Nebraska officially names Dylan Raiola the starter at quarterback
Maybe the worst-kept secret of the offseason was finally revealed on Wednesday. Head coach Matt Rhule formally announced Dylan Raiola would be Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2024.
The heralded true freshman beat out incumbent starter Heinrich Haarberg and fellow true freshman Daniel Kaelin in an offseason-long competition.
Raiola is now set to become just the second Nebraska true freshman quarterback to start a season opener. He’ll join only Adrian Martinez, who got the nod to begin the 2018 season.
He’ll also become the third-ever NU true freshman signal caller to start a game. Martinez and Tommie Frazier (1992) were the only others who did it.
The only other freshmen – true or redshirt – to start at QB for Nebraska were Taylor Martinez (redshirt, 2010) and Tommy Armstrong (redshirt, 2013).
Raiola ascended quickly on, off the field at Nebraska
Raiola, a former five-star recruit out of Buford, Ga., backed up his impressive recruiting profile through spring practices.
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He made his unofficial Husker debut during Nebraska’s Red-White spring game in April. Raiola completed 16-of-22 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
That momentum carried into fall camp. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Raiola continued to impress on the field, and his leadership continued to blossom despite his inexperience.
“I love the fact that he’s this big recruit; he came in – he just worked,” Rhule said at Big Ten Media Days. “He did the mat drills – He didn’t have a lot of opinions; he just worked and earned the player’s respect.
“He has a lot of work to do. College football is hard. But I know this: He’s going to be there at 6:00 in the morning, and he’s going to be there at 5:00 at night. Players respect that.”
