Dylan Raiola has had a very up-and-down season, but he has still shown progress from last season. Raiola has been the center of the Cornhuskers’ 6-2 record this year. Raiola has stepped up in the clutch more often than not for Nebraska and has won some games in the fourth quarter for this team. Yet, he has not been a top quarterback in the Big Ten this season. He leaves fans wanting much more from his game.
Cornhuskers Wire’s Evan Bredeson provided his thoughts on starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. Here is his honest assessment on Raiola:
Work in progress
“Work in progress. He’s a sophomore, and people forget that. They also forget that he’s on his second offensive coordinator. Current OC Dana Holgorsen has been blunt that the previous playbook was too complicated. That alone hurt his freshman development.”
New for Nebraska
Bredeson continued: “The problem for Raiola is that Nebraska has never had a quarterback recruit with his resume prior to arriving on campus, and the two previous QB recruits with impressive prep resumes were Tommy Frazier and Eric Crouch. Frazier won two national championships (and should have won a Heisman), and Crouch won the Heisman and played for a national championship. Those are accomplished careers, so expectations were and remain high for Raiola.”
Bad habits
“He has all the talent to be a special player, but he still has some bad habits,” Bredeson told us. “For every highlight play, he still holds the ball for too long, forces the ball into coverage, and loves the home run ball when a check down would be enough. The sky is the limit, and pairing him with a coordinator like Dana Holgorsen has already led to early success. The hope is that Raiola’s development will continue and accelerate in the future.”
Turning the corner
“His final drive against Northwestern was the best drive of his Nebraska career, and fans are hoping that he’s turned an important corner in his development,” Bredeson wrote. “Expectations in 2026 will be entirely based on how this month ends. If the Huskers end on a high note, then 2026 will see legitimate conversations of a conference title game or a trip to the CFP with Raiola leading the way. Ending the month on a downswing will prompt people to ask questions about the program’s current state and what’s preventing the team from taking the next step. If that happens, Dylan Raiola’s play will be at the center of those conversations. So many people have a lot riding on the next four games, and no player has more on the line than Dylan Raiola.”
The big picture
This season has been a step in the right direction for Nebraska and for Dylan Raiola. I agree with the sentiment that these next four games will decide what the plan for next year should be. If Raiola does not show up against USC and Iowa, NU might have to look elsewhere at the quarterback position.
If you want to win in the Big Ten and amount to any success late in the season, you need a star quarterback. All of the top teams in the Big Ten have that. If Raiola can’t win these last games on the schedule, it is time to bring in someone that can. His future at Nebraska looks very bleak if a new coach comes into to this program next season as well. This Saturday, Raiola gets outplayed by Jayden Maiava, and the Trojans win a close game. Raiola will try to make too many highlight-reel plays, leading to a late-game turnover, while Maiava will play a clean game. That will be the difference, just like it was against Michigan with his late turnover.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Has Dylan Raiola shown he can carry Nebraska, both now and in the future?
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
