By Sean Labar
Nebraska Cornhuskers QB Dylan Raiola is supposed to be the savior — and despite an up and down freshman season in Lincoln — the former 5-star prospect is critical to the short term plan for Matt Rhule and the coaching staff.
Raiola’s sudden flip from Georgia to Nebraska last December ignited a fire into the Nebraska program that had been lacking for more than a decade. On the same day Carson Beck officially confirmed he will be returning to Georgia next year, the No. 6 recruit in the country by 247Sports Composite, officially flipped his commitment to come to Lincoln.
Raiola, who transferred to Buford (Georgia) High School ahead of his senior high school season, announced his intention to attend the alma mater of his father, Dominic Raiola. His uncle, Donovan Raiola is also a Cornhusker alum and the current offensive line coach.
“I firmly believe that Nebraska is in my blood,” Raiola told ESPN at the time. “It’s a great opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself. Nebraska is a special place.”
“I think it’ll mean a lot to bring it back,” Raiola said of Nebraska’s legacy. “Just because of the legacy of so many great players that have walked through that locker room that’s been established there — to keep doing what they established. … Just the history of the Nebraska football program. It’s not just another program.”
One of the biggest upsides for Raiola to come to Nebraska was the opportunity to start as a true freshman, but it hasn’t been a perfectly smooth ride during his first year as the Cornhuskers’ QB.
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In his first year of college football, Raiola has thrown for 1,921 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The offense has gone stagnant, especially as of late.
In a surprising move earlier this week, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield was demoted and replaced by former West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, who was just hired a week previously in an undisclosed advisory role.
One Nebraska Cornhuskers analyst believes the coaching change was made to keep Raiola happy, noting that other programs have almost certainly been tampering in an attempt to sway the young QB to transfer.
Nebraska Promoted Dana Holgorsen To Keep Dylan Raiola Happy Amidst Tampering
Robin Washut, a Nebraska analyst, shared some insight on why Rhule may have made the move to hire Holgorsen. He suggested that keeping freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola happy was one reason a move needed to be made.
“My two cents on it, if Matt Rhule didn’t make a move, the odds of Dylan Raiola not being here next season go up dramatically,” Washut said. “So I think that they had to do something. Bringing in a coach of Dana Holgorsen’s pedigree, his offensive background, the number of quarterbacks that he’s developed and taken to the next level, that is all of a sudden a much more appealing sales pitch for Dylan to stick it out here.”
Washut said other teams will be recruiting Raiola hard, trying to get him to leave Nebraska. He also suggested that the recruiting pitch to Raiola from other teams has already begun.
“I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that he and his camp have received tampering phone calls,” Washut said. “People are checking in to see if he wants to explore his options. I don’t know if they made this move just to appease Dylan, but maximizing Dylan Raiola is at the forefront of why Matt Rhule decided now is the time to do something.”
It’s abundantly clear Rhule knows the importance of Raiola to the success of the Cornhuskers moving forward and it’s no surprise he might be making moves now to ensure his star QB remains happy.
