Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule provided a very positive update on the current state of his star quarterback, Dylan Raiola. In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Rhule highlighted the maturity and mental toughness Raiola has developed after his first college football season, assuring that the young QB is in «such a good place.»
Rhule’s words, reinforced by a recent lunch encounter with Raiola, underscore a significant evolution in the player. «He is in such a good place,» Rhule affirmed. «He has so many eyes on him. He has the weight and pressure of an entire fan base, of an entire state, of a blueblood like Nebraska. First year you come in, to me if you’re a big-time recruit, it’s about learning how to handle the pressure, learning how to handle the frustrating moments. I think he did that really well. We had highs and lows. We finished the year on a real uptick.»
Raiola’s accumulated experience in 2024 is undeniable. With 856 snaps played, his time on the field significantly surpasses that of other high-profile quarterbacks in their freshman year, such as Florida’s DJ Lagway (490) or Texas’s Arch Manning (233). This deep immersion in the «full grind of a season» has been key to his development.
Rhule emphasized that Raiola had ample opportunities to leave via the transfer portal, with numerous programs reaching out to him. However, the young player chose to stay. «He could’ve taken the easy way out and left and gone in the portal and gone to some place where he could start over, maybe where he doesn’t have to do as much himself. But he chose to stick it out and fight and came back. I’ve been excited to see where he’s at,» the coach stated.
Beyond the field, Raiola is demonstrating his commitment to the community. At the time of the interview, the young QB was helping coach girls at the «She’s Got Game» flag football camp that Nebraska was proud to put on this summer. His increasing comfort speaking to the media this spring, discussing his growth as a leader from his Year 1 experience, has also been notable.
«Mentally from a football perspective it comes really easy to him but he’s worked so hard at it,» Rhule said on Rome’s show. «He knows everything inside and out. His body looks great. Tremendous shape. Where I see him growing is in the phases of leadership, in the phases of mental toughness, handling adversity. And I think he’s going to have a great year.»
Coming off a season in which he completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 2,819 yards, Raiola will aim to flip his TD/INT ratio more favorably after it ended 13/11 in 2024. Rhule is confident that learning from tough moments last season, such as the Ohio State game where he led a promising drive, will serve him well in the future. «You have to go through it so you inoculate yourself to it,» Rhule commented on the mental fortitude required to withstand the pressure of sports and life.
In a social media-driven world with soaring expectations for Nebraska football, Rhule concluded that his team’s mindset is clear: «If you want to get mentally tough, you have to do hard things. We are leaning into that fact here that we came to a place that hadn’t had success recently. We’ve made a couple small steps. We’re doubling down on the process and we want to make it great.»