Nebraska coach Matt Rhule: QB Dylan Raiola 'could have taken the easy way out' and entered transfer portal
According to Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, QB Dylan Raiola was a hot commodity among other schools this offseason.
In a Tuesday appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Rhule said that 'everyone' reached out to Raiola after his freshman season with the Huskers. Those inquiries could have been a reason why Raiola posted to social media in December that he was 'all-in' at Nebraska.
'He is in such a good place,' Rhule said of Raiola. 'He's got so many eyes on him. He's got the weight and pressure of an entire fanbase — an entire state — of a blue blood like Nebraska. First year, you come in, to me, if you're a big-time recruit, it's about learning how to handle the pressure. Learning how to handle the frustrating moments. I think he did that really well. Highs and lows. He finished the year on a real uptick.'
'And everyone reached out to him. He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone into the portal and gone to someplace where he could start over where he doesn't have to do as much himself. But he chose to stick it out and fight. He came back and I've been excited to see where he's at.'
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Raiola was the top pro style QB in the class of 2024 and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Georgia. He originally committed to Georgia but flipped and signed with Nebraska in December of 2023 to play at the same school where his father Dominic and uncle Donovan were offensive linemen. He was also the highest-ranked recruit to sign for Nebraska in at least two decades.
Raiola started right away for the Huskers in 2024 and showed flashes in his first season. Over 13 games, he was 275-of-410 passing for 2,819 yards with 13 TDs and 11 interceptions. After three multi-TD games over the first four games of his college career, Raiola threw just five touchdown passes over nine games the rest of the season.
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