Nebraska football: Dylan Raiola might have subtly cut his list

Dylan Raiola might have cut his list of teams down without telling anyone and that could be big for the Nebraska football program.

When you’re a 5-star prospect and the top quarterback in the 2024 class, people are going to analyze every word you say. That’s likely not something that comes as a big shock to Dylan Raiola these days.

The Chandler, Arizona quarterback has been a big target of the Nebraska football program and others for the last few years. Things have ramped up this spring as most people think he’s getting closer to making a decision on where Raiola will attend college in the fall of 2024.

Yet another sign that the quarterback is getting closer to pulling the trigger on his school choice might have popped up online this week. At the very least, it appears that Raiola might have cut one of the schools that have long been considered a top contender for his services. If the quarterback did indeed narrow down his list a bit further, he did it subtly enough that people might have missed it in the rather innocuous video.

That video is a quick 45-second shot from Tom Lemming that was posted on Twitter. In the piece, Raiola is asked about the coaches that have stood out to him during the recruiting process. Nebraska football fans should be happy that it’s not the Huskers that might have been cut from his list.

"“Coach Rhule from Nebraska really stood out. Really just hearing him and his vision for Nebraska. Coach [Kirby] Smart, obviously he’s a great leader … love what he does with his program. Coach Lanning, also a great guy, you know coming from the SEC and what he’s doing at Oregon, you know that’s pretty special. You know there’s a lot of other great coaches I have a relationship with.”"

For Nebraska football, one of these things is not like the other

One name that Raiola didn’t say has struck some as perhaps a sign that he’s narrowed down the list of schools that are still in the hunt for his services. If that’s the case, it would be newsworthy if only because Lincoln Riley and USC were once thought to be the front runner.

Not getting mentioned in this video certainly doesn’t officially rule out the Trojans but it’s interesting, to say the least. Raiola seems like a kid who knows what he says and how he says it is going to be diagnosed and examined by plenty. When answering a question about the coaches who have stuck out, it feels like mentioning three of the big four teams that are thought to be among his favorites is a sign.

Nebraska football fans might also take heart in Huskers head coach Matt Rhule being the first name out of the quarterback’s mouth. Now it’s all about waiting and watching and seeing what’s next for Dylan Raiola.