Nebraska Failed Dylan Raiola

What Run Game?

Raiola’s freshman season was uneven. He threw for 2,819 yards with 13 TDs and 11 INTs, numbers that reflect both promise and struggles. He started fast, accounting for nine touchdowns in the first five games, but the second half of the season told a different story. Over the final eight games, Raiola threw just four TDs and 10 interceptions as defenses adjusted and the margin for error vanished.

Despite having plenty of options had he entered the transfer portal, Raiola chose to return for his sophomore season.

“He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone into the portal and gone to someplace 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,” Rhule said.

That quote raises an important question. Why did Rhule believe Raiola would not have to do as much elsewhere? One answer lies in Nebraska’s ineffective running game. The Cornhuskers finished 92nd nationally in rushing at just 129.8 yards per game and ranked 82nd with only 35.1 rush attempts per contest. Asking a true freshman QB to carry an offense under those conditions borders on coaching malpractice. Shorter third downs and a consistent play-action threat could have allowed Raiola to thrive instead of survive. Pro Football Focus graded Nebraska’s run game as tied for fifth best in the conference, showing the offensive line could move defenders when the opportunity existed.

Did things improve in 2025 during Dana Holgorsen’s first full season as offensive coordinator? Barely. Nebraska climbed to 81st nationally by averaging 140.4 rushing yards per game and ranked 80th with 34.2 attempts per game. PFF still viewed the run game favorably at eighth in the conference, and the overall grade improved slightly from 69 to 70.5. The problem was never capability. It was commitment.

Expectation Management

Cornhusker Nation had every right to be over the top excited when Raiola committed and fans began dreaming of future national championships. Fan is short for fanatic, after all. The failure here was not optimism. It was expectation management, and that responsibility falls squarely on the Nebraska athletic department and the football coaching staff.

“He’s got so many eyes on him. He has the weight and pressure of an entire fanbase, of an entire state, of a blue blood like Nebraska,” Rhule said.

In today’s version of college football, public sympathy for a player making seven figures is limited. That reality makes comments like this even more damaging. A head coach cannot publicly frame a young QB as the carrier of an entire program’s hopes, especially on a national platform. Statements like that only intensify the pressure and place the QB in an almost impossible position to meet expectations.

Those comments also contradicted Rhule’s message when Raiola arrived on campus before the 2024 season. At the time, he told his quarterback not to worry about being a five-star recruit and to simply play ball. That approach should have continued. Raiola should have been framed as one piece of the rebuild rather than the focal point, with growing pains accepted and celebrated as part of the process.

Closing Thoughts

The talent that made Raiola a top high school recruit has not disappeared. His arm strength, instincts and upside will make him one of the most sought-after QBs in the transfer portal. While money drives many decisions, Raiola’s next choice should be about fit as much as finances. He needs a coaching staff with a proven track record of developing QBs and an offense built around his strengths rather than one that asks him to carry everything on his own. If he lands in the right situation, Raiola still has time to grow, rebound and show why the hype existed in the first place. Do that and the path back to the biggest stage remains open, the one occupied by his lookalike idol in Kansas City.