When you get the starting QB job, your life can go 2 ways: 1. You prove to be a solid asset to the team, or 2. You give 2 or 3 brilliant games and then fade into obscurity. But things get a bit interesting when you add the “True Freshman starting QB” title to the mix. Let’s look at Dylan Raiola. Nebraska’s best bud, but to the media? A punching bag with a “Mahomes copycat” tag. When sat through all 13 Huskers games, and if we are being honest? After the first 3, Raiola’s charts started tanking faster than Kanye’s music after Donda. Now, let’s be honest here – was Raiola overextended? Yes. Did he have way too much expectation on his shoulders? YES. So when you sum it all up, who do you blame for Nebraska’s downfall?
Matt Rhule for overusing the kid or Raiola for tanking the Huskers? “You know, obviously the expectations, and you know what we wanted or needed him to do, and to be quite honest, he did a lot of that. You know, as a true freshman, you lose sight of a lot of times. You know? Stepping into that environment… And the things that he was able to accomplish were super, super positive, and I think he can build upon it in the future,” Huskers QB coach Glenn Thomas pointed out. There is a pretty old saying: “Hate the game, not the player.” This entire Raiola fiasco after Huskers 7-6 made us think that this 19 y/o freshman is the exact product of that proverb.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA – SEPTEMBER 7: Dylan Raiola #15 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers takes the field against the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium on September 7, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
To say that Raiola didn’t do his best would be a lie. Take the Colorado game. This kid was out here dodging those big Buffs D-line with ease while also making solid deep shots. Now, will we excuse the lackluster show he put up against UCLA or Iowa? Absolutely not. His failures are his own, but that does not typecast him as a “bad player”.
Raiola was still on that ground despite his injuries. H-ll the whole of Reddit went bonkers with theories around the QB’s health: “The decline in his play is clear. We all see the lack of confidence in the pocket, lack of decision making with downfield throws, almost inexplicable loss of arm strength & accuracy.”
We still think that Brady Quinn put up the perfect defense for Raiola: “I started as a freshman, so I think people underestimate how difficult that is.” The kid had his issues, but in Year 1 the objective was just getting to know the veterans and the game, and honestly? He did fine. Now that Rhule is finally building a proper squad around Dylan Raiola, what are people fussing about?
Dylan Raiola can never be 240
You see, not too long ago, a sudden revelation managed to shake up Huskers’ Nation. A snapshot of Raiola in a tight jersey made the fans question whether the Huskers QB is a little “too healthy” for Year 2. This followed by some fans misquoting Rhule and his comments led to a whole new trolling conquest against Dylan Raiola.
“I felt really bad. I thought it was poor on some people’s part. If you went back and listened to what I said, ‘He knows he can’t be 240.’ I didn’t say he was 240,” Rhule had clarified later on. This whole incident ran buckwild on subreddits and X, and this is the exact problem we pointed out before.
People expect way too much. “You know he’s still 19, right? He’s still figuring things out; he’s still a kid, but you can feel his presence a little more, right?” Dylan’s father, Donovan Raiola, pointed out. We understand the frustrations fans feel about the quarterback. After all, a good or bad quarterback can make or break a whole team.
But Raiola is still learning. Based on all the things he has experienced in Year 1, the 2025 conquest should be a new chapter for him. All he needs to do is cut down on copying Mahomes and be Raiola. That’s all.
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