Matt Rhule hints at Dylan Raiola returning to Nebraska with Year 3 expectations

As Nebraska waits to find out what the future holds for talented quarterback Dylan Raiola this offseason, coach Matt Rhule has weighed in again. He outlined his expectations for the second-year star.

First and foremost, recovering from the injury that ended his 2025 season is key for Raiola. He can’t help anyone if he’s hurt.

“My expectation (for Dylan)?” Rhule said when asked in a press conference. “I think Dylan’s at a place right now where — you’re going through a hard time when you’re injured. What I’ve encouraged him to do is embrace it and attack it. Let it hurt. Let it hurt that you’re not out there playing and consistently write down every single day, what are you learning and what do I need to do?”

If Dylan Raiola can attack the offseason one day at a time, he’ll be in position to make a big jump next season. Of course, whether he’ll do it at Nebraska or elsewhere remains to be seen.

For his part, Rhule was focused on what’s in front of him for the time being. That’s developing Raiola at every turn.

“Dylan made tremendous progress from Year 1 to Year 2, but there’s progress that needs to be made moving forward,” Rhule said. “I want to see him own that. It can’t be Corey (Campbell), it can’t be Kristen (Coggin), it can’t be me, it can’t be Glenn (Thomas). I want to see him take it and run with it, even in this time.”

Dylan Raiola threw for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman in 2024. He threw 11 interceptions. He improved his touchdown-to-interception ratio quite a bit this season.

This year, Raiola threw for only 2,000 yards but threw 18 touchdown passes against just six interceptions. The offense was showing signs of becoming much more explosive.

If Nebraska wants to get to the next level, it needs Dylan Raiola to unlock his full potential. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

“Dylan’s a tremendous worker. He loves to work at those things,” Rhule said. “But I want to see him make a jump. This is Year 3 coming up for him and he’s got to become the quarterback that we all know he can be. That, honestly in my opinion, we’ll help him, but that falls on his shoulders and I’m anxious to see him do it.”