As the Nebraska football team gears up for the 2025 season, it’s clear that most analysts believe there is one big key to their success and it’s their starting quarterback.
Dylan Raiola got a ton of credit for the season he had as a true freshman. He finished with a Husker record for passing yards as a first-year college student and while there were struggles that could be marked in 2024, at least some of them were almost certainly because of the turmoil that permeated NU at offensive coordinator.
With a year under his belt and an offensive coordinator that has long been considered one of the best in the business at that position, Nebraska football fans are expecting big things. So are more than a few analysts, including former ESPN talking head David Pollack who believes the QB1 is going to be a big story in 2025.
Nebraska football’s Dylan Raiola is the big story for NU, says analyst
“Raiola, obviously, is the big story to me in this offense,” Pollack said earlier this week. “Like, he's the guy. You know, he's the one that showed you flashes in the beginning of the season. He's got the mannerisms of Mahomes a little bit. He's got the – I know the comparison has to stop, but he's got the mannerisms, the hair a little bit.”
“Like, obviously, the same coach, the same quarterback coach,” Pollack added, talking about the man both Mahomes and Raiola work with in the offseason in order to sharpen their skills. “So a lot of that carryover. But here's the thing. He's the best Nebraska quarterback in a long time.”
Raiola, coming off a season where he threw for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, does have room for improvement. It seems as though most people believe the Nebraska football star quarterback will see a big jump in 2025.