Matt Rhule recalls standout moment from Dylan Raiola's first practice: 'I had a tear running down my eye'

The conversation around Nebraska football this season starts at the quarterback position. Dylan Raiola was the biggest addition for Matt Rhule and the Huskers as the crown jewel of the 2024 recruiting class, and he’ll vie for the starting job when camp begins.

It didn’t take long for the five-star prospect to make an impression. In fact, Rhule said one moment from Raiola’s first practice stood out right away.

The freshman took the field and saw the defense line up. Right away, he saw it was a blitz and called it out to his teammates – and it left Rhule speechless.

“We get out to the first practice and he comes out, and we’re sliding to the field and there’s a will free safety blitz and he’s like, ‘Hey, flipper flipper.’ … I had a tear running down my eye,” Rhule said on SiriusXM College during Big Ten Media Days.

“The next day, the other freshman quarterback who’s elitely talented, Danny Kaelin, and brilliant. He comes out and he does it. Then, all of a sudden, it starts taking off.”

Matt Rhule: ‘You can’t go on any set schedule’ with QB development

During the offseason, Rhule said the competition between Dylan Raiola, Daniel Kaelin and Heinrich Haarberg would go through training camp. He expressed a similar sentiment during a breakout session with reporters in Indianapolis, saying Nebraska will know who the starter will be “when we know.”

During his interview with SiriusXM, Rhule pointed out a development track might not be linear. That’s part of the process when dealing with a highly touted recruit, even despite Raiola’s connections to the NFL level.

“You can’t go on any set schedule,” Rhule said. “You kind of have to give them things as they come to them. In Dylan’s case, it’s unique in that his dad was an NFL offensive lineman for 14 years and his uncle’s the offensive line coach. … All these things are great.

“I think a lot of it is just managing the game. When to be aggressive, when to just take the checkdown. Play the game the right way.”

Raiola checked in as the No. 21 overall player from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Kaelin was another key part of Nebraska’s recruiting class after coming in as a three-star prospect and the No. 6-ranked player in the state, per the On3 Industry Ranking.