Matt Rhule recalls process of recruiting Dylan Raiola

Nebraska made one of the biggest signings in the early signing period when it inked five-star quarterback and former Georgia commitment Dylan Raiola to a national letter of intent.

Raiola will immediately compete for the starting job, according to coach Matt Rhule.

But it certainly will not be handed to him.

One of the reasons Rhule opted not to seek a quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal is that he wants to build the program from the ground up. That means doing it with players who have learned the system and have understood what Rhule is trying to do.

A pair of veterans already fit into that category.

“I think it was really important to me that Chubba (Purdy) and Heinrich (Haarberg) have earned the right for me to compete in the spring without someone coming in that’s a year ahead of them,” Rhule said. “So that was first and foremost. So we looked at some things, but didn’t make any offers to anybody. We just wanted to stay kind of true to that message that we had really from the end of the year.”

Nebraska even has a quarterback signee in the class that was in the fold well before Raiola’s last minute flip. He’ll also get an opportunity to compete.

Rhule praised that signee, three-star prospect Daniel Kaelin.

“Daniel Kaelin’s been loyal to us from the very beginning,” Rhule said. “We believe in Daniel, we believe in his skill set, his processing, how quickly he sees it. I love the fact that even this past weekend he had opportunities and he just wants to compete and wants to be a Husker.”

Raiola also wanted to be a Husker. Rhule explained how that unfolded.

“Dylan called last Sunday and said, ‘Hey coach, my heart keeps telling me to come to Nebraska. Can I come take another look?'” Rhule said. “I challenged him like, ‘Hey, make sure you’re serious about this because I don’t want this to be something that isn’t right for you.’ He said, ‘No, my life has greater purpose than just being the top recruit. I know what Nebraska means to my family, I know what it’s meant to me. I’d like to come there.’

“So I think in the end, (it’s great) to have a player of Dylan’s caliber, not his recruiting, but his caliber. His arm talent, his ability to see the field, and probably more than anything his work ethic and how much he cares about the game. We obviously took that, so feel great about our quarterback room. We’ve got four players that we believe in.”

Don’t be surprised if Raiola isn’t starting right away for the Cornhuskers. Rhule plans to be very deliberate with the position in pursuit of exactly what he wants in the program.

He outlined what that will look like for Raiola and company.

“With the young players, with the two freshmen, I think it’s really important that they follow the right trajectory,” he said. “It’s not about coming in and scripting for success. It’s about teaching them how to play quarterback the way we want our quarterbacks to play. That’s why I didn’t want a quick fix.

“To me, I want to build this thing with guys who have been in the program who learn our way of thinking, our way of seeing the field, our way of viewing defenses, our way of calling protections, our way of training. I think as we move forward it really will be earned. Nothing will be given. It will be great competition. It will be great development. We have some pretty special players in that room.”