Matt Rhule explains what signing 5-star QB Dylan Raiola means for Nebraska

Matt Rhule knew what it meant to sign five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola to Nebraska, flipping him from Georgia.

It was a landmark signing and indicates Nebraska isn’t playing around anymore. It’s truly time to take the Huskers seriously nationwide if this kid succeeds.

Rhule was pretty excited with the big picture and being able to bring in Raiola to catapult that trajectory.

“Well, I think anytime that you feel good about the guy you bring in at quarterback, it’s special,” Rhule said on Big Ten Network. “Obviously, for us, even this year, you know, we know we’re gonna play great defense. So to have a guy behind center that we believe in, we know we can win championship games. I think it means a lot. And probably on a more macro level like to have one of the best players in the country choose Nebraska, maybe signals to people that hey, there’s something special happening here. 

“He’s one of six sons of former players that are joining our team. And I think that that really speaks to what we’re trying to do, the place that we’re trying to build in the future that we want to have.”

As far as Raiola’s skills, there’s a reason he was a five-star prospect. Heck, he’s an upcoming true freshman that could compete to be the starter from Day 1.

“I had a chance to go see Dylan in the spring when they were practicing and watched him throw and I’ve been to a lot of the pro days over the last couple years and I think just in terms of throwing the ball, in terms of his mechanics, in terms of his arm talent, it’s as good as anybody I’ve seen even getting ready for the draft,” Rhule said. 

“You add in the fact that you know, he’s driven to be great. He’s a big, powerful man that can stand strong in the pocket. And then when you watch the tape, you know, besides the big arm and the big throws, you see a guy that can move in the pocket, can make plays with touch. And that’s a special combination. When I saw it live, I knew he could be something really, really great for us. Didn’t work out initially, happy to obviously that it worked out today.”

That’s what led to the question of how Rhule and his staff flipped Raiola over the course of the last week-plus.

“It was late,” Rhule said. “You know, the way I look at it … this is where he was always meant to be. I think this is where his heart always was. Obviously a lot of things have been happening in the program. And I hope and believe that, as he went through this year, saw the progress that we made, saw the way that you know, we handled the highs and lows as a team, as far as you know, just more and more set on coming into Nebraska. 

“And in the end, he made that call. We’re excited that he’s here. We’re excited all the other young men are here and you believe it’ll lead to great things for us in the future.”

As a member of the Class of 2024, Raiola is five-star recruit out of Buford (Ga.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 16 quarterback in the class.