Matt Rhule shares when he realized Nebraska could land Dylan Raiola

Sean Callahan of On3’s Husker Online called Dylan Raiola the biggest commitment for Nebraska since at least the 2005 cycle and it may take the No. 1 spot in the modern era. Signing a five-star quarterback was impressive enough for the Huskers but flipping Raiola away from Georgia was something else. The move was completed on Saturday, with Raiola officially signing his letter of intent.

Raiola announced his Nebraska commitment on Sunday after being a long-time pledge to Georgia. Head coach Matt Rhule revealed the process of a flip began the week prior after the quarterback reached out to Nebraska.

After taking some time to think about the decision and taking an official visit to Lincoln, Nebraska was the one to win out for Raiola.

“Really, it was last Sunday,” Rhule said when speaking to On3’s Andy Staples. “The week before it became official. He just reached out and say ‘Hey coach, my heart is there. I think I want to be there.’ I encouraged him to think about it. I didn’t want it to be anything emotional and wanted it to be for the right reasons.

“When I heard his reasons, how much Nebraska means to him and his family and what turning us to greatness would mean to him. I recognized that it was real. So, he came and visited. He and his family felt great about it and now he’s a Husker.”

Raiola played high school football at Buford (GA) High School, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 16 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Raiola is the first five-star prospect to sign with Nebraska since running back Marlon Lucky did back in the aforementioned 2005 class. He wound up having over 3,700 total scrimmage yards throughout his career and scored 26 touchdowns. Over a four-year career, it’s the type of return you would expect from someone rated that high coming out of high school.

This has the chance to be a bit different, though. Raiola is a quarterback and wants to be the person who turns around Nebraska around. His play can certainly elevate the program to a new level, hoping to compete in the Big Ten and on a national level.

But it all has to begin with winning out the recruitment. Rhule was able to seal the deal over a week span and make a serious splash for Nebraska.