Matt Rhule raves about growth of Dylan Raiola as quarterback, leader

Dylan Raiola enters his second season as Nebraska‘s starting quarterback in 2025. Thrown into the deep end as a true freshman last year, Raiola is now being looked at as a leader on head coach Matt Rhule’s squad this fall.

The Huskers headman spoke highly of his sophomore quarterback at Big Ten Media Days. Rhule said that he wouldn’t have brought Raiola, one of four players on-hand in Las Vegas to speak on behalf of his team, as one of the if he wasn’t one of the team’s leaders on and off the field.

“He’s done a great job with his body. He’s done a great job with his knowledge of the offense, his growth with Glenn Thomas, our quarterback coach, and Dana Holgorsen, our OC,” Rhule said at the podium on Tuesday.

“His command of the roster, of the team, make no mistake, it’s really hard to come in as a freshman with tremendous expectations and have to go be the leader. You’re 18 years old, and you’re telling six-year seniors now and telling 25, 24-year-old men, ‘Hey, I need you to do this.’ It’s so hard. What Dylan did last year was really hard.”

Raiola helped lead Nebraska to a 7-6 season in 2024, which saw the team qualify for a bowl game for the first time since the 2016 season. That was the longest postseason drought in Lincoln since the 1950s. He went on to throw for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Coming out of high school, Raiola had his pick of the litter when it came to universities looking to gain his services. He was once committed to both Ohio State and Georgia. Rhule ultimately got him to flip after selling him on the notion that he could help turn the program around — not to mention family ties. Dominic Raiola, Dylan’s father, played for the Huskers himself during his college days.

“If not (Nebraska), you go play on the best team in the country, which is pretty cool, and every once in a while they need you to make a throw to win the game, and then you go to the NFL, and the worst team in the worst city drafts you, and now you have to deal with all this adversity,” Rhule said. “I said, come to Nebraska. It’s going to be hard. There will be adversity. You’ll be frustrated sometimes, but we will eventually do something great.”

With just one season under his belt, Raiola learned from his freshman growing pains and is a better leader for it. Rhule sees his QB1 embracing this role heading into the fall.

I think our team is going to play for Dylan,” he said. “And I love coaching the kid — young man.”