OMAHA, NE— Expectations are high for Nebraska heading into the 2025 college football season, with sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola at the helm. Under the guidance of head coach Matt Rhule, the Cornhuskers aim to contend for a College Football Playoff (CFP) spot in a fiercely competitive Big Ten conference.
Rhule has been impressed with Raiola’s growth, both on and off the field.He knew it would take a special player in Rialoa to help build something special with Nebraska football. The offseason from first year to sophomore year would be crucial in his regular development and elevation of his play on the field.
“He did a great job with his body,” Rhule told Nitecast Media. “He did a great job with his knowledge about the offense, his development with Glen Thomas, our quarterback coach, and Dana Hogassen, our OC [offensive coordinator]. His command of the roster of the team is great.”
Rhule emphasized the unique challenges Raiola faced as a freshman with immense expectations. “Make no mistake, it’s really hard to come in as a freshman with tremendous expectations, and have to go be the leader. You’re 18 years old, and you’re having to tell six-year seniors now with the rules. You know, 24- 25-year-old men, ‘hey, I need you to do this’. It’s so hard. So what Dylan did last year was really hard.”
He also spoke about the adversity that Raiola has faced as a highly-touted recruit.
“The thing to me, when you’re a five-star quarterback, like you probably breezed through high school, you haven’t had a lot of adversity. Every time you go somewhere, people talk about how great you are. And when I recruited Dylan, I said, ‘Hey, come help me turn around Nebraska football, man, it’s gonna be hard. ‘ And doing something hard is how we become great.“
Embracing challenges will be key to Nebraska’s success, according to Rhule, as he believes in Raiola’s ability to lead the offense to rewarding opportunities.
“What I’ve seen from him, his maturity, he now embraces when he’s frustrated. He embraces when things aren’t going well, and he’s the one going back to the ownership I talked about instead of saying, This guy’s gotta do better. He puts it on himself. He says, I’ll fix this. So I think our team is gonna play for Dylan, and I love coaching the kid.“
Nebraska and Raiola will face a gauntlet of tough opponents this season, including Michigan, USC, Penn State, and Iowa, as they navigate through the challenging Big Ten conference.
