Dylan Raiola to visit Nebraska football, plus more Cornhuskers news

Originally posted on Husker Big Red | By Chris Peterson | Last updated Dec 12, 2023 9:45 AM ET

Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is expected to visit Nebraska football this weekend, plus more Cornhuskers news.

There was a sea change in the recruitment of Dylan Raiola over the past few days and it appears that Nebraska football is the beneficiary.

According to Sean Callahan of Husker Online, something happened with Georgia to open the door for Nebraska and all of a sudden on Monday, the Huskers were projected by Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports to flip the five-star quarterback.

Chad Simmons of On3.com also followed with a prediction for the Huskers, as did Callahan and Bryan Munson of Husker Online. So Raiola is trending hard to Nebraska football. According to Hayes Fawcett, Raiola will take an official visit to Lincoln this weekend which could seal the deal.

NEWS: Five-Star QB Dylan Raiola will take an Official Visit this weekend to Nebraska, a source tells mehttps://t.co/rG5ZTR7lfi pic.twitter.com/WSbUsbfSth

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 12, 2023

This visit is especially telling. Raiola was expected to enroll early, which means he could have started practicing with the Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 16 for their bowl game. The fact that he is expected to be on a plane to Nebraska tells you all you need to know.

If Raiola visits, I’d be stunned if he wasn’t a Nebraska Cornhusker.

Kyle McCord also projected to Nebraska

This fall happened while Kyle McCord, another former five-star quarterback, visited Lincoln. The Huskers are trending to land the former Ohio State and have received multiple crystal ball projections for McCord.

With Raiola coming in, as well as McCord, the Huskers could go from one five-star quarterback in McCord in 2024, to Raiola in 2025.

Daniel Kaelin will be in the mix as well. According to Pete Thamel, the Huskers will honor the scholarship of Kaelin. I hope that he still signs with Nebraska football, but that remains to be seen.

Sources: Nebraska coaches have communicated with in-state QB commitment Daniel Kaelin that they are again in contention for a commitment from Top 10 recruit Dylan Raiola, who is committed to UGA. Nebraska coaches have made clear that they still would honor Kaelin’s commitment.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 12, 2023

Early National Signing Day is eight days away.

Isaac Gifford and Bryce Benhart announce returns

In even more good news for Nebraska football, two starters from this past season announced their return for 2024. Isaac Gifford and Bryce Benhart both announced they will be back for another season.

Benhart was a third-team All-Big Ten selection. He made a drastic improvement this season and his return will shore up the right tackle spot. Gifford was elite on the back end of the defense. Both players could have futures in the NFL but will be key parts of the roster next season.

This article first appeared on Husker Big Red and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: