The Husker quarterback has worked hard all offseason and on his body and has been seeing the results he wanted of late.
Dylan Raiola accomplished something a lot of college dudes don’t over spring break. He came back trimmer.
Like nine or 10 pounds lighter, actually. It hasn’t been easy by any means.
«If I’m being honest, it sucks,» the Husker quarterback said Thursday. «I’m just being honest. It’s a constant grind every day. Sometimes you don’t see change right away. In this instance, a physical body standpoint doesn’t change in a day, it doesn’t change in a week, it doesn’t change in two weeks, not even three. There’s just the consistency of staying on it and keep going on it.»
Besides his own work, he credited the Husker strength and nutrition staff as key. And his dad, Dominic, has been heavily involved too.
«It’s been a team effort, but I feel amazing right now. Probably the best shape I’ve ever been in,» Raiola said.»I feel great.»
Raiola added that it was probably like week six or seven when things snapped and had his body more like he’d been working to get it too.
«Here we are, perfect timing, ready for spring ball,» he said.
Husker offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, when asked where he’s seen the quarterback advance since the Pinstripe Bowl, first brought up the change in Raiola’s body.
«We’re like, ‘OK, what are you doing for spring break?’ He came back five pounds lighter,» Holgorsen said. «So he’s really focused hard on his body physically. He feels good. And you guys know how it is. When your body is better and you feel good, it gives you confidence and you’re probably going to play a little bit better.»
During the winter the Nebraska quarterback boxed every day at 6 a.m. There’d be a team lift and then he’d run a mile. He’d come back later in the day with 20 more minutes of winter conditioning.
During spring break he lifted in the morning and then would get a cardio session and jump in the sauna at night. Raiola was also getting quarterback work in. Senior wide receiver Dane Key met him down in the Atlanta area and the two worked together at Buford High.
A tough journey, but Raiola thinks a lot of that conditioning work with jump ropes and the boxing-type training correlates well in helping with being nimble with his QB footwork too.
And, of course, being able to run and get a first down on some key third-and-5 in October.
«Absolutely,» Raiola said. «We got plenty of opportunities to run last year that were I got presented and didn’t. So that’s definitely a note in my head to kind of how I went about the offseason, getting things right, and then attacking it in order to run on those third downs or fourth downs … whatever it is. Keep the chains moving. Keep us on the field and put points up on the board.»