Nebraska QB Raiola is looking poised for a breakout season

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola is looking poised for a breakout season

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 9:25 PM ET

Dylan Raiola was perhaps more known for his impressions of Patrick Mahomes as a freshman at Nebraska last season than he was for any actual "quarterbacking" he did.

That is, of course, the perspective from outside of Nebraska. In the state, there probably hasn't been a quarterback with so much pressure on him to succeed with the Huskers since Adrian Martinez or perhaps even Taylor Martinez (no relation).

Expectations are high for the former five-star recruit, but head coach Matt Rhule recently revealed that the young quarterback is in a good spot heading into his second season in Lincoln.

Raiola had an up-and-down freshman campaign, throwing for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, but he handled that roller coaster well, according to Rhule.

“Man, he is in such a good place,” Rhule recently told Jim Rome (h/t On3). “He has so many eyes on him. He has the weight and pressure of an entire fan base, of an entire state, of a blue blood like Nebraska."

"Where I see him growing is in the phases of leadership and the phases of mental toughness, handling adversity. I think he's going to have a great year."@CoachMattRhule likes the progress he's seen from @HuskerFootball sophomore QB Dylan Raiola. pic.twitter.com/BIBqzcsKcq
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 10, 2025

Not only is Raiola able to handle the pressure, but he's up to the task of shouldering the weight of expectations on the Huskers. Rhule was very open about the fact that multiple suitors reached out to his star quarterback to see if he'd leave via the transfer portal.

Instead of taking the "easy way out" as Rhule saw it, Raiola remained committed to Nebraska. He's also grown within offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's system, and the Huskers are now looking at him as a leader within the locker room.

“Where I see him growing is in the phases of leadership, in the phases of mental toughness, handling adversity. I think he’s going to have a great year," Rhule said.

As a 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback with a rocket of an arm and sneaky athleticism, Raiola does have the tools to be an elite college football quarterback.

He took his lumps as a freshman, but if he's in a good spot mentally and physically heading into 2025, he's absolutely a candidate to have a breakout season on a national scale.

Nebraska will kick off its season against Cincinnati on Aug. 28 at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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