Nebraska to fire offensive line coach Donovan Raiola

Nebraska is set to fire assistant coach Donovan Raiola, per Rivals’ Greg Smith and On3’s Pete Nakos. He’s been the offensive line coach for the Cornhuskers since 2022, and he’s also the uncle of sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola.

The move comes after there’s been rumblings of his nephew considering transferring away from Lincoln. Earlier in November, coach Matt Rhule stated he has no knowledge of anything that would lead him to believe that idea, which came from an earlier report from CBS Sports that there was “doubt” regarding the quarterback’s future with the Cornhuskers. 

“I haven’t seen that report,” Rhule said. “I haven’t seen that, so I don’t know anything about that. I would never get up here and talk about a player. I love Dylan like I love all my guys. He’s in there doing treatment right now. So I don’t know about that.”

Prior to Nebraska, Donovan Raiola coached with the Chicago Bears from 2018-2021. What’s next for the assistant coach remains to be seen, as it didn’t work out with Rhule’s bunch in the end.

Meanwhile, Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit, was in the midst his second season at Nebraska when he suffered a broken fibula on Nov. 1 against USC, which led to him being considered out for the remainder of 2025.

Prior to his injury, Raiola had thrown for 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns to six interceptions this season. Overall in his career as a Cornhusker, he has recorded 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions across 22 games. 

Moreover, Raiola played high school football at Buford (GA) and originally committed to stay in state and play at Georgia. However, he later flipped his commitment to Nebraska, where his father, Dominic, played center from 1997-2000. 

The report from CBS Sports also noted that Dayton Raiola, who is Dylan’s younger brother, recently decommitted from Nebraska. He also plays quarterback and is a three-star prospect for the 2026 cycle. In the meantime, it seems Raiola is focused on recovering from his injury. He had surgery is still on the mend, eyeing a return to the field for 2026.

More on Dylan Raiola, Nebraska Cornhuskers

Previously, Matt Rhule spoke on how Dylan Raiola has been handling the rehab process with his injury. The coach touched more on the mental aspect, and how he has been a help guiding the QB through those challenges. 

“I just keep encouraging him. I’m like, ‘Hey, journal, bro.’ Just write down everything right down,” Rhule said. “I think it’s one of the best things men can do, is to just write down every day how they’re feeling. What they’re going through, what they’ve learned in the good times and in the bad.

“When I told the team I was staying, I read off like the journal from the day I got fired in Carolina, what I thought was my darkest moment. (It was) just the way I felt. So you can’t be the competitor that he is and not have some tough days. At the same time, it’s an unbelievable opportunity for him to see football from another standpoint.”

— On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.