The Nebraska Cornhuskers enter the second season under head coach Matt Rhule looking to improve on last year’s 5-7 finish and return to a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
On Wednesday, Nebraska announced true freshman and five-star recruit Dylan Raiola as their starting quarterback in August 31’s season opener against the UTEP Miners.
Dylan Raiola will start at quarterback for the Huskers vs. UTEP#GBR x #WhatsNExt! pic.twitter.com/iNVFEOjSvf
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) August 21, 2024
Raiola initially committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2022 before de-committing and committing to the Georgia Bulldogs in the spring of 2023. By December 2023, Raiola had de-committed from Georgia and committed to Nebraska. Raiola will continue a family history in Nebraska and the Big Ten. His father, Dominic, was a center for the Cornhuskers from 1997-2000, where he won the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the best center in the sport. He went on to spend his entire 13-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions.
Raiola’s uncle, Donovan, played offensive line for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2003-06 and jumped around NFL teams for a few seasons before becoming a coach. After spending time with the Hawaii Warriors and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Raiola served as an offensive assistant for the Chicago Bears before being named the offensive line coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2022.
Heinrich Haarberg, who appeared in ten games for Nebraska last season, will be Raiola’s backup.
Raiola is the second true freshman to start a season opener in school history, joining Adrian Martinez (2018)
