the starter.

To Nebraska’s credit, the coaching staff gave the rest of the bunch a fair shake when answering questions publicly about Raiola. They were always complimentary of Heinrich Haarberg and Danny Kaelin, too, when Raiola was mentioned.

This is what Raiola came to Nebraska for. He wants to have the opportunity to bring Nebraska back into the national conversation. He’s been crystal clear on that from the beginning.

No longer a cog in some powerhouse machine, but a quarterback with an even grander ambition unseen.

Well, here we go. That journey toward grander ambitions begins next week with his first game against UTEP on Aug. 31, serving as the first Nebraska true freshman quarterback to start a season opener since Adrian Martinez in 2018.

It’s easy to get swept up in the hype and drink the Kool-Aid. The future is exciting.

Inversely, we are very aware of the past — try as some might to forget.

While we celebrate Raiola today, there’s plenty of space to give Haarberg his flowers, too.

The Kearney kid inherited an abysmal situation last season. Between the rash of injuries to what felt like everyone on offense and the plague of turnovers, he did his best to make the most of it. Was it perfect? No. Was it going to be? Considering former offensive coordinator Mark Whipple didn’t even include Haarberg in quarterback meetings in 2022? Nope.

Nevertheless, Haarberg wasn’t just a part of Nebraska’s offense last year — he was Nebraska’s offense. While it might be revisionist history, you can’t help but wonder what would have happened against Minnesota and Colorado if he was the starter all along. Would Nebraska have made a bowl game? I think yes, but it’s impossible to know for sure.

When it comes to Haarberg and Raiola, two things can simultaneously be true.

Raiola is the best quarterback Nebraska has, and Haarberg is one of the best athletes Nebraska has.

Nebraska’s coaching staff — namely head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield — have said previously that there’s always a place on the field for the team’s best athletes (as long as they don’t turn the ball over). Maybe there’s a wrinkle or two for the pair to co-exist, as Haarberg did in last year’s season opener.

The past can inform the future. In many ways.

For Nebraska, with Raiola, the future is exciting.

The future has a confident, poised, mature, 6–foot-3 talent in the pocket making the most complex throws look simple.

The future has an incredible pedigree. He’s the son of an All-American center, nephew of a Power 4 offensive line coach, the grandson of a college defensive lineman. He’s also the godson of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Don’t forget that Raiola is a 19-year-old. A teenager with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He should be afforded some grace when the need arises. He will make mistakes. It’s inevitable. No one is perfect. It’s one thing to be held accountable. It’s another to be under a microscope and overanalyzed by everyone with internet access.

Thankfully, he’s had plenty of brains to pick. Having Stafford and Patrick Mahomes on speed dial can’t hurt. Same with his parents, who are very well aware of the price of fame after his dad’s 14-year NFL career.

“I don’t really pay attention to expectations,” Raiola said on Aug. 2. “I just focus on everything I can do today, what I can control. I think our team will be really good this year, but we’ve just gotta keep working on getting better every day.

“I know it’s cliche to say, but that’s honestly our focal point. We can’t get to August 31st right now. There’s a process and there’s steps that have to be taken. We’re just super invested in that right now.”

Sounds like a guy who’s been around the block a few times, despite this being his first rodeo.

Getting Nebraska back to a bowl game? That should be a goal. Getting Nebraska’s offense back to being a strength rather than a detriment? That should be a goal. Maybe that comes with accolades this year. Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe that comes with getting Nebraska ranked for the first time since 2019. Maybe it doesn’t.

That’s also part of why the future is so exciting. We don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. We can try to make educated guesses and assume, but you know what they say about assuming.