Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule Happy That Dylan Raiola Chose To Stay Put

It was highly possible that Raiola could leave the Nebraska program and enter the transfer portal. Yet Raiola did not do so, choosing to believe in Rhule and his plans for the future. Rhule is quite happy that his starting quarterback decided against leaving.

Dylan Raiola gives Nebraska Cornhuskers hope entering his second season with team

“Everyone reached out to him,” Rhule said during a June 11 appearance on "The Jim Rome Show," Sports Illustrated reported. “He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone into the portal and gone to someplace where he doesn’t have to do as much himself. But he chose to stick it out and fight. He came back and I’ve been excited to see where he’s at.”

As a freshman, Raiola threw for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. While those numbers weren't going to set the world on fire, it gave Rhule enough hope for a brighter sophomore season.

“Mentally from a football perspective, it comes really easy to him," Rhule said. "Where I see him growing is in the phases of leadership and the phases of mental toughness, handling adversity. And I think he’s going to have a great year.”

When Nebraska enters its new season, Raiola will aim to improve on his freshman statistics across the board.