Where Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola ranks in The Athletic's 2025 quarterback rankings
The list was compiled after the Athletic surveyed more than 40 coaches and staff members from across college football. The list relied on the coaches' and staffers' opinions on the quarterbacks they faced, how the QBs in their conference stack up, and who the best in the country is.
The rankings and tiers are based on a combination of coaches' perspectives, players' physical abilities and traits, career accomplishments to date, and a projection of what 2025 may hold for them. The quarterbacks are also ranked by conference and by their status: returning starter, transfer, or new starter.
For teams that haven't officially named a starter because they're still engaged in a quarterback battle, The Athletic ranked who they project to start based on information gathered to this point.
Raiola's rank of 40th also placed him in tier four, which categorizes quarterbacks as either being young, unproven starters with high potential or veterans who have flashed great talent but hit performance or injury speed bumps somewhere along the way.
The Athletic emphasized that while Raiola looked every bit of a five-star prospect last September, he hit a wall midway through his true freshman season. The duo also pointed out that Raiola didn't display top-end athleticism last year, leaving some in the sport wondering how high his ceiling is.
However, they pointed out that with Dana Holgorsen fully in charge of the offense, the hope is that Raiola will make a jump this season.
'Has a calmness, maturity, and swagger to him which you want out of your QB,' a Big Ten personnel staffer said. 'Think him continuing to get bigger, faster, stronger and leaner in the offseason can take his game to another level.'
Raiola started all 13 games for Nebraska in 2024, where he threw for 2,819 yards, the most by a freshman in program history. He also completed more than 67 percent of his passes (275-of-410), the best completion percentage by a freshman in school history.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Johnson Reflects on Last Season and Eyes Bigger Role for Tottenham
Brennan Johnson Reflects and Readies for a New Era Under Thomas Frank From Bilbao to Barbados and Back Again For Brennan Johnson, the journey from scoring the winner in the Europa League final to a summer stroll through the markets of Oistins in Barbados has offered both celebration and reflection. Now, as Tottenham Hotspur prepare for a new chapter under Thomas Frank, Johnson finds himself at the heart of it. Speaking to The Athletic, Johnson admitted the significance of last season. 'It's an amazing memory,' he said of lifting the trophy on his 24th birthday. The goal in Bilbao, which secured European silverware and cemented his name in club folklore, may have come with a fortunate bounce off Luke Shaw, but Johnson is adamant: he got the final touch. Yet, his story is not one of triumph alone. 'Last season was like a rollercoaster,' Johnson explained. 'There were so many different emotions. It taught me so much about football. Not just on the pitch but off it… It was an important season for my development.' Photo: IMAGO Growth, Goals and the Kudus Challenge Johnson's first year at Spurs was a mix of highs and quiet spells. Though he finished as top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions, there were matches where he drifted to the periphery. He is self-aware, however, and knows where the improvements lie. 'On the ball, I want to be better in one-v-one dribbling situations,' he admitted. 'Directness. More of a forward-thinking mentality… trying to get an overall better game.' That pursuit of growth now takes place within a refreshed system. Under Frank, Spurs have operated in a 4-2-3-1 throughout pre-season, with Johnson featuring on both flanks. His rivalry with new £50million signing Mohammed Kudus is likely to shape much of the upcoming campaign. 'I've been really impressed with him,' Johnson said of Kudus, who was one of the Premier League's standout dribblers last season. The Ghanaian adds Champions League experience and is another explosive threat in Spurs' forward line. But Johnson appears unfazed, valuing the depth and competition. 'It is what we need… We want to be in the Champions League every year.' Photo IMAGO Bonds with Son and Lessons from Frank Johnson's relationship with Son Heung-min, now departed, was central to his first season. From shared celebrations to donning boots designed by the South Korean forward, the connection extended beyond the pitch. 'I love Sonny,' Johnson said. 'He is a great guy… His career speaks for itself.' Frank's arrival has introduced a new culture, one Johnson clearly admires. 'Lots of people could respect how Brentford played,' he said. 'It shows what kind of development he can do.' The coaching group, including Justin Cochrane and new IDP coach Cameron Campbell, are also drawing praise. 'His drills are realistic to games,' Johnson said of Cochrane, noting how movement, finishing and instinct are now at the centre of his work. Photo: IMAGO Gibbs-White Saga and the Road Ahead One potential reunion that never materialised was with Morgan Gibbs-White. Spurs' approach sparked controversy and Forest's response included a Premier League complaint. 'I haven't (spoken to him),' Johnson said diplomatically. 'Morgan is a great guy… I wish him all the best.' That moment, and others, reflect how much Johnson has matured. His own journey, from Forest exit to European glory, from social media abuse to fan favourite, continues to evolve. And under Frank, there is a sense he's ready to go again. Our View – EPL Index Analysis Brennan Johnson remains one of the more intriguing players in the squad. He is not flashy in the traditional sense, nor always dominant over 90 minutes, but his numbers speak for themselves. He finishes well, works hard, and always seems to pop up at big moments. There's an honesty to Johnson that supporters appreciate. Hearing him reflect on the ups and downs of last season and still frame it as a vital part of his development shows a maturity that bodes well for what's next. The arrival of Mohammed Kudus will add competition, but not necessarily displacement. If anything, the variety in attacking options gives Thomas Frank more freedom to rotate without loss of quality. What's also clear is that Johnson is no longer just a winger. He can float across the front line and now seems to be embracing more responsibility. His ability to score with one touch, link up play and press relentlessly suits Frank's style perfectly. The next step will be improving his one-v-one dribbling and becoming more involved in games from start to finish. If he gets that right, Johnson won't just be part of Spurs' next era, he'll be one of its leading voices.
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Iowa football patiently awaiting injury return of key defensive cog
Iowa football is in the midst of its second week of fall camp. On Wednesday, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz caught up with longtime Hawkeye play-by-play voice Gary Dolphin to update how camp is going. Ferentz revealed that Iowa's defensive depth up front has been tested early in camp. "Up front, Jeremiah Pittman's been out. Unfortunately he's coming off a knee repair, so he's still probably a week or two away from going, but it's given other guys an opportunity to get in there and work some. "Obviously, Aaron Graves on one side's pretty solid and then you've got guys like Will Hubert's really done a good job growing, developing. Bryce Hawthorne, young man from South Dakota State's really been impressive. Luke Gaffney. So, we'll have candidates. It's going to be interesting to see how it all develops and we'll get Jeremiah back at some point. I think at the end of the day, that group's going to be fine," Ferentz said. Pittman, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound graduate defensive lineman, was listed as one of Iowa's two starting defensive tackles to begin the spring opposite senior Aaron Graves. Pittman played in all 13 games last season, registering 17 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The Palatine, Ill., product from St. Viator High School has notched 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery in his Hawkeye career thus far. Pittman has played in 26 games in his Iowa career and was a three-star signee per 247Sports in the 2021 class. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
The alpha College GameDay performance that got Tory Horton drafted
There's a reason the Seattle Seahawks drafted wide receiver Tory Horton despite him missing his entire senior season with injuries. Although he sat out 2024, he announced himself to the world in Week 3 of the 2023 Season on College GameDay. Sleeper Seahawks tweeted the highlights of his performance, which made them go semi-viral among Seahawks fan circles, to the tune of 63.6k Views in just under 24 hours. Those who remember the hype around Deion Sanders in his first year as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes will recall specifically how much coverage they received in the first month, while CU Boulder was still undefeated after pulling off a dramatic ranked win against No. 17 TCU and carving up one of their old-time Big XII rivals in Nebraska. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders were just announcing themselves to the national stage as well, so few were surprised when ESPN brought College GameDay to Boulder, even though their cross-state rivals in the Colorado State Rams were unusual for the spotlight as a Group of 5 team. However, the Rams had several players who would use the platform to become stars and go on to get drafted as well. Mohamed Kamara made life hard for Shedeur Sanders and company on offense in this game, and now is in his second year with the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him in the 5th Round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Tory Horton caught 16 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in this game, and truly exposed this Colorado team's notable weaknesses. He proved that despite all the momentum in the world, good teams are susceptible to a versatile receiver who can run the whole route tree. The same abilities that made him great in this game translate excellently to the NFL and fit perfectly in Klint Kubiak's new offense with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. All three receivers have the ability to play inside and outside WR positions which allows for shifts and motions that our past receivers weren't as advantageous running. The only wish I have for Horton's season is that he stays healthy. He's received great reports all offseason about his ability and can be the next longtime Seahawk WR as long as he can hold up in his talented yet slender 6'2 1/2" 196lb frame, because his athletic testing otherwise is off the charts (see the percentiles on his Relative Athletic Score here):
